Arizona Basketball: 2019-20 keys to victory for Wildcats against Baylor

Zeke Nnaji

While Baylor’s guards have been unbelievable this season, their interior players have been less than stellar. Outside of Freddie Gillespie’s respectable play, Tristan Clark, Matthew Moyer and Flo Thamba have all been underwhelming through their first seven games.

Arizona, on the other hand, has the benefit of having one of the most underrated freshmen in the country, who is perhaps the NCAA’s most efficient scorer. Zeke Nnaji has been fantastic through the team’s first nine games, and his play would probably be the biggest story for the team if not for the play of Nico Mannion. Shooting over 70% from the floor, with seven rebounds and a block per game, Nnaji has quickly established himself as part of the nation’s best freshman trio.

While his offense has been the biggest story so far, Nnaji’s defense is not far behind. His size gives him a huge advantage at the rim and has allowed him to record about 1.5 blocks per 40 minutes without much effort. There is still plenty of improvement that can be made, but this game will be a true test of how well Nnaji can perform against the top teams.

In this game against the Bears, Nnaji will need to be the best player on the floor, as his skill level should tear the Baylor interior defense apart. Baylor has struggled to contain opposing bigs, and Nnaji may be the best offensive weapon they have seen in the paint all year. If the Wildcats aim to win this game, Nnaji will need to be a big factor, which will also open the floor for the Wildcats shooters on the perimeter.