Kansas City, Missouri —The University of Arizona men’s basketball team (21-11, 14-6 in Big 12) has moved onto the semifinals in the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship tournament to face No. 2 Texas Tech University (25-7, 15-5 in Big 12) on Friday, March 14 at 8:30 CST in the T-Mobile Center. The game will be streamed on ESPN2. The Wildcats saw the Red Raiders advance after securing a 76-74 victory over Baylor University.
The Wildcats are coming off of a stunning 88-77 victory over the No. 6 University of Kansas Jayhawks on March 13 in T-Mobile Center. Arizona shot a collective 53.4% in the game, limiting Kansas to shoot 42.2%. The Wildcats’ bench outscored the Jayhawks 45-13, allowing Arizona to pull ahead in the nightcap with the win thanks to the depth of their players.
History vs. Texas Tech
The two programs’ history dates back to Jan. 15, 1934, where the Red Raiders won 33-29. The Friday game marks the 55th meeting between the schools, as Texas Tech leads the all-time series record 29-25.
Earlier in the year, Arizona met Texas Tech on Jan. 18 and Feb. 8, resulting in a win at home for each program and splitting the season series. The most recent neutral site matchup was in 1946, in Albuquerque, N.M., where Arizona won 61-31. Notably, both teams ended each other’s seven-game winning streak in their victories.
Texas Tech players to watch
Ranked No. 9 in the Associated Press Top 25 poll, the Red Raiders are led by head coach Grant McCasland, who is in his second year leading Texas Tech. Despite being in the early seasons of his tenure at Texas Tech, McCasland made a significant impression his first year, guiding the Red Raiders to a 23-11 overall record and the NCAA Tournament. The Baylor graduate who played for the Bears from 1995-1999 joined the program to lead the team on March 31, 2023, but began his career at Texas Tech as the men’s basketball Director of Operations from 1999-2001.
The Red Raiders secured a 13-point lead going into halftime over the Bears in Thursday’s matchup. For a team that averages 10.3 3-pointers per game, Texas Tech made 15 shots from the 3-point line, hitting 12-for-19 (63.2%) in the first half and held Baylor to just 4-of-16 from beyond the arc in the game.
6-foot-9 JT Toppin led the Red Raiders with his third consecutive double-double and 15th of the season, consisting of 26 points and 10 rebounds. He also grabbed six of the 17 offensive rebounds the Red Raiders collected. The versatile sophomore forward leads Texas Tech in both scoring and rebounding, averaging 18.4 points and 9.4 rebounds per game. Additionally, he leads the team with 36 total blocks for the season, including 20 collected in conference play.
Darrion Williams, the second-leading scorer for the Red Raiders, put up 14 points and eight rebounds in the victory against the Bears. Notably, he was 5-for-6 from the 3-point line, making a third of what the Red Raiders shot from beyond the arc. The 6-foot-6 junior forward is second in rebounding for the team, putting up a stateline of 14.3 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.2 steals per game.
Elijah Hawkins set a Texas Tech Big 12 tournament record, dishing out 11 assists next to his 12 points over Baylor. The 5-foot-11 senior guard secured his fifth double-double of the season and 20th career-game with double-digit assists.
Wildcats to watch
Under fourth season head coach Tommy Lloyd, Lloyd holds the NCAA record for the most wins in his first two seasons at 61 victories. Prior to Arizona, Lloyd served as an assistant coach for Gonzaga University for 22 seasons. In his first year coaching at Arizona, Lloyd guided the Wildcats to become Pac-12 Regular Season Champions. Arizona has finished in the top 3 of its conference in each season through the four years under Lloyd. The Wildcats are also the highest scoring team in the Big 12, scoring 80 points per game. The last team to average 80 points or more in conference play was Baylor in the 2020-2021 season (80.9 in 14 games).
KJ Lewis played multiple roles in Arizona’s victory over Kansas, leading the Wildcats with 19 points, five rebounds, three assists and an impressive four steals. Notably, he shot 6-for- 11 from the field, scoring 14 of his points in the second half of the game. Thursday’s matchups marked Lewis’ 19th game scoring in double figures this season. The 6-foot-4 guard is a vital part of the Wildcats’ game execution, leading third in scoring and rebounding with 10.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.4 steals per game. Additionally, Lewis has collected 16 points in conference play, the third most for the team.
Henri Veesaar is another Wildcat who has been impressive in the stretch of the season, also scoring 19 points alongside Lewis to make sure Arizona got the victory over Kansas on Thursday. The 7-foot center shot 7-for-11 from the field and added on four rebounds in the win. While Veesaar is crucial on the defensive end for Arizona, collecting 31 blocks in conference play this season to lead the team, he also helps his teammates in scoring, averaging 9.5 points, 4.9 rebounds, 1.3 assists per game.
Caleb Love, a 6-foot-4 guard, is one of the main focal points of the Wildcats, having been a consistent leader for Arizona since transferring for the University of North Carolina. The former Tarheel leads Arizona in scoring, putting up 16.4 points per game, ranking seventh in the Big 12. Love, one of five finalists for the Jerry West Award, continues to be a playmaker for the Wildcats, also putting up 4.2 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.3 steals per game. Notably, over the last six games, Love is shooting 41.3% from the 3-point line and is averaging 18 points.
