The Red Raiders host the Cougars at 1 p.m. CST on ESPN in a top-15 matchup that could decide Big 12 superiority.
LUBBOCK, Texas - Toughest Team Wins.
That's the mantra head coach Grant McCasland and the Texas Tech Red Raiders carry with them into each contest in Big 12 action.
On Saturday in a bitter winter storm in Lubbock, the motto will have to be in effect more than ever as the No. 6-ranked Houston Cougars face the No. 12 Red Raiders. It's the setup of a hoops rivalry that expects to bring the most out of two of the toughest teams around.
And both sides can't stop raving one another as we approach tip-off.
First it was Cougars coach Kelvin Sampson who spoke highly of Texas Tech's top interior force, junior forward JT Toppin.
"I think he's the most efficient basketball player in the country," Sampson said this week. "There's no one more efficient. Everybody tries to take his right shoulder away and he is still going to go 11 for 16 or 10 for 15. He takes shots he can make. He's added the three-point shot to his arsenal, which makes him dangerous."
Toppin was recently named a national player of the week after averaging 26 points and 10 rebounds while shooting 59 percent from the field over his last three games. He's also knocked down a season high three triples twice in that span.
"I just love the way the kid plays. He plays with great focus. He doesn't have any highs or lows. He's a great teammate. You can trust him in big games and big moments. And no matter what team is playing against him, everything starts with 'What's your plan on Toppin'?
"I've yet to see anybody come close to stopping him."
Making the matchup tougher is how Toppin's game complements combo guard Christian Anderson, who has equally been on a tear for the Red Raiders recently. Anderson leads the team with 7.4 assists per game along with over 20 points a night.
"They're such a good combination because of their skillsets," ESPN's Jay Bilas said.
"They’re more connected, and I think their attention to detail has gotten much better. I think [McCasland] calls it ownership. Their leadership has become better and talk and things like that."
If any team were to complete the task of stopping this dynamic duo, it'd be the stingy defense Houston has made its calling card. The Cougars deploy the nation's second-best scoring defense at 60.1 opponent points per game.
The United Supermarkets Arena is as tough a place to play at as any, but defense travels. The Cougars can make this a suffocating slugfest if they want to, something McCasland is fully prepared for.
Perhaps the biggest challenge is the frigid weather that has blown into town. It was a snowy nine (9) degrees fahrenheit at the start of ESPN's live College GameDay broadcast inside the USA.
"What a great opportunity we have," McCasland said earlier in the week. "College GameDay, having that whole crew here. Playing one of the best teams in college basketball, and obviously the team that's been the best in our league, at home. And got some adversity to go with it, which I think is fitting, weather being a deal and all of it.
"It adds to the grit that's a part of this game."
Only the toughest will survive.
The action gets started at 1 p.m. CST, live on ESPN.
