Arizona vs. Arizona State: College basketball game preview, TV schedule
The Arizona Wildcats have been surging as of late, winning seven straight. But will they be to slow down the most surprising team in the country in Arizona State?
TV schedule: Saturday, Dec. 30, 9:00 p.m. ET. PAC-12 Network
Arena: McKale Center in Tuscon, Arizona
The No. 17 Arizona Wildcats 10-3 (0-0) were ranked as high as No. 2 heading into the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament. But after inexplicably losing all three games in the event, Sean Miller and the Wildcats fell completely out of the rankings and had to start all over.
A big part of the reason why the three-game skid occurred was a lack of contributions by anyone not named Allonzo Trier and DeAndre Ayton. That includes a couple of the highly regarding freshman struggling out the gate.
Ever since, Arizona hasn’t lost, including solid wins over teams such as Alabama, Texas A&M, and UConn. A big part of the resurgence has been the inclusion of Rawle Atkins, who missed the first part of the season with an injury. In the four games back, the 6’5 guard/wing has averaged 16.0 ppg. But the cornerstones of this team will always be Trier (21.2 ppg) and Ayton (19.5 ppg and 11.4 rpg).
Atkins, in particular, will be sorely needed against one of the best trios of guards in the country in No. 3 Arizona State 12-0 (0-0). Last season, Tra Holder was one of the better guards in the PAC-12, averaging 16 ppg. This season, he’s increased his scoring output by five points, and his 21.3 ppg is second to only Reid Travis in the conference.
Unlike last year, other players have helped him out immensely, including fellow senior guards Shannon Evans (17.8 ppg) and Kodi Justice (13.6 ppg). To balance out the offense, freshman Romello White has been an immediate impact starter, averaging 14.9 ppg and 8.6 rpg. Even better, both Remy Martin and De’Quan Lake each nearly scores double-digits off the bench.
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The Sun Devils average over 90 ppg and is a top-10 offense in terms of the metrics. That will test a perimeter defense for Arizona, that at times, been lackluster at best. The Sun Devils haven’t been a juggernaut on the defensive end either, so it should be a shootout. The game is at Arizona, but with the students away it might not be the same crowd that makes opponent’s ear splits.
In what could be the game of the year, I’m going with the Wildcats to pull off the upset, despite Holder going for nearly 40.
Prediction: Arizona 102 – Arizona State 97 in OT