Texas Tech at Arizona NCAAB Betting Preview

With nearly half the conference nationally ranked there’s always a compelling matchup in the Big 12. After suffering their first loss of the season to No. 9 Kansas on Monday, the top ranked Wildcats get another stiff test against No. 16 Texas Tech on Saturday.

Texas Tech was also handed a loss by Kansas last week and rebounded from its first 2-game skid of the season by beating West Virginia, 70-63, on Sunday. Tech has 3 wins over ranked opponents this season handing Duke a loss back in December.

Texas Tech at Arizona Preview

The Texas Tech Red Raiders and Arizona Wildcats will meet for the only time during the regular season on Saturday, February 14, 2026 at the McKale Center in Tucson, AZ. Tipoff for the Big 12 contest is set for 6:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.

Public Betting Odds Factors

Playing the top team in the country is difficult enough, but doing it with a rest disadvantage makes it tougher. Texas Tech has a home game with Colorado on Wednesday before making the trip to Arizona. Meanwhile, the Cats are licking their wounds after a loss to Kansas on Monday night.

A third of Tech’s 6 losses took place in consecutive games two weeks ago. They were upset at Central Florida, 88-80, ending a 5-game winning streak and a run of 9 wins in 10 games. They then lost to Kansas 64-61 at home failing to get a payout in both games despite being the favorite on the college basketball spread.

The Red Raiders relied on their best players to recover from their mini slump. The Big 12’s 3rd leading scorer JT Toppin dropped 22 on the Mountaineers while Christian Anderson had 13 points and 11 rebounds in his return from an illness.

Despite Toppin’s efforts, Anderson is one player the Red Raiders can’t afford to be without. He averages nearly 39 minutes a game chipping in 19.3 points and 7.7 assists. He’s also a clutch free throw shooter at almost 80 percent from the stripe.

Losing at Kansas doesn’t diminish what and who the Wildcats are. Many quality squads have gone down at Phog Allen Fieldhouse. It wasn’t your typical Arizona game with the hostile atmosphere contributing to poor shooting and 13 turnovers.

A sharp-shooting unit that leads the Big 12 at 51.2 percent from the field, the Wildcats made just 44.4 percent of their shots against Kansas. You can expect a bounce back game from Koa Peat, who had just 6 points on 2 of 11 shooting against the Jayhawks.

Texas Tech at Arizona Predictions

I said this before and I’ll continue saying it, the Wildcats are the most balanced team in the country and deserving of their No. 1 ranking. The frontcourt of Peat, Mo Krivas, Ivan Kharchenkov and Tobe Awaka can be devastating, and Brayden Burries is an exceptional talent in the backcourt.

Burries kept Arizona in the game riddling the Kansas defense for 25 points making 4 of 7 triples along with 3 steals. One of the top first year players in the country, Burries averages 15.7 points on 50.8 percent shooting and 38.1 percent from downtown. He’s one of 4 double-figure scorers on a team that averages 88.8 points.

Texas Tech at Arizona Betting Tips

What should frighten Texas Tech is to know that the Wildcats are 10-0 when playing on 4+ days of rest. And coming off their first loss of the season will only make Arizona hungrier.

More than half of Arizona’s 23 wins have come at the McKale Center where they are 13-0. The Cats have payouts in each of their last 3 home games and are 4-1 against the college basketball betting line in their 5 Big 12 home contests.