Washington Basketball: 2018-19 keys to success for Huskies at Arizona

Washington Basketball: 2018-19 keys to success on the road against Arizona

LAS VEGAS, NV - MARCH 07: Head coach Mike Hopkins of the Washington Huskies looks on during a first-round game of the Pac-12 basketball tournament against the Oregon State Beavers at T-Mobile Arena on March 7, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Beavers won 69-66 in overtime. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /

2 of 4

KANSAS CITY, MO – DECEMBER 06: Jaylen Nowell #5 of the Washington Huskies smiles after drawing a foul during the game against the Kansas Jayhawks at the Sprint Center on December 6, 2017 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /

1. Washington must continue to shoot well

Washington shoots the ball at a 46.5% clip and in their nine league games they have shot over 49% from the field, a big key in gaining a road victory against Arizona will be their ability to take good shots and continue their hot shooting.

Of the six Huskies that average over 20 minutes per game, five of them have shot over 44% from the field this season, and three of them, Jaylen Nowell, Noah Dickerson, and Nahziah Carter are all shooting over 50%. In Pac-12 play that group goes to five as senior Matisse Thybulle is also shooting over 50% against league opponents.

On the defensive end, Arizona struggles to stop teams from scoring, allowing opponents to shoot over 44% from the field and in league play they rank 10th with that percentage, at over 47%, and they are even worse at defending the three against conference play opponents at 39%, which is next to last in the conference.

As a team, Washington is the best team in the conference in field goal percentage (49.6%) and in three-point percentage (41.7%), which is better than their overall number of 35%. Taking good shots against a poor defensive Arizona team will give the Huskies a leg up on the Wildcats.

Home/Washington Huskies