Arizona Basketball: 2019-20 keys to victory for Wildcats against Baylor
By Connor Hope
With a game against the No. 18 Baylor Bears tomorrow morning, how will Arizona Basketball pull out the victory?
Arizona Basketball will be in Waco, Texas on Saturday morning to take on their first Top 25 opponent in the Baylor Bears. This should be an incredibly exciting game and will be the first big test the Wildcats face this season. What must Sean Miller’s squad focus on in order to pull out the victory?
Rebounding
The Wildcats have been phenomenal on the boards this season, outrebounding every single opponent they have faced. This game, however, is different, with the Baylor team providing the best rebounders the Wildcats have faced all year. Zeke Nnaji, Josh Green, Chase Jeter and Ira Lee have all been great on the boards, but they will all have to try even harder to compete against Freddie Gillespie.
The place that will be the biggest area of focus will be on the Wildcats’ already solid offensive rebound, having collected double-digit offensive rebounds in four of their nine games. Baylor has been even better on that front, and this could be a game where we see a lot of second-chance opportunities.
In games like this, where both teams are playing at a high level, sometimes additional chances to score is all it takes to win. If the Wildcats can collect a lot of rebounds, both giving themselves second chances and limiting Baylor’s shots, they should be in good shape. Especially, if their perimeter players can stroke it from deep on the resulting kick-out.