There are a lot of new faces on Arizona’s 2024-25 schedule, thanks to the move to the Big 12. But I addition to their fellow Pac-12 expatriates there are some teams in the league that the Wildcats have history with, and Texas Tech is one of them.
The UA has played the Red Raiders 52 times, many of those from when both schools were in the Border Conference, with Tech hold a 28-24 advantage in the series. Arizona has won the last seven meetings, including both ends of a home-and-home in 2012-13, with Texas Tech’s last win coming in 1970.
This year’s Red Raiders are 12-4 overall and 3-2 in the Big 12, having won at Kansas State on Wednesday. They were picked to finish seventh in the league.
To better understand this opponent, we reached out to Seth Jungman of Staking the Plains. Below are his genuine answers to our insincere questions:
AZ Desert Swarm: Texas Tech has been the exception to the rule about home court advantage and difficulties on the road, winning all three Big 12 road games so far while losing both contests at home. Has this just been a major coincidence or has there been something about one set of performances or the other that stands out?
Seth Jungman: “The loss at home to UCF was something that Grant McCasland said that this team just wasn’t prepared for. I think it was embarrassing for McCasland, he said that his staff wasn’t ready and the team wasn’t playing with a sense of urgency. The Iowa State loss was really just a loss to a very good team. Texas Tech missed three critical free throws down the stretch from very good free throw shooters and you basically lost because of lack of the ability to collect on that free money at the free throw line. So both were unique situations that I don’t necessarily relate to the other, a bad loss and a loss to the No. 3 team in the nation.”
The Red Raiders have three players averaging at least 15 points per game, while Arizona has one. How would you rank the value of trio in terms of importance that they have play well to ensure victory?
“Texas Tech is very top-heavy in a lot of ways and although I haven’t had a chance to watch any Arizona basketball this year, my guess is that even though Arizona only has one player (averaging 15) it is not indicative of talent disparity. TJ Toppin injured his ankle in the Iowa State game and toughed through the game against Kansas State at not 100 percent. He’s a terrific inside player, a guy that can finish with either hand (as an aside, I have a son that plays high level AAU ball and was on a team with Toppin’s little brother two years ago, a very nice family). Darrion Williams also tweaked his ankle against K-State, so he might not be 100 percent right now, but he’s a bit of a tweener in that he can play big, can pass the ball and can be a load in the blocks but also shoot from deep. And then Chance McMillian is a guy that can be highly efficient almost to a detriment, he wants to take such high quality shots that he can take 12 in a game or take three.”
What is Tech’s biggest flaw on offense?
“Texas Tech is a very good shooting team, but sometimes really good shooting teams tend to rely on that 3-point shot too much. Texas Tech also runs a pretty European-styled offense with lots of handoffs up top, looking for either screens or slip screens and lots of times matchup hunting. Sometimes getting caught up in that aspect can be problematic and the offense can spend too much time up top rather than a dribble-drive scenario.”
The win at Kansas State was the first time in Big 12 play Texas Tech has held an opponent below a point per possession, but for the season opponents are shooting just 41.3 percent. Where have the breakdowns been on that side of the ball?
“The biggest issues on defense have been rotations on switches. Sometimes being a bit lazy getting to a spot to stop a drive or just trailing too much. I know that’s pretty simplistic, but that’s been it for me.”
Grant McCasland has begun his tenure 35-15 and in his first season earned Tech a No. 6 seed in the NCAA Tournament. How does he differ from predecessors Mark Adams and Chris Beard?
“McCasland is quite a bit different and I think for the best. Beard is incredibly intense, which can work great, but he burns hot and that can wear on a program and staff. Helluva coach, but it’s intense. Adams was perhaps a long-time assistant coach for a reason. I think McCasland’s mix of personality and coaching is going to serve the program well. He was known as a defensive guy at North Texas, but he’s proven that he’s a flexible coach that can get the offense rolling. And in today’s world where the transfer portal is a huge part of the process, McCasland seems to have put together a staff that can acquire talent that seems to fit pretty well. I think this is an overall very good team.
“I’d be remiss not to mention that Tommy Lloyd and McCasland seem to have a connection, Lloyd picked McCasland as part of the 2025 USA Basketball staff. I’d love to know the backstory there and how they know each other and why Lloyd chose McCasland.”
Prediction time. Does Texas Tech get its first Big 12 home win and knock Arizona from the ranks of the unbeaten or do the Wildcats remain perfect in their first year in the league?
“I am concerned about the size of Arizona, Texas Tech isn’t exactly a deep team in the frontcourt and that appears to be a big emphasis of the Arizona offense. I don’t really ever worry about Texas Tech’s offense, it usually keeps pace, but it’s the defense that will fail at inopportune times. From a casual look at T-Rank, Arizona’s losses are a result of just not having a great night offensively, but that hasn’t happened for the Wildcats in quite some time. The students will be back and I think this is a very close game, a possession one way or the other. I think Texas Tech is due to get a win at home, but it’s going to be close.”