The University of Arizona men’s basketball team (16-6, 10-1 in Big 12) returns home on Saturday, Feb. 8 to host Texas Tech University (18-4, 9-2 in Big 12) at 8:30 p.m. in McKale Center. The Wildcats look to continue their five-game winning streak entering this game. Notably, Arizona is 9-1 in its last 10 games, with its only defeat coming from the Red Raiders.
History vs. Texas Tech
Saturday marks the 54th meeting between the two programs with Texas Tech leading the series 29-24. The Wildcats’ first-ever meeting against the Red Raiders was on Jan. 15, 1934, when Arizona fell 33-29.
Throughout a back-and-forth history, the Red Raiders were also victorious in the most recent meeting against Arizona when they snapped Arizona’s seven-game series win streak with a 70-54 victory on Jan. 18. Saturday’s matchup is highly anticipated as Wildcat fans are hopeful the team can bounce back.
Texas Tech players to watch
The Red Raiders, led by head coach Grant McCasland, are on a current seven-game winning streak the Wildcats look to halt. Despite McCasland being a second-year coach leading the team, he guided the then No. 22 Texas Tech Red Raiders to the 2024 NCAA Tournament with a 23-11 overall record.
Chance McMillian is the Red Raiders’ leading scorer, averaging a stat line of 15.5 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game. McMillian has been on a hot streak recently, as the 6-foot-3 guard scored a team-high 23 points in a win against the No. 6 University of Houston. Notably, McMillian was 7-for-7 from the free throw line to help secure the victory over the Cougars.
In Texas Tech’s most recent 73-59 victory against Baylor University on Feb. 4, McMillian scored 19 points and matched his season-high for 3-pointers made, going 5-for-11 from beyond the arc. Additionally, he leads the Big 12 and is ranked seventh nationally in 3-point shooting percentage, hitting 45.5% of his attempts.
Another Red Raider to keep an eye on is senior guard Elijah Hawkins, who ranks in many categories in the Big 12. Despite being just 5-foot-11 with a team height average of 6-foot-5, Hawkins leads the conference in assists, averaging 6.1 assists per game for Texas Tech.
Hawkins is also the team’s fourth-leading scorer in Big 12 play, putting up 11.7 points and 2.8 rebounds per game. He leads the team in steals, averaging 1.6 steals and boasting a 2.95 assist-to-turnover ratio, only turning it over once against Baylor, ranking third in the Big 12.
Wildcats to watch
Tommy Lloyd, who is in his fourth season as head coach, recently picked up his 100th victory against Oklahoma State University leading Arizona in just his 126th game. This ties him with Mark Few at Gonzaga University, Lloyd’s last program before Arizona, for the fewest number of games needed to reach 100 wins. In Arizona’s most recent 85-74 victory against Brigham Young University on Feb. 4, Lloyd guided the Wildcats to their 10th conference win.
Leading the way for Arizona is fifth-year guard Caleb Love. A transfer from the University of North Carolina, Love has continued to be Arizona’s point leader, averaging 16.3 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.5 steals per game. He only needs 18 more points to reach a milestone of 2,500 points for his college career.
In the Wildcats’ latest win against the Cougars, Love contributed and led with 18 points, going 4-for-9 from beyond the arc. Notably, he is one of the 20 players on the Jerry West Award Preseason Watch List.
Jaden Bradley has been Arizona’s most consistent scorer, improving to becoming the team’s second point leader. Bradley, a 6-foot-3 junior, averages 11.7 points per game compared to last season’s 7 points. In Arizona’s victory against BYU, Bradley closely followed Love, scoring 17 points all in the second half, alongside four rebounds. Notably, he went a perfect 8-for-8 from the free-throw line. This was Bradley’s second consecutive game hitting all his attempts from the charity stripe.
Henri Veesaar, a 7-foot forward for the Wildcats, has averaged 14 points, six rebounds and is shooting 76.45%, 13-of-17, from the floor in his last two games. Along with Bradley, Veesaar put up 17 points over BYU on an impressive 8-for-10 shooting night. Veesaar is the Wildcats’ second-leading rebounder, averaging 4.6 boards per game. Veesaar and Tobe Awaka, who leads the team in rebounds with 7.9 per game, combine for an average of 12.5 rebounds per game.
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