Arizona Basketball looks for consistency against No. 21 Colorado

After dismantling Utah at home, the Arizona Basketball team (12-5, 2-2) seeks consistency against the No. 21 Colorado Buffaloes (14-3, 3-1).

Arizona Basketball looked good the other evening in their win against Utah, however, the challenge is even greater this Saturday as the Cats take on the Colorado Buffaloes in McKale. 

So far this year, it’s been quite the up-and-down season for Arizona. An incredibly talented team, the Wildcats have been marred by inconsistencies and are still seemingly trying to find their identity a bit.

Arizona Wildcats

Luckily for the Wildcats, they have been much better at home this season and they will have a great opportunity to build more confidence and momentum this weekend, especially if they were to beat a good Colorado team. However, the challenge won’t be easy.

We must start by saying that the Buffaloes are a talented group. So far they have largely been led by the trio of McKinley Wright IV, Tyler Bey and D’Shawn Schwartz.

While Colorado has plenty of talent, I do find them beatable. They are good defensive team and while they are not elite offensively, they can still score basketball, especially if Arizona were to have a lapse like they did against the Beavers in Corvallis, OR last week.

Colorado head coach Tad Boyle typically has a well-coached and talented group that he brings to McKale, and once again that’ll be the case this weekend as well!

With that said, here’s what we need to know about Arizona’s upcoming match-up against the Buffaloes!

Keys to an Arizona win:

Defense- After looking improved against Oregon, the Cats took a major step back in their loss to Oregon State on the road. Granted, winning on the road is never easy in college basketball, however, the Cats will need more consistency on the defensive end if they expect to be a top team in college basketball.

While Arizona looked much better against the Utes on Thursday, consistency is going to be the key moving forward, and with a tough game against Colorado looming, now isn’t the time to have any more set backs.

Colorado will pose a great threat and Arizona will need immense focus, especially if they hope to come away victorious in this one.

Rebounding- The Wildcats have been decent here, but where they need to continue to get better is rebounding on the defensive end. Arizona did look solid against Utah, but there were still a couple lapses that led to Utes second-chance points. If the Cats are to beat the Buffaloes, the rebounding has to continue to be strong.

Arizona certainly has the length and athleticism to be a good defensive team, they do need to continue to box out and be aggressive on the glass!

Bench Play- Arizona has depth, and they are going to have to find a way to continue to use it to their advantage if they are to continue winning.

It’s worth noting that the Cats did change their line-up on Thursday, and it seemed to pay big dividends, especially as Max Hazzard and Dylan Smith both turned in huge games!

While it’s hard to say if those two will again have that type of impact more consistently, either way, the bench has got to continue to respond in the way they did on Thursday night, and the Cats got be able to bring it every night like that moving forward.

Game Information:

Date: Saturday, January 18th

Time: 12:30 pm MST/ 11:30 am PST

Location: Tucson, AZ- McKale Center (14,655)

Line: -6.0 Arizona

Television: Pac-12 Network

Radio: Arizona IMG Sports Network, TuneIn Radio, 1290 AM & 107.5 FM

Team Records:

• Arizona Wildcats (12-5, 2-2): Arizona got back on track with a win against Utah, but has struggled against better teams, losing Oregon schools, to go along with losses to Baylor, Gonzaga and St. John’s.
• Colorado Buffaloes (14-3,3-1): The Buffaloes are a solid group, piecing some nice wins, however, their three loses have been to quality opponents like; Kansas, Oregon State and Northern Iowa.

Overall Series: Since 1960-61, Arizona holds a 19-14 lead, with the Cats having won 12 of the last 15 match-ups. The last time these two met was on February 17, with Arizona falling 67-60 to Colorado on the road.

Prediction: Arizona 81 Colorado 73 – The Wildcats are a much better team at home and they tend to play well against better teams. I look for Arizona to once again have a strong performance, adding another quality win to their resume.

Listen to coach Sean Miller as he discusses his teams’ win over Utah, as well as their upcoming match-up against Colorado.

At Zona Zealots, we’re hoping the Wildcats can respond and play to the level we know they’re capable of! As always, Bear Down, Arizona!