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Arizona Basketball set to take on in-state Rival ASU on Saturday

By Eric Townsend

Feb 17, 2016; Tucson, AZ, USA; A large cut out ofArizona State Sun Devils head coach Bobby Hurley is held up by Arizona Wildcats fans as he walks on the sideline during the second half at McKale Center. The Wildcats won 99-61. Mandatory Credit: Casey Sapio-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 17, 2016; Tucson, AZ, USA; A large cut out ofArizona State Sun Devils head coach Bobby Hurley is held up by Arizona Wildcats fans as he walks on the sideline during the second half at McKale Center. The Wildcats won 99-61. Mandatory Credit: Casey Sapio-USA TODAY Sports /
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Arizona Basketball (26-4, 15-2) wraps up their regular season with a showdown against hated rival ASU (14-16, 7-10) in Tempe this Saturday.

Coming into the 233rd match-up between the schools, Arizona Basketball will have to be careful in avoiding the upset here.

Pay no mind to the records, as ASU has played much better at home this season than away. Plus, the Wildcats have to avoid any embarrassing losses from here on out if they hope for an even better NCAA Tournament seeding.

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Fresh off the loss to UCLA, the Wildcats are still very much in control of their destiny. Tied for first in the Pac-12, Arizona can at least get a share of the title, should they win on Saturday. Lose, and the Wildcats risk dropping to third just ahead of the Conference Tournament.

As we had said before, don’t pay attention their record. ASU is feeling confident following their upset win over visiting USC last Saturday, and they certainly hope they can continue to play spoiler.

After all, the Arizona football team did something fairly similar just a few months ago down here in Tucson.

The Sun Devils are a streaky team, but possess some good athletes at nearly every position. They are deceptively good at shooting from the perimeter, and guys like Torian Graham, Tra Holder and Kodi Justice can certainly get it going from three.

Feb 26, 2017; Tempe, AZ, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils guard Kodi Justice (44) shoots a three point shot against the USC Trojans during the first half at Wells-Fargo Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 26, 2017; Tempe, AZ, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils guard Kodi Justice (44) shoots a three point shot against the USC Trojans during the first half at Wells-Fargo Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports /

Last time these two teams met, ASU used a hot-shooting second half to make the game a lot closer. Trailing at the half by 20, the Sun Devils connected on 10 of 18 attempts, outscoring Arizona 50-46 in the second half.

On Saturday, ASU was 10 of 16 from three in the first half against the Trojans. So entering this game, that threat will be there, and Arizona needs to be ready to defend the perimeter.

Three Keys to Arizona Victory:

Defend the Perimeter – As we were saying, ASU is a deceptively good shooting team, and can certainly get it going from an offensive standpoint, if you let them.

They are shooting nearly 37 percent from behind the arc, and have put some impressive performances together. Look no further than the examples I have already given you.

The Wildcats will need to be active defensively, and can’t allow for too many wide open shots, other wards, you risk letting the Sun Devils keeping this one close.

Rebounding –

While I wouldn’t necessarily call ASU a great rebounding team by any means, this is an area Arizona has to be consistently strong at. Last Saturday’s rebounding performance was abysmal, and may have ultimately been the Wildcats’ demise versus UCLA.

Against the Sun Devils, the effort has to be there. You cannot allow teams too many second chance points, and any extra opportunities you give to an upset-minded ASU team, spells potential disaster.

You have to take pride in doing the dirty work too! Square up to the rim, box your man out, battle for the ball! Own the glass!

Focus –

It’s officially March. Barring some miraculous run, ASU isn’t playing in the big dance, but we are! Time to mentally prepare for the grind that is playoff basketball. We have a lot to be playing for moving forward, and you have to take every game like it’s your last.

This is a game that on paper, no way should Arizona lose, but stranger things have happened. From here on out, Arizona needs absolute focus and effort. It’s March, and that do or die mentality needs to be present.

Come out and play like champions should and Arizona should be fine in this one!

Here’s more information on where you can watch the game:

Date: Saturday, March 4th

Time: 2:00pm MST, 1:00pm PST

Location: Wells Fargo Arena (14,198)

Line: TBD

Television: CBS

Radio: Arizona IMG Sports Network Arizona Wildcats (Try TuneIn Radio)

Team Records:

  • Arizona Wildcats (26-4, 15-2):  lost to No. 13 Butler and No. 7 Gonzaga on neutral courts, Oregon in Eugene and UCLA at home (ouch).
  • Arizona State Sun Devils (14-16, 7-10): After beating teams like San Diego State and UNLV in non-conference play, the Sun Devils have started their Pac-12 slate at 2-2 with losses coming to Utah and Cal.

Series Record: Arizona leads 149-83 all-time, with the Wildcats winning the last match-up between these two teams by a 91-75 final in Tucson. Arizona currently holds a three-game win streak.

Must Read: March Madness: Early NCAA Tournament Bracket Predictions, and ZZ Tourney Challenge

At Zona Zealots, we’re excited for this match-up, and hope the Wildcats can continue to own this rivalry come Saturday. Bear Down, Arizona, and beat the Devils!

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