Connecticut @ Arizona preview
McKale Center
Last Meeting ( Mar 26, 2011 ) Arizona 63, Connecticut 65
Coach Sean Miller and Arizona fans got a major scare when leading scorer Allonzo Trier went down with a knee issue Monday night. But Miller said Tuesday on his weekly radio show that the junior guard and All-America candidate could play Thursday night when the 19th-ranked Wildcats host UConn.
Trier, who’s averaging 21.7 points, 3.3 assists and 3.2 rebounds per game, banged knees in a collision with a North Dakota State player five minutes into the second half Monday night and spent the rest of the night with an ice bag on his knee after coming back out of the lockerroom. Follow-up tests Tuesday on the slightly-swollen knee revealed a bone bruise but no serious ligament damage, and Miller classified it as a “minor sprain.” “We expect him to make a full recovery, and hopefully as we get through (Tuesday) and (Wednesday), he will be able to play against UConn,” Miller added on his radio show. “… He has almost a full range of motion, which is also a great sign. If what he has in terms of discomfort can subside, he’ll be able to go. I know he wants to. We certainly won’t put him out there unless it’s safe for him, and also good for both him and our team.”
TV: 9 p.m. ET, ESPN2
ABOUT UCONN (7-3): The Huskies are coming off a 12-day break for final exams, and will visit Arizona and Auburn (Saturday) before Christmas and preparations for their big American Athletic Conference opener Dec. 30 at home against No. 11 Wichita State. Thursday’s game, though, marks the first true road contest for UConn, which is 6-0 at home so far and 1-3 in neutral-site games. Guard Jalen Adams (19.2 points), swingman Terry Larrier (15.6) and guard Christian Vital (12.8) are all averaging double digits for the Huskies while Larrier leads the team in rebounding at 5.7 per outing and Adams is averaging a team-best 3.7 assists.
ABOUT ARIZONA (9-3): Freshman big man Deandre Ayton has provided the perfect complement to the high-scoring Trier and is averaging 20.3 points and 11.8 rebounds on the season. The 7-foot-1, 250-pounder had 25 points and nine rebounds in 26 minutes Monday against North Dakota State to finish one rebound short of his 10th double-double of the year. Guard Rawle Alkins is averaging 14.7 points and 4.3 rebounds over the last three games since returning from a broken foot suffered in late September.
TIP-INS
1. UConn has won all five games in the series, including a 65-63 victory in their last meeting which came in the 2011 NCAA Tournament West Regional final in Anaheim, Calif. The Huskies went on to win the national championship the following weekend.
2. The 83-53 victory over North Dakota State was the Wildcats’ 46th straight nonconference home win – the longest such streak in program history by five games.
3. Offensive efficiency has been a struggle for the Huskies, who are shooting 40.7 percent from the field (tied for 318th nationally) and have 134 turnovers and only 100 assists on the season.
PREDICTION: Arizona 81, UConn 66