Arkansas @ Texas Tech preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 30, 2016 ) Texas Tech 68, Arkansas 75

Less than two weeks ago, Texas Tech was coming off a fourth consecutive Big 12 Conference win to start the season and was 15-1 overall for just the second time in school history, but three consecutive losses have the 13th-ranked Red Raiders searching for answers. Texas Tech looks to get back on track Saturday when an Arkansas team that just snapped its longest losing streak under coach Mike Anderson visits in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge.

After a surprising home loss to No. 25 Iowa State and a bad road loss at Baylor, the Red Raiders were held to their lowest point total under third-year coach Chris Beard in a 58-45 loss at Kansas State on Tuesday - the fewest points scored by the team since 44 in a loss against Loyola Chicago on December 22, 2014. Texas Tech got 17 points, seven rebounds, three assists and five steals from sophomore star guard Jarrett Culver but shot a season-low 32.7 percent and only received 12 points from the rest of the starting lineup. “First of all, it is about K-State's defense," Beard told reporters after the game. "One team has broken 70 on them this year, and we knew it was going to be a difficult game to score. ... I thought our guys were dialed in and we played really hard in the first half. We just didn’t make enough shots." Arkansas overcame an early double-digit deficit and beat Missouri 72-60 on Wednesday behind 23 points and seven 3-pointers by freshman Isaiah Joe to snap the longest losing streak in the eight years the Razorbacks have been led by Anderson.

TV: 6 p.m. ET, ESPN2

ABOUT ARKANSAS (11-7): The Razorbacks made just 1-of-12 shots to start the Missouri game and trailed 17-4 before Anderson inserted a fourth guard into the lineup that helped create 24 turnovers, and Joe did his part to put the game away by bookending a 10-0 run late in the game with a pair of 3-pointers. Freshman reserve guard Desi Sills helped spark the turnaround with eight points, three rebounds and a steal in 20 minutes, while 6-11 sophomore Daniel Gafford added 13 points and 10 rebounds working as the lone big man on the floor for much of the night. Gafford leads the Razorbacks in scoring (16.3 points), rebounding (9.4) and blocks (1.8) while shooting 64.8 percent from the field, Joe contributes 14.9 points and shoots almost exclusively beyond the arc, making 3.8 per game at 44.7 percent, while sophomore guard Mason Jones adds 13.9 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.1 assists.

ABOUT TEXAS TECH (15-4): Tariq Owens had 12 points, six rebounds and a block in his 19th straight game against Kansas State, but Davide Moretti (9.8 points), who had scored in double figures in six straight games, and Matt Mooney (10.2 points) combined for just eight points on 3-of-15 shooting. Culver leads the team in scoring at 18.7 points on 53.1 percent shooting, gets to foul line more than twice as much as anybody else and is second on the team with 22 3-pointers. “We’re a team that’s searching for a second option, we’re searching for a third option,” Beard told reporters after the contest. “I’m not the kind of guy that’s gonna call out players. It’s just not what I believe in. But it’s pretty easy to look at the stat sheet and understand how this Texas Tech team was put together. Some of our guys have got to play a lot better individually.”

TIP-INS

1. Arkansas has won six of the last seven meetings between the teams dating to 1990, including 75-68 in the most recent contest in 2016.

2. The Razorbacks have dropped both games to ranked opponents this season: 106-87 at No.1 Tennessee and 84-67 at No. 20 Ole Miss.

3. Joe leads the SEC in 3-pointers made (68), is ranked second in 3-point percentage (min. 100 attempts) and ninth in scoring, while Gafford leads the conference in shooting percentage and is sixth in scoring.

PREDICTION: Texas Tech 66, Arkansas 62