This is the week of the Champions Classic, where four of the top programs in all of college basketball will face off. However, a great case can be made that the Game of the Week doesn’t include either of those two games on Tuesday. On paper, the top match is Wednesday, when UConn hosts Arizona in a battle of AP top-5 teams.
Coming off an 86-84 win over BYU, UConn (4-0) is back on the radar as a national title contender. But their next Big 12 opponent may be even better than the Cougars in Arizona (4-0), who already have a win over the reigning national champion Florida Gators.
What do the Huskies need to do to get the crucial victory? Here are a few keys to watch for.
1. Preventing Koa Peat from going off
There have already been plenty of great freshmen performances this season, but the biggest still has to be Koa Peat’s 30 points against Florida and its frontcourt on opening night. Through four games, the 6’8 forward is averaging 16.3 ppg and 5.3 rpg, shooting 55% from the field.
Look for Alex Karaban, Jayden Ross, and Jaylin Stewart to get the assignments on Peat. Arizona still has scoring depth even without Peat, but as we saw with AJ Dybantsa’s 25 points this past week, the Huskies can be vulnerable to a big freshman outing against them.
2. Tarris Reed against the Wildcat bigs
In his first year as a full-time starter at UConn, Reed is averaging career-high numbers of 20 ppg and 9.3 rpg on 74% FG shooting through three games. That includes 21 points and eight rebounds in the win over UConn. He’s always been a quality big man on offense but now, paired with Alex Karaban, has become one of the top scoring frontcourt duos in the nation.
That being said, it won’t be easy against Arizona, which has plenty of bigs to throw at Reed. That includes 7’2 starter Motiejus Krivas and 6’8 junior forward, Tobe Awaka. If they aren’t able to slow him, then UConn will have the edge.
3. Good production off the bench from Malachi Smith
UConn’s top four is easily one of the best in the nation, including starting guards, Silas Demary Jr. and Solomon Ball. But outside of the wing combo of Jayden Ross and Jaylin Stewart, there’s not much else depth when it comes to scoring production, with top-30 freshman guard Braylon Mullins still out with an injury.
Someone to watch will be Smith, a transfer PG from Dayton who is averaging 6.5 ppg and 3.0 apg through four games as the backup guard. He had just one point off the bench vs BYU but did have four assists and two steals. To make sure Demary and Ball don’t have to do it all in the backcourt, UConn will need Smith to have an impact in the around 20 minutes he’s likely to see.