No. 2 Arizona Basketball returns home to face Stanford

Fresh off their victory over No. 16 USC and securing the Pac-12 regular-season title, No. 2 Arizona Basketball (26-3, 16-2) returns to take on Stanford (15-13, 8-10). 

The 2021-22 Pac-12 Champions return home after dismantling No. 16 USC on Tuesday evening, and with a matchup against Stanford looming, No. 2 Arizona Basketball returns to action as they look to strengthen their resume with the regular-season winds down.

Coming in, Arizona should have all the confidence in the world. The team is rolling, they are the conference champions, and are within reach of securing a No. 1 seed in the quickly approaching, NCAA Tournament.

Against Stanford, the Wildcats should see a decent challenge here. The Cardinal may be coming off a big loss to rival Cal; however, as we’ve seen several times, Arizona will always get the oppositions’ best shot, and I don’t see that changing with Stanford, so the Cats have to be ready.

While Arizona is the clear and definite favorite in this one, the Cats need to be sharp from the start if they are going to win. Hopefully, the Wildcats won’t overlook Stanford here and that Tommy Lloyd has his boys 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 97-86 (52-58) record as head coach, which includes 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 37.0 rebounds per game. Adversely, the Wildcats are also one of the best rebounding teams in the country.

And once again, this one should be a battle on the boards, especially as the Wildcats gave up several rebounds the last time they met. For Arizona to win, they are going to have to attack and dominate the glass to minimize Stanford’s opportunities to stay in this game.

No Slow Starts – Arizona is notorious for having slow starts, and against weaker opponents, that might be okay, but with the Wildcats closing out the regular season, they are going to need to play with a sense of urgency in this one.

Once again, Arizona will need to be ready from the tip and avoid yet another slow start. Should the Wildcats take care of business from the tip, they are going to run away with the victory against Stanford.

Protect the Basketball – This is a constant theme here on the season as Arizona plays at an electric pace. Currently, the Wildcats are averaging 75.3 possessions per game and 84.7 points per game. On the flip side of that, they are averaging 13.4 turnovers per game.

As a team, the Cardinal average 5.5 steals per game, and they force teams to 11.0 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, March 3, 2022

Time: 7:00 P.M. MST / 6:00 P.M. PST

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

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

Television: ESPN2

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

Team Records:

No. 2 Arizona Wildcats (26-3, 16-2): Arizona is back in action after dismantling No. 16 USC on Tuesday evening and securing the regular-season Pac-12 title. Now, the Wildcats will return to action to take on Stanford as they hope to close out the season strong.

Stanford Cardinal (15-13, 8-10): Fresh off a thumping at the hands of rival Cal, the Cardinal return  to action to take on the No. 2 Wildcats as Stanford seeks to score the upset against a talented and loaded Arizona team.

Head-to-Head Record (since 1949-50): Since 1949-50, Arizona has dominated this matchup, winning 69 of 97 meetings, including 21 of their last 23 games.

Last Meeting vs. Arizona: The last time the Wildcats played the Cardinal was in Palo Alto where Arizona came away with the dominant win, defeating Stanford 85-57.

My Prediction: Arizona 85 Stanford 64 – Arizona looked sharp against No. 16 USC, coming away with the dominant win on Tuesday evening to secure the 2021-22 regular-season Pac-12 Championship.

Returning home against a floundering Stanford team, look for the Wildcats to come away with the dominant win as they return to the friendly confines of McKale Center.