Texas-El Paso @ Arizona preview
McKale Center
Last Meeting ( Nov 14, 2018 ) Texas-El Paso 46, Arizona 79
Arizona will wrap up a stretch of four games in eight days when it hosts UTEP on Saturday in Tucson, Ariz.
Coach Sean Miller said his new-look Wildcats (4-0) have played increasingly well against their slate of non-major conference competition but cautioned that the Miners (2-1) might be the toughest competition to date.
"They have a couple of players that have a chance to play beyond college basketball, maybe even in the NBA," Miller said. "They play with great energy and effort, and I think they might be the most talented group that we've faced this year."
Arizona is coming off Wednesday's 85-60 home victory over Cal State Bakersfield, a game in which five Wildcats reached double-digit points and the team assisted on 21 of 27 baskets. Four players have either led or tied for the team lead in scoring through four games, highlighting a deep, balanced Wildcats roster.
"I think our team this year has played with an edge," Miller said. "I think that we're really locked in on trying to be a better group, better team. We play nine quality players, and on different nights, different players can step up and play well, whether it's scoring or shooting."
Jemarl Baker Jr. leads the team with 15.0 points per game and has made 12 of 25 3-point attempts (48 percent). James Akinjo has delivered 12.8 points per game, followed by Jordan Brown (11.3 points, team-best 7.3 rebounds) and Bennedict Mathurin (11.0).
This matchup was originally scheduled for Nov. 29 but was postponed due to COVID-19 issues within the UTEP program. When Arizona lost its Saturday game against New Mexico State, the Miners stepped back onto the schedule.
UTEP has two wins over lower-division foes -- Division II UT Permian Basin and Division III Sul Ross State. The Miners lost at Saint Mary's, 73-61 on Tuesday, in their most recent game.
"We did a lot of good things in terms of working the game, and really we're still trying to season ourselves a little bit," UTEP coach Rodney Terry said.
The Miners were picked to finish eighth in the 14-team Conference USA in a preseason poll of league coaches.
Souley Boum is a high-volume scorer who has posted three consecutive games of 20-plus points and is averaging 26.0. He excels at getting to the free throw line as well, making 21 of 23 so far this season after shooting 87.8 percent in 2019-20.
Bryson Williams, selected to the preseason All-Conference USA team, is averaging 19.0 points and 9.3 rebounds.
--Field Level Media