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SAN FRANCISCO — John Calipari and Grant McCasland are back in the same building for the NCAA Tournament, but this time they're foes.
Much has happened since the Texas Tech basketball team and Kentucky both made their way to Pittsburgh for last year's first-round March Madness games. Playing the night session inside PPG Paints Arena, Calipari coached what wound up being his final game at Kentucky in a loss to Oakland. Right after that, the Red Raiders fell to NC State.
Both higher seeds lost that night. Now, more than 2,500 miles away and a year later, the Red Raiders will try to avoid being that higher seed to fall when Texas Tech faces Arkansas in the Sweet 16.
More: Texas Tech basketball's Grant McCasland says 'brother' Ross Hodge can win at West Virginia
"It's going to be a really hard game for us," Calipari said. "But you know what? My kids, they come through the first. And my guess is, other than a fan of Arkansas, no one is picking us to win the game. But the great news in this tournament, you've got to play the games. Gotta play them."
Here's a look at the matchup between the Red Raiders and Razorbacks, players to watch and a score prediction.
The Razorbacks were expected to get leading scorer Adou Thiero back for Thursday's game, Calipari telling "The Pat MacAfee Show" on Tuesday that he was projected to play about 10 minutes. That may no longer be the case.
"Adou practiced yesterday," Calipari said Wednesday. "Leg was bothering him today, so I didn't put him through anything. We'll see tomorrow. If we had eight to 10 minutes from him in case of foul trouble, it would help. But we're fine."
Whether Thiero plays or not, Arkansas will have a length advantage against Texas Tech. The Razorback's front line features 6-foot-10 Trevon Brazile, 6-foot-11 Jonas Aidoo and 7-foot-2 Zvonimir Ivisic.
More: What Arkansas coach John Calipari said of facing Texas Tech basketball in Sweet 16
The Red Raiders are accustomed to playing teams with more vertical depth, and it's up to Big 12 player of the year JT Toppin to figure out the best way to attack it.
"Really the same mindset," Toppin said of facing lengthier teams, "just stay physical. It's going to be a physical game. The people who is more physical, I think, is going to come out with the win. Just really staying physical."
Brazile's season stats don't pop off the page (6.7 points, 5.4 rebounds) as they're his lowest averages since his freshman year. But Arkansas' recent run of success has come with Brazile being at his best.
Over the past eight games, Brazile is averaging 11.3 points and 9.6 rebounds. He's had six games scoring in double figures and double-digit rebounds in four of those contests. Arkansas is 6-2 in that span.
Anderson, meanwhile, has had a stellar freshman season for Texas Tech, but he struggled to find an offensive rhythm in the two games in Wichita. He went 2-of-9 from the field in both games and combined to shoot 2-of-14 from 3-point range. He had crucial plays in each victory down the stretch, but for the Red Raider offense to be running at top speed, they need Anderson to be at his best against Arkansas's more veteran guards.
Score prediction: Texas Tech 79, Arkansas 76 — This is a game that could go either way as both teams have their advantages over the other. Texas Tech has proven it came overcome those areas of deficit and has the more consistent effort throughout the season. Arkansas's good, and can win, but Tech is more versatile in the end.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Texas Tech vs Arkansas prediction, pick for March Madness Sweet 16
Continue reading...
Much has happened since the Texas Tech basketball team and Kentucky both made their way to Pittsburgh for last year's first-round March Madness games. Playing the night session inside PPG Paints Arena, Calipari coached what wound up being his final game at Kentucky in a loss to Oakland. Right after that, the Red Raiders fell to NC State.
Both higher seeds lost that night. Now, more than 2,500 miles away and a year later, the Red Raiders will try to avoid being that higher seed to fall when Texas Tech faces Arkansas in the Sweet 16.
More: Texas Tech basketball's Grant McCasland says 'brother' Ross Hodge can win at West Virginia
"It's going to be a really hard game for us," Calipari said. "But you know what? My kids, they come through the first. And my guess is, other than a fan of Arkansas, no one is picking us to win the game. But the great news in this tournament, you've got to play the games. Gotta play them."
Here's a look at the matchup between the Red Raiders and Razorbacks, players to watch and a score prediction.
Scouting Texas Tech basketball's Sweet 16 opponent: Arkansas Razorbacks
The Razorbacks were expected to get leading scorer Adou Thiero back for Thursday's game, Calipari telling "The Pat MacAfee Show" on Tuesday that he was projected to play about 10 minutes. That may no longer be the case.
"Adou practiced yesterday," Calipari said Wednesday. "Leg was bothering him today, so I didn't put him through anything. We'll see tomorrow. If we had eight to 10 minutes from him in case of foul trouble, it would help. But we're fine."
Whether Thiero plays or not, Arkansas will have a length advantage against Texas Tech. The Razorback's front line features 6-foot-10 Trevon Brazile, 6-foot-11 Jonas Aidoo and 7-foot-2 Zvonimir Ivisic.
More: What Arkansas coach John Calipari said of facing Texas Tech basketball in Sweet 16
The Red Raiders are accustomed to playing teams with more vertical depth, and it's up to Big 12 player of the year JT Toppin to figure out the best way to attack it.
"Really the same mindset," Toppin said of facing lengthier teams, "just stay physical. It's going to be a physical game. The people who is more physical, I think, is going to come out with the win. Just really staying physical."
Players to watch: Arkansas' Trevon Brazile and Texas Tech's Christian Anderson
Brazile's season stats don't pop off the page (6.7 points, 5.4 rebounds) as they're his lowest averages since his freshman year. But Arkansas' recent run of success has come with Brazile being at his best.
Over the past eight games, Brazile is averaging 11.3 points and 9.6 rebounds. He's had six games scoring in double figures and double-digit rebounds in four of those contests. Arkansas is 6-2 in that span.
Anderson, meanwhile, has had a stellar freshman season for Texas Tech, but he struggled to find an offensive rhythm in the two games in Wichita. He went 2-of-9 from the field in both games and combined to shoot 2-of-14 from 3-point range. He had crucial plays in each victory down the stretch, but for the Red Raider offense to be running at top speed, they need Anderson to be at his best against Arkansas's more veteran guards.
Texas Tech prediction vs. Arkansas: March Madness Sweet 16
Score prediction: Texas Tech 79, Arkansas 76 — This is a game that could go either way as both teams have their advantages over the other. Texas Tech has proven it came overcome those areas of deficit and has the more consistent effort throughout the season. Arkansas's good, and can win, but Tech is more versatile in the end.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Texas Tech vs Arkansas prediction, pick for March Madness Sweet 16
Continue reading...
