No. 6 Arizona Basketball prepares for conference foe, Utah

After rolling the Buffaloes, No. 6 Arizona Basketball (13-1, 3-0) returns to action to take on Pac-12 foe, the Utah Utes (8-8, 1-5). 

No. 6 Arizona Basketball is back in the swing of things after dominating the Colorado Buffaloes on Thursday evening before previously seeing a substantial break in basketball action.

Seeing a quick turnaround from Thursday evening, the Wildcats should still be fresh and ready to roll as they take on the visiting Utah Utes in their Saturday night matchup.

As we all saw on Thursday, Arizona did come away with the big win over Colorado but the Wildcats did have to overcome a little bit of rust in the first half before coming away with the 76-55 win.

Against Utah, Arizona should have a bit of an easier challenge as the Utes are not a particularly great team. The Utes are coming off of back-to-back losses against the Washington schools and currently sit in last place in the conference.

Now while Arizona is favored by double-digits in this one, this is a game that the Wildcats cannot afford to get complacent in. The Cats need to be sharp from the start if they are going to win, and hopefully, Tommy Lloyd will have the Wildcats ready to go and ready to get back on track.

Getting to Know the details of Arizona Basketball’s opponent, the Utah Utes.

Team: Utah Utes

Conference: Pac-12 Conference

2020-21 Record: Finishing the year with a 12-13 (8-11) record in 2020-21, the Utes finished as the No. 7 team in the conference, ending their season with a Conference Tournament loss to USC in the quarterfinals.

Head Coach: Craig Smith enters his 1st season with the Utes after successful stints at Mayville State (2004-07), South Dakota (2014-18), and Utah State (2018-21). Compiling a 233-116 record as a head coach, Craig currently is 8-8 at Utah and looks to turn around a program that saw mediocrity for many years under Larry Krystkowiak.

Keys to the Game:

Protect the Basketball – Arizona plays at a fast pace as we are all well aware of by now, and as a result, turnovers are more likely to happen in that kind of an offense.

Against a Utah team that doesn’t steal the basketball much and is only forcing teams to just 9.1 turnovers per game, this is a matchup that should favor the Wildcats significantly.

If Arizona can protect the basketball, they should come away with the big win here!

Win the Battle of the Boards – The Utes are a good rebounding team as they are averaging 38.8 rebounds per game, and they also have tremendous length. As a team, the Utes will likely challenge the Wildcats vertically, so Arizona has to attack and dominate the glass if they are going to win.

If the Cats can minimize Utah’s opportunities to stay in this game, their chances of winning increase significantly in this one.

Staying Sharp – Aside from a small, rough stretch in the first half against Colorado, Arizona looked pretty sharp for a team that had only played three games in the last three weeks.

Against a Utah team that isn’t to the level of Colorado, the Wildcats will need to stay sharp in this one if they are going to come away with the win. Arizona cannot afford to get complacent and let the Utes stay in this one.

Arizona Basketball versus the Utah Utes game information and details:

Date: Saturday, Jan. 15, 2022

Time: 6:00 P.M. MST / 5:00 P.M. PST

Location: McKale Center, Tucson, Ariz. (14,655)

Spread: -19.0 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. 6 Arizona Wildcats (13-1, 3-0): After dominating Colorado on Thursday evening, Arizona returns to action to take on Utah at home. Once again, Arizona will need focus if they are going to come away victorious.

Utah Utes (8-8, 1-5): Entering this game fresh off of losses to Washington and Washington State, the Utes look to rebound as they travel to a hostile McKale, hoping to score the upset against No. 6 Arizona.

Head-to-Head Record (since 1949-50): Since 1949-50, Arizona has had a slight advantage, owning a 35-31 lead over Utah. However, since joining the Pac-12, the Cats have dominated, winning 14 of the last 17 matchups.

Last Meeting vs. Arizona: The last time the Wildcats played the Utes was in Salt Lake City, as Utah came away with the big, 15-point win, defeating the Wildcats 73-58.

My Prediction: Arizona 86 Utah 62 – Arizona looked good overall against Colorado, minus a few stretches of the game. Against Utah, the Wildcats will have a clear talent and skill advantage. In short, Utah is not a very good team, and we see Arizona dominating this one from start to finish en route to scoring the big win!