Arizona Basketball set to Tip Off against Mizzou Tigers

Amidst Finals testing, the Arizona Basketball season continues to roll on, as the Wildcats travel to Missouri to take on the Tigers in this early Saturday Morning match-up.

The Arizona Basketball team continues at full steam ahead, and even with finals upon them the team, the season does not slow down. Fresh off their win just a few nights ago against UC Irvine, the Wildcats travel over 1,300 miles to take on the upset-minded Tigers of Missouri.

More from Wildcats Basketball

Arizona will have a decent challenge on their hands, and while still likely without sophomore Allonzo Trier, the Wildcats will have to overcome the limited depth, long travel and early start time to come away victorious.

At 5-3, Missouri has had a decent start to their season, but ultimately Arizona will and should have the upper hand in this one.

Through just their first few games, the Tigers have played well at times, narrowly losing to Top-25 ranked Xavier, but then lost to Davidson by 15 points, and North Carolina Central by ten.

It is safe to assume, that at the very least, the Tigers have been inconsistent, however, if you’re Arizona, you know you are always going to get the opposing teams’ best. That just comes with being one of the better teams in college basketball, year-in, and year-out.

The Tigers are a young team, with 12 under class men, and are led by the freshman Frankie Hughes. At 6’4″, Hughes may pose a significant challenge for Arizona, he’s a quick and athletic combo guard, who is averaging 14.2 points per game so far. Also, sophomore Kevin Puryear has been a solid contributor as well, averaging 12.5 points and 6.4 rebounds per game.

Overall, Missouri is not a great shooting team, which should help the Wildcats, and as it stands, the Tigers are ranked 298th as a team in field goal percentage, and are 323rd from three-point land.

This should bode well for Arizona, who has had some difficulty in minimizing opposing teams’ outside attack. Currently, the Wildcats are surrendering 33 percent shooting to their opponents from the three-point line. Coincidentally, Missouri is ranked 1st in that category.

Keys to the game in this one:

Energy- When the Cats start strong, it is hard for inferior teams to hang with us, especially for 40 minutes. Start sluggish like they did against Gonzaga, and you’re only asking for trouble on the road in this one.

Effort- It’s gotta be there. As it is known, Parker Jackson-Cartwright is going to be down for some time, and the status of Trier is still a mystery, so all hands on deck are going to be needed in this one until the Wildcats are back at 100 percent.

EuroCon- Dusan Ristic and Lauri Markkanen have been a pretty big part of the Wildcats’ success so far, so it is only fitting that the production needs to continue from these two. Arizona has a very unique advantage having two solid big men over 7-feet tall. Add their offensive ability and they are surely a dangerous combo for opposing teams.

Game Information

Location: Mizzou Arena (15,061)- Columbia, MO

Tip-off: 10 am MST/ 12 pm EST

Media: Radio: IMG/ TV: ESPN2

Record: Arizona leads 3-1 all-time, and beat the Tigers last year 88-52 in Tucson.

Spread: Arizona -7.5

Prediction: Arizona 73 Missouri 61

Next: Arizona Wildcats 7-foot Towers take down Anteaters 79-57

This will certainly be a decent road test for this young Wildcat squad. We anticipate a good game, with a likely raucous crowd. The early start time may rattle the Wildcats a little bit, but should they settle down rather quickly, they’ll be just fine! Bear Down, Arizona, and beat Missouri!

Home/Wildcats Basketball