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DALLAS — The University of Arkansas men’s basketball team is gearing up for a second neutral-court matchup against a ranked team. This one will be more familiar.
The No. 17 Razorbacks and No. 16 Texas Tech will meet in Dallas — roughly a five-hour driving distance for both — at 11 a.m. Central on Saturday at the American Airlines Center.
It’s a rematch of a meeting in the Sweet 16 of last season’s NCAA Tournament, where the Red Raiders won 85-83 in overtime to advance to the Elite Eight.
After a win against Fresno State on Dec. 6 in North Little Rock, Arkansas forward Karter Knox used words such as “get back” and “a lot of revenge” while looking ahead to Saturday. The sophomore has since changed his outlook.
“It’s a regular game for us,” Knox said Thursday morning. “It’s a game that we have to get. Very big game for us. They did beat us last year, but it’s not a revenge game. I feel like this game we’re going to make a statement.”
The No. 10-seeded Razorbacks held a 16-point lead with 10:23 left against No. 3 seed Texas Tech. Using a handful of offensive rebounds, the Red Raiders scrapped for a comeback win at San Francisco’s Chase Center. They lost in the Elite Eight 84-79 to No. 1 seed Florida, which went on to win the national title.
Notable returners, sophomore guard Christian Anderson and junior forward JT Toppin, scored 22 and 20 points, respectively, against the Razorbacks in that game. Toppin’s 10 rebounds were a game high.
“They run a lot of new sets and new plays,” Knox said. “We’re mainly focused on this year’s scout. We’re not really paying attention at last year, but they do run the same plays last year. And how we guarded it, how we defended it. We were up 16 at one point, so we obviously did a pretty good job on them.”
Knox scored 20 points and went 4 for 4 on three-pointers, while current starters D.J. Wagner and Trevon Brazile chipped in 13 and 11 points, respectively. A chuckling Knox said Thursday that he watched the replay on YouTube earlier in the week of a self-proclaimed best game last season.
Both programs have since undergone roster changes. Arkansas’ top scorers are now freshmen guards Darius Acuff Jr. and Meleek Thomas. Third-year Texas Tech Coach Grant McCasland collected high-usage transfers in the offseason, including guards Donovan Atwell and Tyeree Bryan, as well as forwards LeJuan Watts and Luke Bamgboye.
“Focusing on defense; defense and rebounding,” Knox said of preparation. “They get a lot of — trying to get offensive rebounds, try and play physical. But we’ve been doing straight rebounding drills almost like football drills. We’re ready for this team.”
Arkansas beat No. 11 Louisville on Dec. 3 at home after losses at No. 9 Michigan State and to No. 3 Duke in Chicago. Texas Tech is still looking for its first ranked win after an 81-77 defeat at No. 13 Illinois on Nov. 11 and an 86-56 blowout by No. 6 Purdue on Nov. 21 in the Bahamas.
The Red Raiders are coming off an 82-58 win against LSU last Sunday in Fort Worth.
“A schedule tells you where you’re at,” McCasland said Thursday. “If you make it a difficult schedule, it’ll reveal what you’re not good at. Our team is kind of like, we’ve got the right ingredients, we’ve got the right place to do it, we’ve got everything. But we’re giving out food that’s not fully prepared.”
Toppin, the 2024-25 Big 12 Player of the Year and the favorite to repeat, is the team’s anchor with an average of 20.8 points and 11.5 rebounds per game. A weakness is his 48.9% free-throw percentage. Anderson is second with 19.1 points per game and he also ranks second in the Big 12 with 65 assists.
“Darius, that’s his matchup,” Knox said. “Anderson is very skilled … but I feel like Darius is ready for that matchup. Meleek Thomas and Isaiah Sealy, they’re all ready for that matchup.”
Anderson and Atwell are shooting 43.1% and 43.7% from three-point range, respectively. Watts, the preseason Big 12 Newcomer of the Year, is averaging 12.0 points and 6.1 rebounds.
The Red Raiders were predicted to finish third in their league behind No. 7 Houston — an upcoming opponent for Arkansas on Dec. 20 — and No. 10 BYU. Houston swept last year’s Big 12 regular season and conference tournament titles. Texas Tech placed second in the league.
“I feel like we’re the best team in the nation,” Knox said. “We’ve got to prove it on Saturday and prove it for the whole season.”
Matt Byrne is the Bob Holt Razorback Reporter, named in honor of the longtime reporter who covered University of Arkansas sports. This position is funded by the ADG Community Journalism Project.
