Texas Tech vs. (3) Texas

DALLAS (TICKER) —No. 3 Texas can notch its 14th straight victory over Texas Tech on Friday night when the teams clash in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Conference tournament.

Texas (22-5) is 39-2 against state opponents in coach Rick Barnes’s five seasons, including a 10-0 mark against Texas Tech. The Longhorns posted a 77-65 victory on February 17 as they took advantage of the shorthanded Red Raiders, who played without suspended guard Andre Emmett.

The second meeting took place in Lubbock and was a much tougher contest as Texas held on for a 76-71 triumph. Brandon Mouton scored 20 points and T.J. Ford added 17 and eight assists.

Texas has received a bye into the quarterfinals for the fifth straight year and is seeking to move into the semifinals for the fifth straight time. The Longhorns have advanced to the final just once in that span, losing to Oklahoma in 2001.

Ford had an outstanding game with 18 points and 10 assists on Saturday as Texas earned the second seed with an important 76-71 victory at Oklahoma. Ford scored 14 points in the second half to rally the Longhorns from a 15-point deficit and bolster their case for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Ford has turned it up in preparation for the postseason, averaging 15.3 points, 8.7 assists and totaling just three turnovers in the last three games.

Texas Tech (17-11) advanced with a 68-65 victory over Baylor on Thursday. The Red Raiders scored the game’s final 10 points and Emmett made the game-winner by rebounding his own miss and scoring for a 66-65 edge with 12 seconds to go.

Emmett scored 23 points and Kasib Powell netted 20 for Texas Tech, which likely needs to win the tournament to earn a spot in the NCAAs. Coach Bob Knight has stated that he will not accept his salary since the season has not met his expectations.

The winner will meet Oklahoma or Colorado in Saturday’s semifinals.