Game Info

Good Guys: Texas Tech Red Raiders (12-4, 3-2)
Bad Guys: Arizona Wildcats (11-5, 5-0)
When to Watch: Saturday, January 18th @ 1:00 pm
Where to Watch: United Supermarkets Arena | Lubbock, Texas
How to Watch: ESPN2
How to Listen: 97.3 FM | Affiliates | Varsity Network
The Line: Texas Tech -4.5

Advanced Stats

Lineups

* Assists.

Starting 5

1. Stats. Arizona is so balanced and good on both ends of the court. They are great shooting inside the arc, 30th in the nation, but aren’t great from deep, 222nd. Despite those figures, they still have an eFG% that’s good for 54th in the nation. They are 13th in the nation in offensive rebounding and 68th in free throw rate, both good marks. The Wildcats are a team that will turn the ball over, 115th. Defensively, some numbers aren’t great, but obviously cumulatively they are 19th in the nation in adjusted defensive efficiency. They are 40th in 2-point defense and 82nd in 3-point defense. They are susceptible to offensive rebounding, 98th, and free throw rate, 88th overall, and don’t really turn teams over, 111th.

2. Scouting. Bradley is maybe the best player and best shooter, other than Dell’Orso. Bradley is a good shooter, but not great, 52% of his 2-point shots, which is where he gets most of his points, and 35% from deep. Dell’Orso is the dangerous 3-point shooter, 46%, on the team, but Love takes most of those shots and makes just 31%. Veesar, Krivas and Awaka are the team’s best rebounders on both ends of the court.

3. How They Match Up. Arizona has lost 5 non-conference games. A loss to Wisconsin where the defense was pretty terrible and lost shooting touch from deep, an understandable loss to what looks like a very dominant Duke team. then a loss to Oklahoma where the defense had issues, same thing with West Virginia, and a loss to UCLA where the offense failed them. And then they’ve been on an absolute heater winning 7 straight including away wins at Cincinnati and West Virginia. The offense will need to be humming today I think

4. lagniappe | something given as a bonus or extra gift.

ESPN’s Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo: 2025 NBA draft: 10 risers and under-the-radar players

Darrion Williams – What scouts are saying: “He’s polarizing in our group. Some of our scouts love his feel, passing and character, as well as the way he takes over games and does a little bit of everything. Others worry about the body, the jumper, who he is going to guard, how does it translate, etc. He’s grown on me, but he might need another year to trim up and improve his 3-and-D outlook, and become like a Royce O’Neal-type.”

5. Official Site. The official site has their preview right here:

Sixty-eight years of estrangement as conference opponents on the hardwood ends when Texas Tech hosts Arizona in a Big 12 showdown at 1 p.m. on Saturday at United Supermarkets Arena. Border Conference rivals from 1932-56, this weekend’s game marks the first matchup between the programs as Big 12 foes with the Wildcats joining the conference this season. It’s the 53rd overall meeting in the series and will be broadcast on ESPN2 while the Texas Tech Sports Network radio call can be heard locally on Double T 97.3, and on the Varsity app. Tech will travel to play the Wildcats on February 8 in Tucson in the second regular season meeting.

“Arizona is playing really well,” Texas Tech coach Grant McCasland said. “Tommy Lloyd is not only a great friend, but a terrific basketball coach. You can just see that the more time that he’s spending with his team the better they’ve gotten. They’re a really efficient team. Offensively, they’re playing with great pace and are doing a great job offensive rebounding. Defensively, they’ve gotten really solid. You can see their pieces are more connected. We have a ton of respect for them and are excited about the opportunity to compete.”