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Arizona Basketball: Wildcats take on St. John’s to wrap up non-conference play

By David Rosen

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 24: A general view of the exterior of the Chase Center before the Golden State Warriors play their first regular season game in the arena against the LA Clippers on October 24, 2019 in San Francisco, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 24: A general view of the exterior of the Chase Center before the Golden State Warriors play their first regular season game in the arena against the LA Clippers on October 24, 2019 in San Francisco, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /
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Arizona Basketball wraps up non-conference play on Saturday against St. John’s in San Francisco in the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame Al Attles Classic.

One more game left. Arizona Basketball has one more matchup against a non-conference opponent before it takes a short break to prepare for Pac-12 play on January 4th against ASU. Their opponent, St John’s, is the underdog, but if we have learned anything this year in college basketball it’s that anything can happen on any given night.

Heading into this game, the Wildcats are 10-2 and look to finish the non-conference season at 11-2, not too bad. Only two losses were against top-ranked teams, Baylor and Gonzaga. In each game, they fought all the way to the very end but came up just short. Poor shooting was the common theme in both and will want to shoot better this Saturday night to build confidence and momentum heading into conference play.

The Wildcats and Red Storm have only faced one another just once before, with the Wildcats winning 81-72 back in 2011. This time around, these two teams face each other on a neutral site and inside the brand new arena for the Golden State Warriors, the Chase Center. Expect the Wildcat fan base to represent well as it always does, especially with this one just nearby in California.

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The Red Storm are currently 10-2 on the season, with one of those two loses against ASU 80-67. They have yet to face anyone as talented as Arizona. It will be their first test against a Top 25 ranked opponent and have nothing to lose and a lot to gain. The Wildcats will need to come out strong as they did against Gonzaga, but this time play 40 minutes of top-quality basketball.

Overall, the Wildcats have the size advantage, but their opponents do have the strength and depth to match the Wildcats.  The Red Storm average 80.6 points per game (which is 30th in the nation), compared to the Wildcats 85.1 points per game (which is 5th in the nation).

Like the Wildcats, the Red Storm likes to push the pace when they can. As a team, they shoot 43% from the field and 32% from three.  The one area they excel in is rebounding, especially on the defensive end. For the season, they rank 6th in total rebounding and the Wildcats rank 56th. Boxing out and attacking the glass will be crucial.

Similar to Gonzaga, their opponent has four players averaging 10+ points per game. They have two players who average 15 points per game, LJ Figueroa and Mustapha Heron. The one player they will need to pay attention to off of misses and 2nd chance points is Josh Roberts, who is averaging 8.7 rebounds per game.

Here’s a little glimpse into the Red Storm and their style of play:

For Arizona Basketball, it will be interesting to see how they shoot the ball after having one of the worst shooting outings against the Zags. They will need to continue to believe in one another and their shooting abilities as this team is full of elite shooters. The starting five will likely not change and will be key for all five of them to send a statement early on.

Game Information:
Date: Saturday, December 21st

Time: 8pm MST, 7pm PST

Location: Chase Center

Television: ESPN2

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

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We know what this team is capable of and if they play to their full potential they are unbeatable. Plain and simple. Yes, Nico Mannion had a bad shooting night. Yes, shots weren’t falling for everyone. Yes, the effort wasn’t there for 40 minutes. But that’s all in the past. It’s time for Arizona Basketball to move on, take care of business against St. John’s and prepare for an exciting Pac-12 season. As always, Bear Down, Arizona!

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