After losing their first game of the season, the No. 1-ranked Arizona Wildcats return home to McKale Center to face No. 16 Texas Tech Red Raiders. Texas Tech is 18-6 on the season and enters this game riding a two-game winning streak. Before Arizona lost to Kansas on Monday, the Wildcats started the season 23-0 and 10-0 in the Big 12. Texas Tech is 29-26 against Arizona, but the Wildcats have won nine of their previous 10 contests against the Red Raiders.
On DraftKings Sportsbook, Arizona is a -9.5-point favorite against Texas Tech in this contest. Check out my best bet for the Texas Tech-Arizona matchup below.
Texas Tech vs. Arizona (6:30 p.m. ET)
After suffering their first loss of the season, Arizona’s extremely difficult schedule continues with another ranked matchup. Saturday’s game will be the Wildcats’ second of four straight ranked opponents. Even in a loss, Brayden Burries excelled against Kansas, recording 25 points and five rebounds. Over the last few weeks, Burries has taken over as Arizona’s best player, scoring 17-plus points in five of the previous seven games.
This season, Texas Tech is 3-5 against top-25 opponents and is 2-2 in its previous four contests. Texas Tech possesses one of the top duos in college basketball with JT Toppin and Christian Anderson. Toppin averages 21.5 points and 10.98 rebounds, two assists, 1.7 blocks, and 1.3 steals per contest. Anderson scores 19.1 points per game while recording 7.7 assists, the third most in the country.
Even after their loss, Arizona remains No. 2 on KenPom with the second-best defensive rating and eighth-best offense rating. Texas Tech ranks 16th on KenPom, with the 16th-best offensive rating and 26th-best defensive rating.
The thing that separates Arizona from Texas Tech is depth. Arizona has one of the deepest rosters in the sport, while the Red Raiders only have five players averaging nine-plus points. Toppin is an elite offensive player, but he isn’t invincible. He has only totaled 16 and 10 points in two of his last three games. Motieus Krivas and Tobe Awaka create a top-tier frontcourt and should be able to contain Toppoin in this contest.
This season, 19 of Arizona’s 23 victories have come by at least 10 points. Texas Tech’s last four losses have come by eight or fewer. But Saturday, the Red Raiders are facing the best team in the country at one of the best arenas. At home this season, Arizona has won nine of its 10 games by at least 25 points.
