No. 16 Texas Tech will travel to No. 1 Arizona for a Top 25 Big 12 matchup today at 5:30 p.m. CT on ESPN, as the Wildcats regroup from the Kansas loss on Monday. The Red Raiders (18-6, 8-3 Big 12) have won three of their last five games, including a 78-44 besting of Colorado on Wednesday. The Wildcats (23-1, 10-1) dropped a late thriller to the Jayhawks at Allen Fieldhouse on Monday, and return home, where the haven’t lost in 448 days. Here’s a preview, key storylines and a prediction to get you ready for Saturday’s action in Tucson.
TEXAS TECH VS. ARIZONA GAME ODDS
Arizona opened as a 9.5-point favorite with an over/under of 155.5 point. The line has remained remarkably steady as of Saturday afternoon, with no movement on the line, or the point total, with only a couple of sports books moving up to 156 total points.
KEY STORYLINE: CAN ARIZONA REMIND FOLKS JUST HOW GOOD THEY ARE?
Nobody left the Arizona-Kansas game thinking anything less of Tommy Lloyd and the Wildcats because of a four-point loss on the road. The Wildcats still boast the deepest freshmen group in the country, and are incredibly difficult to beat regardless of the venue. That said, Arizona returns home this weekend in hopes of setting things right against a Texas Tech team with plenty of flash.
MATCH UP TO WATCH: THE VETERAN AND THE FRESHMAN
Arizona freshman star Brayden Burries looks and plays like anything but a first-year guard, and he’ll go toe-to-toe with Texas Tech’s JT Toppin (or Donovan Atwell) for the first time this season on Saturday. Toppin finds the rim often at 21.5 points per game, and the Red Raiders will need to do all they can beyond the curve (where they’re just 39% as a team) to keep up with Arizona’s offense.
PREDICTION: ARIZONA 86, TEXAS TECH 79
Arizona has a 13-0 record at home this season, and rebounds incredibly well at the McKale Center (42.1 rpg). If they’re dominating the glass, and the place is loud and wild as it should be for a top-25 opponent, my faith is with the Wildcats. Texas Tech could catch the Wildcats on a run here or there, but it’s incredibly hard to win in Tucson, and it’s going to take a real bad day from Arizona to cough up a second consecutive Big 12 loss after the Kansas loss earlier this week.
