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JT Toppin, No. 9 Texas Tech Take Aim at Arizona
The Big 12 tournament semifinals are set, and second-seeded No. 9 Texas Tech will square off against third-seeded Arizona on Friday night in Kansas City. Both teams survived tough quarterfinal matchups, setting the stage for a battle between two of the conference’s most physical teams.
Texas Tech Holds Off Baylor
Texas Tech (25-7) nearly let a big lead slip away but held on for a 76-74 win over Baylor on Thursday. JT Toppin led the way with a dominant 26-point, 10-rebound performance, while Darrion Williams added 14 points.
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Despite shooting just 19.4% from the field in the second half, including 3-of-15 from beyond the arc, the Red Raiders found a way to win.
“You don’t get pretty points for winning. You just win and find a way to move on,” Texas Tech head coach Grant McCasland said. “Give Baylor a lot of credit, because I thought their physicality caused problems in the second half.”
McCasland knows his team will need to be better against an Arizona squad that thrives in the paint.
“We need Federiko (Federiko) to play,” McCasland said. “Arizona plays with more size, and that’ll help with some rotations that we had difficulty with tonight.”
Arizona Closes Strong Against Kansas
Arizona (21-11) pulled away late in its 88-77 quarterfinal win over Kansas, using an 18-8 run to seal the victory.
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Henri Veesaar and KJ Lewis each scored 19 points off the bench, fueling a 45-13 bench points advantage for the Wildcats. Trey Townsend added 16 points, while Caleb Love finished with 11.
“We don’t mind playing games in the paint. It’s kind of how we’re built,” Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd said. “And we like throwing in a few 3s here and there too.”
Arizona withstood a strong push from Kansas, which tied the game at 50 early in the second half. The Wildcats finally took control when Veesaar converted a three-point play with just over five minutes remaining.
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Toppin vs. Arizona’s Frontcourt
The key matchup will be Arizona’s frontcourt against Texas Tech’s star forward JT Toppin, the Big 12 Player of the Year. Wildcats coach Tommy Lloyd knows his team must be prepared for a battle inside.
“I think (Texas Tech) is one of the most disciplined teams in the country,” Lloyd said. “They know what they want to do, and they’re able to execute it with a lot of certainty. They have two guys that are problems, their big guys.”
Texas Tech will look to ride its defense and rebounding to a shot at the Big 12 championship, while Arizona aims to keep its hot streak alive and move one step closer to a conference title.
