Tech, Arkansas to renew rivalry in downtown Dallas
September 05, 2025 | Men's Basketball
LUBBOCK – A series that began in 1942 and was renewed in the 2025 NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 is set for its 82nd meeting when Texas Tech takes on Arkansas at 11 a.m. on Saturday, December 13 at American Airlines Center in Dallas. bdG Sports officially announced the event on Friday morning which is being dubbed the "Revocruit Rematch".
Tickets in the Texas Tech fan allotment will go on sale to Red Raider Club members and Red Raider Basketball season ticket holders via an exclusive pre-sale on Monday, September 8 before going on sale to the general public later next week. More information on how to purchase will be e-mailed from the Texas Tech Athletic Ticket Office in the coming days. The matchup comes after the Red Raiders play LSU on Sunday, December 7 at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth.
The Red Raiders advanced to the Elite 8 last season after earning an 85-83 overtime win over the Razorbacks in San Francisco with Christian Anderson going off for a career-high 22 points and JT Toppin recording a double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds – along with a career-best five blocked shots. Tech trailed in the game by 16 points before storming back to force the sixth overtime game in the series.
"We're looking forward to returning to downtown Dallas and matching up against Arkansas," Texas Tech head coach Grant McCasland said. "This is a historic series that dates back to the 1940s and always proves to be a great game. I'm excited to play in front of our fanbase at American Airlines Center and to renew the rivalry."
Texas Tech leads the all-time series 41-40 over its former Southwest Conference rival with the first-ever meeting coming on December 28, 1942 and Arkansas claiming a 43-38 win in Oklahoma City. The two programs have met four times since 2016 and have split those four matchups. Arkansas took a 75-68 overtime win back on January 30, 2016 in Fayetteville before a 67-64 win by Tech in Lubbock in 2019. The Razorbacks knocked the Red Raiders from the 2021 NCAA Tournament with a 68-66 win in Hinkle Fieldhouse before Tech's win last season.
Arkansas is coming off a 2024-25 season where it went 22-14 overall and 8-10 in SEC play. The Razorbacks advanced in the NCAA Tournament with a 79-72 win over Kansas in the First Round and then a 75-66 victory over St. John's in Providence, Rhode Island to set up the matchup against Tech at the Chase Center. John Calipari is entering his second season in Fayetteville and his 34 season as a head coach. He is currently 835-275 overall after also coaching at UMass, Memphis and Kentucky. Calipari and the Razorbacks added to this year's team with a recruiting class that included two recruits in the top 11 of the ESPN 100 in Darius Acuff (No. 7) and Meleek Thomas (No. 11) along with returning D.J. Wagner, Karter Knox and Trevon Brazile.
Tech returns to American Airlines Center for the first time since the 2018 NCAA Tournament where it earned wins over SFA and Florida to advance to the Sweet 16. The Red Raiders finished last season with a 28-9 overall record, including being second in the Big 12 standings with a 15-5 conference record. Tech matched the program record with a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament and advanced to the program's third Elite 8. The Red Raiders are 51-20 over the past two seasons under McCasland with back-to-back trips to the national tournament.Â
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