Washington St. @ Arizona preview
McKale Center
Last Meeting ( Feb 1, 2020 ) Arizona 66, Washington St. 49
Arizona hasn’t saved its best for last as it carries its first three-game losing streak of the season into a closing two-game homestand. That homestand tips off Thursday night as the Wildcats host Washington State.
After consecutive losses to Oregon (73-72 in overtime), USC (57-48) and UCLA (69-64), Arizona has been knocked out of the national top 25 and has fallen into a tie for sixth place in the Pac-12 standings. The good news is that the Wildcats are only a half-game out of fourth place and the corresponding first-round Pac-12 Tournament bye that comes with a top-four finish. But to move back up, Arizona will need to shake off the doldrums, and it likely will take a sweep of the visiting Washington schools this weekend. The Cougars, meanwhile, are all alone in ninth place in the Pac-12 but did just end a four-game losing streak with last Friday’s 78-74 victory at rival Washington.
TIME: 10:30 p.m. ET. TV: Fox Sports 1
ABOUT WASHINGTON STATE (15-14, 6-10 Pac-12): The Cougars shot 50 percent and connected on 23-of-27 free-throw attempts in the win over the Huskies to snap out of an offensive funk that saw them score no more than 57 points over their previous three contests. Forward CJ Elleby and guard Isaac Bonton combined for 41 points in the win and continue to be the only Washington State players averaging double figures at 18.7 and 15.0 points per game, respectively. Elleby also is averaging a team-most 7.7 rebounds while Bonton dishes out a team-leading 4.0 assists, but the Cougars have been the conference’s worst-shooting team in Pac-12 play (39.0 percent) and are allowing a league-most 72.3 points and 47.6 opposing field-goal percentage defensively.
ABOUT ARIZONA (19-10, 9-7): The Wildcats are averaging a Pac-12-most 76.6 points on the season but have averaged only 61.3 during their current three-game skid, including the season-low 48 last Thursday at USC. Freshmen Zeke Nnaji (16.2 points), Nico Mannion (13.8) and Josh Green (11.9) continue to pace the team in scoring, but Green missed the two L.A. games with a back injury, and his status is uncertain heading into the homestand. Nnaji leads the squad with 8.6 rebounds while Mannion dishes out a team-leading 5.3 assists for Arizona, which leads the conference in scoring margin (5.9) and rebound margin (4.0) in Pac-12 play.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Arizona has dominated the series of late, winning 14 of the last 15, including a 66-49 romp in Pullman, Wash., on Feb. 1.
2. The Wildcats shot only 39.7 percent in winning the meeting earlier this year but dominated the glass with a 49-36 rebound advantage, thanks to F Stone Gettings and Nnaji, who combined for 22 boards.
3. Arizona is 12-3 at home this season, including 5-2 in Pac-12 play while Washington State is 3-9 away from home, including a 1-6 mark in conference action.
PREDICTION: Arizona 79, Washington State 64