Saturday night in Lubbock isn’t just another date on the Big 12 calendar - it’s a showdown with real weight. No.
11 BYU heads into hostile territory to take on No. 15 Texas Tech in a matchup that could shake up the top of the conference standings and set the tone for both squads heading into a pivotal stretch.
The Cougars (16-1, 4-0 Big 12) are riding high. Winners of 13 straight, including 12 in a row against conference opponents, they’ve surged into a three-way tie atop the Big 12 with Arizona and Houston.
But this next stretch? It’s a gauntlet.
Saturday’s clash in Lubbock kicks off a run that includes three ranked opponents in the next six games - with a trip to Kansas mixed in for good measure.
Texas Tech (13-4, 3-1) isn’t far behind in the standings, and they’ve been a force at home under head coach Grant McCasland. The Red Raiders are a perfect 9-0 in their own building this season, and their only conference loss came on the road at then-No.
7 Houston. In other words, they’re right in the thick of this Big 12 race - and they’re not going anywhere quietly.
This game also brings star power on both sides. BYU’s AJ Dybantsa and Richie Saunders have been electric, while Texas Tech counters with J.T.
Toppin and Christian Anderson - two of the most productive players in the league. It’s the kind of matchup that doesn’t need much hype.
Ranked teams, elite scorers, and conference implications? That’s all the juice you need.
BYU enters the weekend as the Big 12’s fourth-highest scoring team, averaging 87.5 points per game. Dybantsa leads the league in scoring at 23.1 points a night, with Saunders not far behind at 19.3.
Even when the shots aren’t falling, this group finds ways to win - just ask TCU. The Cougars shot a season-low 35.3% from the field and hit just 5-of-24 from three last weekend, but still clawed out a 76-70 comeback win.
That kind of resilience says a lot about this team’s makeup.
“BYU has no problem scoring,” McCasland said. “We have so much respect for their team. They've got a great scheme and play hard and are a very difficult team to defend.”
Texas Tech, meanwhile, has been lighting it up from deep. The Red Raiders lead the Big 12 in both three-pointers made (188) and attempted (497), and they’re hitting at a 37.8% clip. Anderson and Donovan Atwell have been especially dangerous from beyond the arc, both ranking in the top six in the conference in 3-point percentage and makes per game.
But the Red Raiders aren’t just a perimeter team. Toppin is a force inside, leading the Big 12 in rebounding (11.1 per game) and offensive boards (4.7).
Anderson, meanwhile, is the conference’s top distributor, dishing out 7.5 assists per game. That inside-out balance makes Texas Tech tough to guard - and tough to beat.
BYU head coach Kevin Young knows exactly what his team is up against.
“They’re one of the teams that value shooting similar to us,” Young said. “They space the floor out really well, so it will be a good test for our defense.”
This is the first of two meetings between the Cougars and Red Raiders this season. Their lone matchup last year was a tight one - a 72-67 win for Texas Tech on the road. If that game was any indication, we’re in for another battle.
Saturday night in Lubbock might not decide the Big 12 title, but it’s going to tell us a lot about who’s built to last in one of the deepest conferences in college basketball.