Arizona Basketball (14-9, 5-5) returns to the hardwood looking to snap their losing streak as they take on the Washington State Cougars (9-14, 2-8).
It’s been a rough few weeks for the Arizona Basketball team. From injuries, to ongoing off-court drama and now four-straight losses, we’ve reached an unprecedented area as Cats fans.
The loss to the Pac-12’s leading Washington Huskies on Thursday night gave Arizona their ninth loss of the season, with eight conference games left to play. The road to the NCAA Tourney is unlikely at this point, but now the Wildcats will have to battle just for pride.
Arizona Wildcats
Up next is the visiting Washington State Cougars. Considered one of the conferences doormats this season, nothing is guaranteed, at least not this year.
Still absent will be freshman guard Brandon Williams, and Chase Jeter still may not quite be 100 percent healthy.
Add to the fact the Cougars are coming off a 21-point throttling of ASU the other night, and this one looks seemingly less easily winnable.
Wazzu is largely led by senior forward Robert Franks who is averaging 22.1 points per game, as well as freshman forward CJ Elleby who has been quite a pleasant surprise, averaging 15.3 points per game for the Cougars.
Keys to the Game:
Attack!- The offense has been bad this season. Without Williams, things have been even tougher.
If Arizona is to win this one, they need to be patient, but also smart and aggressive on offense to get things going. Easier said then done, as they just haven’t found much consistency the past few weeks, but they need to figure things out and quickly.
Wazzu hasn’t been great on defense, but nonetheless, the Wildcats can’t afford to have large stretches of offensive stagnation.
Spacing & Take smart shots – To reiterate to the last point, be aggressive, but be smart. The past few weeks have been tough to watch.
Arizona needs to stay patient, work on spacing and spreading the floor, but more importantly, work for good looks and go for high percentage shots. Easier said than done, but if they stick to this recipe, that’s only going to help them on the offensive side of the ball.
Avoid the turnovers – Really goes without saying, but taking care of the basketball leads to greater chances of success. With a weaker Arizona team, they need to play smart and careful to give them the best opportunity to win.
If they give their opponents too many opportunities, that’s not going to bode well for the Cats. Take care of the basketball, play smart and be efficient.
Game Information:
Time: 5:30 pm MST/ 4:30 pm PST
Location: Tucson, AZ- McKale Center (14,545)
Line: -11.5 Arizona
Television: Pac-12 Network
Radio: Arizona IMG Sports Network Arizona Wildcats (Try TuneIn Radio) or 107.5 KHYT (Tucson)
Team Records:
Arizona Wildcats (14-9, 5-5): What a difference a few weeks make. At one point being in control of their own destiny, and still having decent prospects to make the NCAA Tournament, things look drastically different for Arizona.
The Wildcats need to do some serious winning, and although an NCAA Tournament bid seems unlikely, it’s time to play for pride. Losing and Arizona Basketball aren’t things synonymous with each other, so the Cats need to Bear Down during this last stretch and try to finish strong.
Washington State Cougars (9-14, 2-8): Tough times are upon the Cougars of Wazzu, but perhaps the win over ASU on Thursday was what they needed to get things going for them.
While the Cougars have been wildly inconsistent in 2018-19, they still have enough talent to beat the Wildcats at home, especially against an Arizona team that is in a down year.
The Wildcats can’t overlook Wazzu in this one and need to get things going in a big way.
All-Time Record (since 1949-50) : 64-16 Arizona. The Wildcats have won the last 13 straight including a 100-72 victory over the Cougars last season in Pullman!
Listen to coach Sean Miller following the teams’ loss to Washington on Thursday:
At Zona Zealots, we’re hoping the Cats can find a way to get back in the win column and get things turned around against the Cougars! Bear Down, Arizona!