No. 10 Arizona Basketball looks to continue winning ways against Utah
TUCSON, AZ – Just days after throttling Colorado, No. 10 Arizona Basketball (11-3, 2-1) looks to continue its winning ways against Utah (11-3, 2-1).
Returning to action after throttling the Colorado Buffaloes on Thursday evening, No. 10 Arizona Basketball prepares for their showdown with the Utah Utes.
Looking to close out its weekend with a big win, the Wildcats should be tested quite a bit as Utah is a competitive team, and as we've learned, every team is going to give Arizona its best!
Coming in, Arizona is the heavy favorite; however, the Utes are talented, and as we have seen this season, anything can happen.
Hopefully, we see our Wildcats continue their dominant ways and put together another solid performance like we saw on Thursday against the Buffaloes. Should Arizona take care of business like they are supposed to, I see them having no problems against the Utes!
Getting to know the details about Arizona Basketball’s opponent, the Utah Utes.
Team: Utah Utes
Conference: Pac-12 Conference
Current Record: 11–3 (2–1)
Head Coach: Craig Smith. Entering his 13th season as a head coach (3rd with Utah), and overall, Coach Smith is 39–38 (16–27) with the Utes.
Before he arrived in Utah, Craig was at Mayville State from 2004-07, South Dakota from 2014-18, and Utah State from 2018-21. Overall, he is 264–146 as a head coach with 8 postseason berths (including the Covid year in 2020 when he was at Utah State).
2022-23 Record: Finishing the 2022-23 season with a 17–15 (10–10) record, the Buffaloes ended its year with a second-round NIT loss to Utah Valley.
So with Arizona Basketball taking on Utah, here is how you can watch and follow our Wildcats!
Arizona Basketball vs Utah Information and Details:
Date: Saturday, January 6, 2024
Time: 6:00 P.M. MST / 5:00 P.M. PST
Television: Pac-12 Network
Location: McKale Center – Tucson, AZ (14,545)
Spread: -14.0 Arizona (Don’t forget to sign up with Caesars Sportsbook or DraftKings to enhance your overall betting experience)
Overall Series Record: 36-31 Arizona. This is a head-to-head series that dates back to as early as the 1953-54 season. Since then, this has been a fairly close series with Arizona holding the 36-31 advantage and having won 18 of the last 22 meetings.
Last Meeting: Despite losing to Utah in December of 2022, Arizona got the win in Tucson last February where they beat the visiting Utes by an 88-62 final.
Arizona Basketball Game Preview:
Getting back on track with a dominant win over Colorado on Thursday evening, Arizona will have another tough matchup as they welcome a competitive Utah team to town.
Fresh off of a loss to ASU, Utah will look to come to Tucson with an upset in mind. However, that will not be easy by any means!
Arizona got back on track on Thursday evening in a big way as the team flexed its proverbial muscles en route to a dominant 47-point win over Colorado. However, the Buffaloes were without Cody Williams and Tristan da Silva.
Even with Arizona being the superior team, the Wildcats still cannot afford to overlook the Utes, as this is a skilled Utah that can score points in a hurry!
Averaging 80.9 points per game on 48.3 percent shooting from the field, including 38.4 percent from three, this group is largely led by the play of veteran big man Branden Carlson. Carlson is their go-to guy, as he is currently averaging 18.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per game.
Beyond that, Utah gets solid guard play from Gabe Madsen, Rollie Worster, and Cole Bajema. Together, they do a lot of things well, and they should test the Wildcats' perimeter defense.
While Arizona should have the advantage overall, we expect this one to be a fight from the Utes as they will look to bounce back after their loss to the Sun Devils.
Hopefully, the Wildcats will be ready to go in this one and will continue their winning ways against Utah. Tip-off for Saturdays game against the Utes is at 6:00 P.M. Tucson time, and the game being broadcast on Pac-12 Network.
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