No. 8 Arizona Basketball returns to action against Northern Colorado

Up to No. 8 in the AP Top 25 following their gutsy win over Illinois, Arizona Basketball (9-0, 1-0) returns to action to take on Northern Colorado (6-5, 2-0). 

After another strong week from Arizona Basketball, the Wildcats remain undefeated and return to action against Northern Colorado as they are now up to No. 8 in the AP Top 25 poll.

Fresh off another big win over Illinois just days ago, the Wildcats have a quick turnaround as they take on Northern Colorado at home before turning around to Cal Baptist in what should be a tune-up game against before they face No. 18 Tennessee.

Coming into this one, Arizona is the clear and definite favorite as they should have every competitive advantage. While the Wildcats have the talent, skill, and size to overpower Northern Colorado, nonetheless, this is a game that Arizona cannot afford to overlook.

Hopefully, head coach Tommy Lloyd will have his Cats ready to play as they look to continue their strong play and remain unbeaten on the year!

Getting to Know the details of Arizona Basketball’s opponent, the Northern Colorado Bears.

Team: Northern Colorado Bears

Conference: Big Sky Conference

2020-21 Record: Finishing the year with an 11-11 (6-8) record in 2020-21, the Bears ended their year with a loss to Southern Utah in the second round of the Big Sky Tournament.

Head Coach: Steve Smiley enters his 2nd season with the Bears after previously serving as head coach at Sheridan Junior College (2008-14). While there, Steve compiled an impressive 152–45 record. However, while at Northern Colorado, he is still adjusting to the Division One collegiate level as he has compiled a 17-16 record.

Keys to the Game:

Start Fast / Play Fast – An area where the Wildcats have excelled so far, once again Arizona needs to come out and play at the pace they are accustomed to and force Northern Colorado to keep up.

Arizona has a clear and competitive advantage against the Bears, and they need to play like they are the No. 8 in the country.

So for this one, a key to an Arizona victory means starting fast and overpowering Northern Colorado from the get-go. Arizona cannot afford to start slow and allow the Bears to hang around, just take care of business and put them away early.

Use the Deep Bench – Arizona has a deep and talented bench, and with the Wildcats having a clear advantage over Northern Colorado, the Wildcats would benefit long-term from being able to use their full bench.

Sort of tying into the above point, if Arizona is going to be able to use their deep bench, they will need to start fast. What I would love to see is the Wildcats dominating the Bears, and being able to get more guys, more valuable minutes, and reps.

Defend the Three – Coming into this one, Northern Colorado shoots the three-ball rather well, converting on 108 of 291 attempts. The Bears love shooting from deep as they rank 57th in the country, averaging 26.5 attempts per game, and are converting on 37.1 percent of their attempts.

Luckily, Arizona is holding teams to 30.6 percent from beyond the arc, and after Illinois converted on 16-36 attempts this past Saturday, the Wildcats will need to continue to put the focus here and limit the Bears’ success from three.

Arizona Basketball versus Northern Colorado Bears game information and details:

Date: Wednesday, Dec. 15, 2021

Time: 7:00 P.M. MST / 6:00 P.M. PST

Location: McKale Center, Tucson, Ariz. (14,644)

Spread: -25.0 Arizona (Also, don’t forget to use WynnBet to enhance your overall betting experience)

Television: Pac-12 Network

Radio: 107.5 FM (Tucson) / 1290AM (Tucson) | Arizona IMG Sports Network

Team Records:

No. 8 Arizona Wildcats (9-0, 1-0): Dominating Wyoming en route to an 8-0 start, Arizona may have their toughest challenge yet as they travel to Champaign, IL, overcoming inclement weather to take on a talented Illinois team.

Northern Colorado Bears (6-5, 2-0): Entering this game on a current three-game winning streak, Northern Colorado arguably has their toughest challenge yet as the Bears travel to Tucson to take on No. 8 Arizona.

Head-to-Head Record (since 1949-50): Since 1949-50, Arizona has not faced Northern Colorado often, however, the Wildcats currently hold a 2-0 lead with both wins coming in the last 12 years.

Last Meeting vs. Arizona: The Wildcats last played the Bears in 2016 when Arizona was coincidentally ranked No. 8 in the country. Arizona came away with a 71-55 win in Tucson.

My Prediction: Arizona 93 Northern Colorado 61 – After dominating Wyoming at home and getting the gutsy win against Illinois in Champaign, Arizona should come away with another dominant win in what should be a tune-up game just before they take on No. 18 Tennessee next week.