Expect maximum intensity and physical play aplenty when No. 20 Texas hosts No. 11 Texas Tech on Saturday afternoon in Austin, Texas, in a key Big 12 Conference rematch of two of the nation’s grittier teams and bitter rivals.
The teams played on Feb. 1 in Lubbock, with the Red Raiders exacting a bit of revenge in an 77-64 win over the Longhorns and coach Chris Beard, Texas Tech’s former coach who was greeted rudely in his initial return to the South Plains.
Since then both teams have had more wins than losses and each has cemented its place in the AP Top 25 on the way to an appearance in the NCAA Tournament. And both come into Saturday’s game off important conference wins, increasing the anticipation for their second dustup of the season.
The Red Raiders (20-6, 9-4 Big 12) head to Austin after a come-from-behind 83-73 win at home over No. 7 Baylor on Wednesday that produced Texas Tech’s first season sweep of the Bears since 2005.
Kevin Obanor racked up 23 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, both season-highs, and recorded his first double-double of the season. Obanor hit for 21 of his points in the second half when Texas Tech rallied from a seven-point halftime deficit and outscored Baylor 51-34.
“We were in desperation mode, so at halftime we knew we had to get after it from the very beginning of the second half,” Texas Tech coach Mark Adams said. “Emphasis was (to) just play hard and be aggressive. We’re bigger and longer than they are, get some deflections and show our size more. And I thought we did that.”
Bryson Williams added 17 points for the Red Raiders while Adonis Arms hit for 15 and Terrence Shannon Jr. had 14 for Texas Tech. The Red Raiders played without Kevin McCullar, who was out with an ankle sprain.
Texas (19-7, 8-5) heads home after a two-game road trip that ended with a slug-it-out 80-78 win at Oklahoma in overtime on Tuesday. Timmy Allen scored 20 points, including a key tip-in with 11 seconds remaining in overtime, as the Longhorns made the needed plays in the final minute of the extra period and held on.
“You’ve got to recognize our guys’ effort tonight,” Beard said after the win over OU. “I liked our poise in the huddle. Didn’t play great defense in the overtime, kind of trading baskets, but we found a way to win. Tonight’s a valuable lesson. We’ll draw from this later on in the season when we need the confidence to win another overtime game.”
Texas hit five of its seven shots from the floor in overtime and completed the season sweep over Oklahoma for the first time since 2017-18.
Andrew Jones added 20 points for Texas, with Marcus Carr and Christian Bishop hitting for 16 each and making a crucial late free throw and bucket, respectively, for the Longhorns. Texas played without Tre Mitchell, who did not make the trip with the team due to personal reasons.
“At this point, mid-February, we’ve shown we can play some really good basketball,” Beard added. “We’ve just got to find consistency. And ultimately, that’s what March is — the teams that are playing their best when it matters most.”
–Field Level Media