Arizona Basketball: Preview of Wildcats taking on the Mustangs in exhibition play

Arizona Wildcats take on the Western New Mexico Mustangs in the first of two exhibitions games they will play this season.

Just right around the corner. Before you know it the Arizona Wildcats will be taking the floor inside McKale Center in the first of two exhibitions games this season. First up will be the Division II opponents, the Western New Mexico Mustangs of the Lone Star Conference. This game may not count in the actual record book, but it will be the first time the Wildcats will be facing an actual opponent other than themselves.

Wildcat fans got a sneak peek of what to expect this season during the annual Red and Blue game. From lots of ball movement to different guard lineups, the style of play of this team compared to last season looked a lot different. This team is guard heavy, but come postseason, have depth at the backcourt is key to making a deep run come post season.

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Heading into their first unofficial game of the season, will be interesting to see first what the starting lineup will be and how Coach Sean Miller will spread out playing minutes. Will also be interesting to see what combinations of players he uses on the floor. With this being an exhibition game, wouldn’t be surprised to see him experiment with rotating a lot of players in and out.

A possible starting lineup you may see is Brandon Williams, Justin Coleman, Brandon Randolph, Ryan Luther and Chase Jeter. Depending on how the game goes with the Mustangs, those players may get more or less minutes. Miller will have many options as he has at least four or even five players that can come off the bench and provide solid production.

This match up against the Mustangs will more than likely be a blowout, but stranger things have happened. Last season, they finished with an overall record of 6-21 and 3-15 in conference play. They are led by returning scorer Willie McCray, who averaged 12.9 points per game. Even though they will be greatly overmatched, it will be an opportunity for them to see what areas they will need to work on prior to the start of the season.

See what freshman sensation Williams had to say as his team gets ready for Tuesday and his thoughts on the season ahead:

On a side note, I will be in attendance for this game and cannot wait to see this team in action! There are so many things to be excited about for this team. It’s time to get up and Bear Down Wildcat fans!

At Zona Zealots, we would like to wish this team much success as they begin the 2018-19 season. There will surely be ups and downs, but by the end of the season you will be guaranteed many memories not to be forgotten. Bear Down!

Game Details:

Who: Western New Mexico Mustangs

When: 7:00pm PST on Pac-12 Networks