Arizona State @ Arizona preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 31, 2019 ) Arizona 88, Arizona State 95

It hasn’t always been pretty, but Arizona State has managed to secure the No. 2 seed and a first-round bye in next week’s Pac-12 Tournament. Before heading to Las Vegas, the Sun Devils look to close the regular season with a victory over host Arizona, which is looking to bounce back from its worst loss of the season.

After recording a season-low point total in a 79-51 loss to Oregon, Arizona State notched a critical 74-71 win over Oregon State last Sunday. The Sun Devils remain squarely on the NCAA Tournament bubble following an up-and-down season that has included wins over Kansas and Mississippi State along with puzzling losses to Princeton and Washington State. “There’s no more time to relax,” forward Zylan Cheatham told reporters. “I mean, we’ve dropped games that we feel like we shouldn’t have dropped and we put ourselves in this position. So there is no more margin for error. I feel like we need to get every game going forward.” Arizona State has lost eight straight games in Tucson against the rival Wildcats, who are looking to improve their seeding for next week’s Pac-12 tournament after losing eight of their last 11 games.

TV: 4 p.m. ET, CBS

ABOUT ARIZONA STATE (20-9, 11-6 Pac-12): Freshman guard Luguentz Dort scored 20 points with four 3-pointers in the win over Oregon State while Cheatham added 12 points and 10 rebounds. Cheatham, who grabbed a career-high 22 boards in last month’s 95-88 overtime win over Arizona, is tied for second in the Pac-12 with 12 double-doubles while averaging 11.6 points, 10.5 rebounds and 3.3 assists. Freshman forward Taeshon Cherry, averaging 6.3 points off the bench, exited in the second half of last Sunday’s contest with a head injury but is expected to be available Saturday.

ABOUT ARIZONA (17-13, 8-9): Dylan Smith had a team-high 14 points and Brandon Williams had 12 off the bench in last Saturday’s 73-47 loss to Oregon, which snapped the Wildcats’ three-game winning streak in dominant fashion. A freshman guard from Los Angeles, Williams has been limited over the past three games with a right-knee injury but won’t be on a minutes restriction for Saturday’s regular-season finale. The news is not as promising for senior center Chase Jeter, who is averaging 11.1 points and 6.6 rebounds but could miss Saturday’s matchup with a bruised knee.

TIP-INS

1. Arizona has won the six of the last seven meetings against Arizona State and holds a 152-83 lead in the series.

2. Sun Devils guard Remy Martin is second in the Pac-12 at 5.1 assists per game.

3. Arizona is 212-28 under coach Sean Miller when leading at halftime, including 14-3 this season.

PREDICTION: Arizona State 79, Arizona 68