No. 3 Arizona Basketball travels to the Bay Area to take on Stanford

Following their sweeps of Colorado and Utah, No. 3 Arizona Basketball (14-1, 4-0) travels to the Bay Area to take on Stanford (10-5, 3-2). 

Now up to No. 3 in the latest AP Top 25 Poll, Arizona Basketball is rolling again after sweeping Colorado and Utah this past week.

Luckily, the Wildcats do not have to delay any basketball action this week as the team travels to Northern California to take on the Bay Area schools. And up first, is the Stanford Cardinal.

Coming in, Arizona should be fully healthy as Kerr Kriisa returns to action, and the Wildcats have been playing well too, scoring routes over Colorado and Utah at home.

However, against Stanford, the Wildcats should see a decent challenge. The Cardinal have won two of their last three games, including an upset over then Top-10 ranked USC, and they also beat a competitive Washington State team on the road.

While Arizona is the favorite in this one, the Cats need to be sharp from the start if they are going to win. Hopefully, the Wildcats don’t overlook Stanford here and that Tommy Lloyd has his boys ready to go and ready to roll.

Getting to Know the details of Arizona Basketball’s opponent, the Stanford Cardinal.

Team: Stanford Cardinal

Conference: Pac-12 Conference

2020-21 Record: Finishing the year with a 14-13 (10-10) record in 2020-21, the Cardinal ended up as the No. 7 team in the conference. Stanford ended their year with a first-round loss to Cal in the Pac-12 Conference Tournament.

Head Coach: Jerod Haase entering his 6th season with the Cardinal, Haase has compiled a 92-78 (47-50) record with Stanford, including one postseason appearance in 2017-18 (NIT). Before Stanford, Jerod had an 80-53 (42-26) record with UAB.

Keys to the Game:

Win the Battle of the Boards – The Cardinal is one of the better rebounding teams in the country, averaging 38.0 rebounds per game. Adversely, the Wildcats are also one of the best rebounding teams in the country.

On paper, this one is going to be a battle on the boards. So, once again, Arizona has to attack and dominate the glass to minimize Stanford’s opportunities in this game if they are going to win.

Defend the Three – The Cardinal is a rather good shooting team from beyond the arc, as collectively, they are shooting 34.9 percent on an average of 7.1 threes made on 20.5 attempts.

In conference play, they are even better, as the Cardinal are converting on 36.0 percent of their attempts.

This is a team that loves shooting the three, and as the Wildcats are allowing teams to shoot an average of 30.9 percent, Arizona will need to be sharp and now allow for Stanford to get from deep.

Protect the Basketball – A constant theme on the season, Arizona plays at a fast pace, as they are averaging 77.2 possessions per game. On the flip side of that, they are averaging 13.8 turnovers per game.

As a team, the Cardinal average 5.9 steals per game, and they force teams to 11.7 turnovers per game. Against Stanford, the Wildcats will need to protect the basketball, as more opportunities for the Cardinal is not a good thing and is something that cannot happen if they are going to win.

Arizona Basketball versus the Stanford Cardinal game information and details:

Date: Thursday, Jan. 20, 2022

Time: 9:00 P.M. MST / 8:00 P.M. PST

Location: Maples Pavilion, Palo Alto, Calif. (7,392‎)

Spread: -10.5 Arizona (Also, don’t forget to use WynnBet to enhance your overall betting experience)

Television: ESPNU

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

Team Records:

No. 3 Arizona Wildcats (14-1, 4-0): Arizona is back in the swing of things and after a sweep of Colorado and Utah, the Wildcats return to action against a talented Stanford team that upset USC last week.

Stanford Cardinal (10-5, 3-2): After beating USC and Washington State, the Cardinal fell to Washington this past Saturday. They now return to action to take on arguably their toughest opponent in Arizona.

Head-to-Head Record (since 1949-50): Since 1949-50, Arizona has dominated this matchup, winning 68 of 96 meetings, including 20 of their last 22 games.

Last Meeting vs. Arizona: The last time the Wildcats played the Cardinal was at home in McKale. Stanford came away with the rare win, defeating the Wildcats 73-64.

My Prediction: Arizona 83 Stanford 69 – Arizona looked sharp against Colorado and Utah, and as they return to action, luckily, the Wildcats will have Kerr back. The Wildcats are the better team here, and assuming they are focused and take care of business, they will wear down Stanford en route to the 14-point win.