Texas Tech and Arizona meet for the third time this season; this matchup will be for a spot in the Big 12 title game. The teams split the two regular-season matchups, with both teams holding serve at home. Arizona defeated Kansas 88-77 in the quarterfinals after losing to the Jayhawks on the road in their last game of the regular season. Texas Tech somehow managed to beat Baylor in their quarterfinal matchup despite not hitting a shot for the last 7:26 of the game. Both teams are jockeying to improve their NCAA tournament seeding; Texas Tech is currently projected as a two seed, while Arizona is projected to be a five seed in the bracket.
How to watch Arizona vs. Texas Tech
- Date: Friday, March 14th
- Time: 9:30pm EST
- Venue: T-Mobile Center, Kansas City, Missouri
- How to Watch (TV): ESPN2
- Streaming: fubo TV (link: https://www.fubo.tv/welcome/leagues/191260?irad=367782&irmp=374356)
- Texas Tech record: 25-7 (15-5)
- Arizona record: 21-11 (14-6)
Arizona vs Texas Tech odds, spread and total
Odds provided by FanDuel Sportsbook
Moneyline
- Arizona +114
- Texas Tech -137
Spread
- Arizona +2.5 (-115)
- Texas Tech -2.5 (-105)
Total
- 147.5 (over -105, under -115)
Arizona injury report
- Motiejus Krivas (out, lower leg)
Texas Tech injury report
- Eemeli Yalaho (questionable, upper body)
Arizona and Texas Tech series history
- Arizona all-time record vs Texas Tech: 25-29
These two teams are very evenly matched. Texas Tech is ranked as the seventh best team according to KenPom; Arizona is 16th. Both teams boast efficient offenses and solid defenses. Texas Tech is led by sophomore forward JT Toppin, who's averaging 18.1 points and 9.3 rebounds while shooting almost 56% from the field. Toppin is the Big 12 Player of the Year and is flirting with being a first round draft pick if he decides to leave for the NBA after this season.
Arizona also has a First Team All-Big 12 player in Caleb Love. The ever mercurial guard has seen his stats dip a little this year compared to last year's output, but is still averaging 16.4 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game. Love can be a bit of a roller coaster to follow but has shown that he has the ability to rise to the occasion regardless of how big the moment is.
I think this game comes down to pace. The one big difference between the two teams is their preferred tempo: Arizona plays relatively fast (54th fastest in the country), while Texas Tech plays a more deliberate style of basketball (281st fastest pace in the nation). Arizona likes to run and get out in transition when they can, while Texas Tech operates more in the half-court. Texas Tech is 5-4 in games that average 70 or more possessions, according to KenPom's Adjusted Tempo stats; they're 20-3 in games that are less than this number. If Arizona can speed this game up a bit and get a few easy transition buckets, I think they can pull the minor upset.