Arizona Basketball: Wildcats face off against the Sun Devils in regular season finale

The Arizona Wildcats have one more game left in the regular season and it’s against rival Arizona State Sun Devils.

Last one. It’s finally here. The time has come. The Arizona Wildcats look to end the regular season on a high note as they face the Arizona State Sun Devils at home. Earlier during Pac-12 play, the Wildcats lost a close one to the Devils in overtime. They weren’t even expected to have a chance, but they did but fell just short.

The Wildcats are coming off a disappointing road loss to the Oregon Ducks 73 -47. Yes, they were without Chase Jeter for the majority of the game, but it came down to only scoring 16 points in the second half. For this team to have any chance against the Sun Devils, who are second in the Pac-12 at 11-6, shots will need to be falling and smart decision making is a must.

In Sean Miller’s most recent press conference, he indicated that Jeter is questionable due to a bruised knee bone and that Brandon Williams will be playing, but not sure if he will be able to start. No Jeter will hurt the Wildcats as they already lack the depth in the frontcourt and will be facing a team that has several big mean that are offensive threats.

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Even though the likelihood of this team getting a bye in the Pac-12 is unlikely at this point, sitting at 8-9 in conference play, they still have a lot to play for.  This is not only just a rivalry game, this is a chance for this team to show their fans they have what it takes to dig deep and also a chance to revenge their loss to the Sun Devils in overtime earlier this year.

Overall since the 1949-50 season, the Wildcats lead the head to head matchup 81-62. Up until this past January’s loss, they had won six in a row against the Sun Devils. This team would like nothing better then to begin a new win streak this Saturday at McKale Center.

Having the home court advantage will be a huge factor in this game and the players will surely feed off their energy. This past season the fans showed why they are one of the best in country. After losing 7 straight games, the fans showed up and showed up in big way when the Wildcats came back home to face California. They could have easily not shown up, but they did and helped their team to a 76-51 over the Bears.

These two teams have a lot of history and “strong” feelings toward one another. It will be easy for this team to get all caught up on in the emotions this game will bring. When the Wildcats step onto the court Saturday night, they will need to be focused and dialed in right from the beginning.

Relive what happened last time the Sun Devils came to Tucson:

Keys to victory for the Wildcat:

• If Jeter does not play, all of the Wildcats big men will need to play smart, not get into foul trouble. They will need to box out and limit the Sun Devils to second chances or fast break points.
• Three point shooting. The Devils will likely play zone, forcing the Wildcats to shoot well from three. If they can knock down their threes earlier, that will force their opponent to switch things up on offense.
• Locked in on defense. Because the Sun Devils have so many offensive threats, the Wildcat can not afford to have mental lapses. They will need to communicate and pay attentions to switches and off ball screens.
• Make shots! We have said this before at Zona Zealots, but at the end of the day it comes down to who has the most points. Everyone, starters and those coming off the bench will need to put themselves in a position to take good shots and feeling confident when doing so.
• Turnovers. The Wildcats have been doing a good job of this, but will need to continue to do so to prevent any sort of Sun Devil run.

Game Information:
Records: Arizona (17-13, 8-9) 9th Arizona State (20-9, 11-6) 2nd

Last Matchup: Arizona State beat Arizona, 95-88 in OT (in Tempe)

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

Location: Tucson, AZ at McKale Center

Television: CBS

Radio: Arizona IMG Sports Network Arizona Wildcats (Try TuneIn Radio) or 107.5 KHYT (Tucson)

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At Zona Zealots, we would like to thank this team for some memorable moments this year. Their is still one game left to play and hopefully we can add those moments. Wildcat fans, if you are going to be at home or at the game, you know what to do. Get up and Bear Down!