Arizona Basketball looks to Avenge loss to Colorado in Rematch
One player of the games that should be circled on Wildcat fans’ calendars, is upon us as the Arizona Basketball team is set to take on Colorado again!
It has nearly been three weeks since the No. 11 Arizona Basketball team (16-4, 6-1) lost, but now they will get their chance at revenge against the Colorado Buffaloes (12-8, 4-4).
Losing sucks, and when the Wildcats lost in Boulder just a few weeks ago, the loss felt much worse after the comments Colorado head coach Tad Boyle had to say.
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If you don’t recall, after the Buffaloes knocked off the than No. 14 ranked Wildcats, Boyle had some things to say in light of the FBI Investigation. When asked if it felt good to beat Arizona amidst the FBI probe, Boyle responded “hell yes!”
Shocking? Hardly, these sort of confident outbursts isn’t particularly new occurrences from Colorado. Former Buffalo player Xavier Johnson certainly showed a bit of bravado when facing Arizona a few seasons ago.
Perhaps a bit of a rivalry is brewing on the hardwood. As for Arizona head coach Sean Miller, he downplayed the comments made by Boyle to the media, ensuring his team is just focused on the next game.
However, if we know anything about Miller, it is that he never forgets things like this.
Last season, when the UCLA Bruins were beating Arizona with a few seconds to go, and sure victory in hand, Bruins head coach Steve Alford called a timeout just moments before the clock expired on Senior Day, citing a need for defensive strategy. Interesting move since Alford’s teams typically doesn’t play any.
Fast forward a few weeks to the Pac-12 Tournament. With sure victory in hand for the Wildcats, Miller fittingly enough called a timeout milliseconds before the game had ended. Miller wanted to ensure his team had poise in the waning moments of that game.
Well, if things weren’t already a little tense between the two programs, there is sure to be a bit more animosity entering Thursday’s game.
It is worth noting that, since joining the Pac-12, the Buffaloes have yet to beat the Wildcats in McKale Center, but have had their fair share of successes against Miller and the Wildcats away from Tucson.
Colorado Profile
Most Likely Line-up for the Buffaloes
G McKinley Wright IV, 6-0, Fr., (14.9 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 5.3 apg)
G Namon Wright 6-5, Jr., (11.6 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 1.3 apg)
G George King, 6-6, Sr., (14.2 ppg, 8.2 rpg, 1.1 apg)
G/F Tyler Bey, 6-7, Fr., (5.6 ppg, 4.8 rpg)
F/C Dallas Walton, 7-0, Fr., (5.2 ppg, 3.2 rpg)
Top reserves: G Dominique Collier (7.2 ppg, 1.4 rpg, 1.4 apg), F Tory Miller-Stewart (6.2 ppg, 4.7 rpg) and G Deleon Brown (5.7 ppg, 1.3 rpg).
Strengths:
Guard play The Buffaloes essentially play with three guards, much like ASU. However, Colorado has much more size down low. The trio of Wright IV, Wright and King really power their offense, with these three guards averaging double figures in points.
Last time, the trio of Wright IV, Wright and King combined for 35 of the teams’ 80 points. However, it was the play of Walton as well as the Buffaloes bench that did the Wildcats in.
Weaknesses:
inconsistency – The Buffaloes have at times looked quite good this year, and other times not so much. Chalk it up to a young group of players, but Colorado is a sneaky team. They certainly caught Arizona on a bad night a few weeks ago, and they are capable of doing it again.
Even though they have lost some head-scratchers, they also have two wins against Top 25 teams (Arizona and ASU), as well as a win over UCLA. The Wildcats will need to focus on this one if they want to win.
Game Analysis:
Look for a focused Arizona team. Since losing in Boulder, the Wildcats have won four straight, including a nail-biting win over Stanford last Saturday.
Arizona on paper has the better squad, and there’s really no reason the Wildcats should lose this one, especially at home!
The spread is currently -14 in favor of the Wildcats, and we think that’s pretty fair. Colorado is coming off a loss to Washington at home, and even though Miller won’t admit it, we have a feeling this team wants to send a message and may have a bit of extra motivation.
Listen to Sean Miller ahead of his game against the Buffs:
Must Read: More on Arizona Basketball
At Zona Zealots, we are excited about the return of Wildcat Basketball action, and look for a good game against the Buffaloes! Bear Down, Arizona!