Arkansas vs Texas Tech prediction, pick for March Madness second round

[ad_1]

Rick Pitino and John Calipari address media after round of 32 showdown

Rick Pitino and John Calipari address media after Arkansas beat St. John’s in round of 32 of the NCAA men’s tournament — VIDEO: NCAA

Sports Pulse

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Arkansas basketball is two wins away from the Final Four after a 75-66 victory over St. John’s Saturday in the men’s NCAA Tournament.

The No. 10 Razorbacks (22-13) are now in their fourth Sweet 16 in the last five seasons after John Calipari’s most recent win over Rick Pitino. Billy Richmond scored 16 points and the Hogs held the No. 2 Red Storm (31-5) to 28% shooting in the upset win.

Next up is a trip to San Francisco to face No. 3 Texas Tech, who beat Drake 77-64 in the second round.

Buy Arkansas NCAA tickets vs. Texas Tech

Below is a scouting report and prediction for the March Madness showdown between the Hogs and Red Raiders.

Arkansas basketball must slow down JT Toppin

The Red Raiders’ 6-foot-9 wing is an All-American who averaged 17.9 points and 9.2 rebounds per game. He’s efficient, shooting 55.2% from the field and making enough 3-pointers at 31.4% to make defenders respect him from the outside.

More: Billy Richmond’s scoring lifts Arkansas basketball past St. John’s, into Sweet 16

More: From 1-6 to Sweet 16: Arkansas overcomes adversity in March Madness win over St. John’s

Toppin will be the top priority on the Arkansas scouting report. In the last eight games, the Red Raiders are 0-3 when he scores fewer than 20 points. The Hogs stifled St. John’s top scorer, RJ Luis Jr., holding the big guard to nine points on 3 of 17 shooting.

Can the Hogs force some turnovers?

Texas Tech is one of the best teams in the country at taking care of the basketball. The Red Raiders were second in the Big 12 and 26th in the country with just 9.9 turnovers per game.

Arkansas loves to generate easy buckets in transition and apply pressure to opposing guards. It will be a difficult task speeding up the likes of Elijah Hawkins and Christian Anderson in Texas Tech’s…

[ad_2]
Source link : https://www.swtimes.com/story/sports/college/sec/2025/03/22/arkansas-prediction-texas-tech-picks-odds-march-madness-2025/82386771007/

Author :

Publish date : 2025-03-23 00:16:00

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.