Top 25 Showdown! No. 4 Arizona Basketball takes on No. 21 Wazzu
TUCSON, AZ - Facing their first Top 25 opponent at home this season, No. 4 Arizona Basketball (20-5, 11-3) welcomes No. 21 Washington State (20-6, 11-4).
No. 4 Arizona Basketball is rolling! Now, winners of six straight games, they will welcome a formidable foe to town in No. 21 Washington State.
Coming in, the Cougars are playing very well. Winners of seven straight games, Wazzu will look to regain the lead in the Pac-12 Conference standings, as well as earn the regular season sweep against the Wildcats.
Overall, Washington State has proven to be a very competitive team this season, and they are well-coached. Now, while Arizona will be considered the favorite in this one at home, make no mistake, this is a good team that they will face on Thursday evening, and we fully expect a fight from the Cougars.
Hopefully, we will see our Wildcats continue their dominant ways and put together another solid performance like witnessed last Saturday. Arizona will need to bring the energy in this one as it is a late game for the Cats! Tip-off is currently set for 9 P.M. Tucson time!
Getting to know the details about Arizona Basketball’s opponent, the Washington State Cougars.
Team: Washington State Cougars
Conference: Pac-12 Conference
Current Record: 20–6 (11–4)
Head Coach: Kyle Smith. Entering his 14th season as a head coach (5th with Washington State), Coach Smith is currently 89–67 (46–46) with the Cougars with two NIT appearances.
Before he arrived in Pullman, Kyle made stops at Columbia from 2010-16 and San Francisco from 2016-19. Overall, he is 253–189 as a head coach with six postseason tournament berths.
2022-23 Record: Finishing the 2022-23 season with a 17–17 (11–9) record, the Cougars ended their year with a first-round NIT loss to Eastern Washington.
So, as Arizona Basketball takes on Wazzu, here is how you can watch and follow our Wildcats!
Arizona Basketball vs Washington State Information and Details:
Date: Thursday, February 22, 2024
Time: 9:00 P.M. MST / 8:00 P.M. PST
Television: FS1
Location: McKale Center – Tucson, AZ (14,545)
Spread: -13.0 Arizona (Don’t forget to sign up with Caesars Sportsbook or DraftKings to enhance your overall betting experience)
Overall Series Record: 68-19 Arizona. This is a head-to-head series that dates back to as early as 1959. Since then, they have shared a competitive history, albeit the Wildcats dominating this matchup, winning 17 of the last 20 meetings.
Last Meeting: Travelling to Pullman this past January, the Wildcats were upset by a talented Cougars team, losing to Washington State by a 73-70 final.
Arizona Basketball Game Preview:
Continuing its winning ways with a dominant win over rival Arizona State on Saturday evening, the Wildcats are back in action on Thursday, and coming Wazzu will be riding high. The Cougars are winners of seven straight games and are ranked for the first time since the 2007-08 season.
While Arizona is considered the better team on paper, we all saw how this one went the last time these two teams met in January.
Coach Kyle Smith is known to use some elements of the “Princeton” offense, relying on a lot of ball screen action, backdoor cuts, etc., and as a result, the Cougars are averaging 75.5 points per game on 47.5 percent shooting from the field, including 35.3 percent from three.
Overall, their offense has a few talented scorers with their do-it-all freshman guard Myles Rice seemingly leading the way with 15.9 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game.
Beyond that, senior forward Isaac Jones is having a terrific year, averaging 15.7 points and 7.6 rebounds, meanwhile, Jaylen Wells and Andrej Jakimovski can fill up the state sheet as well.
The last time these two teams met, Arizona dominated the glass, outrebounding Wazzu by a 48-37 margin and forcing seven steals, but where the Wildcats struggled was in shooting the ball, converting just on 25 of 72 attempts (34.7 percent) from the field.
Hopefully, the Wildcats will be ready to go in this one and will continue their winning ways against Wazzu. Brew your coffee for this one as this one will be late! The tip-off for Thursday's game against the Cougars is at 9:00 P.M. Tucson time, and the game will be broadcast on FS1!
Next. Pac-12 Basketball Power Rankings: Arizona, Washington State hit 20 wins, Utah slips. Pac-12 Basketball Power Rankings: Arizona, Washington State hit 20 wins, Utah slips. dark
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