Arkansas Vs. Texas Tech Sweet 16 Preview| 2025 NCAA Tournament

No. 10 seed in the West Region Arkansas Razorbacks(22-13) will take on No. 3 seed Texas Tech Red Raiders(27-8) in the Sweet 16 of the 2025 NCAA Tournament. This game will take place Thursday, March 27 in San Francisco, California.

The Razorbacks advanced following an upset of No. 2 seed St. John’s that busted the brackets of basketball fans everywhere. Texas Tech advanced following a strong performance against Drake. Who will win and advance to the Elite 8?

Arkansas Shocks the Basketball World

The Razorbacks had a tremendous game on Saturday against St. John’s. Arkansas Head Coach John Calipari outcoached fellow Hall of Famer Rick Pitino and made history in the process. Calipari is the second coach to take four teams to the Sweet 16. He joined Lon Kruger on that illustrious list. Calipari has taken UMass, Memphis, Kentucky, and the Razorbacks to the Sweet 16.

Arkansas played tremendous defense against the Red Storm. They held their opponent to an anemic 28.0% from the field and 9.1% from three-point range. The Razorbacks saw their lead cut to 2 multiple times in the second half but never let it impact them. Their offense and defense constantly delivered in the clutch as they pulled off a sizable upset. Even though Arkansas did not have a strong day on offense, they did enough to win. 

Texas Tech Played Well In First Two Games

The Red Raiders, unlike the Razorbacks, have been led by their offense in the 2025 NCAA Tournament. They defeated Drake 77-64. They are averaging 79.5 points per game in their first two contests. Texas Tech struggled from the three-point line but shot 53.8% from the field and 86.4% from the charity stripe.

Texas Tech’s offense was led by Forward JT Toppin. He scored 25 points on 11-of-13 shooting from the field against Drake. He is playing as well as anyone in the tournament scoring 20+ points in 5 of his last 7 games. Forward Darrion Williams added a season-high 28 points to help the Red Raiders advance.

Final Thoughts

This will be a game of strength against strength to advance to the Elite 8. Arkansas has been great on defense. Texas Tech has been powered by its offense. The Red Raiders are 5.5-point favorites, but Arkansas has pulled off back-to-back upsets to keep their dancing shoes on. Texas Tech should win a close game. Their offense will be too much for Arkansas to contend with.