Fresh off a victory on Monday night over Valparaiso, the Arizona Wildcats have less than 48 hours to prepare for the Duquesne Dukes and their hectic style of play.
Head coach Ron Everhart has led his program to a record of 83-75 since taking over in 2006. The Dukes lost their two leading scores from last year, a team that was on the fringe of an NCAA Tournament appearance throughout most of the season. Despite falling short of a bid, they managed to enter the CBI Tournament and win their first game over Montana before falling to Oregon by two points.
Of the players returning, B.J. Monteiro is back and ready for his final year with the Dukes. T.J. McConnell averaged 10.8 points-per-game last season, converted 40.8% of this three-point shots and was among the nation's best in stealing the ball. Senior guard Sean Johnson will see a lot of playing time on Wednesday night as well.
Without having any footage from 2011 to go off of, Duquesne, on paper, looks to be a very solid team capable of pulling the upset. They press throughout the entire game and will force Josiah Turner and Jordin Mayes to make smart decisions with the ball. The Dukes lack size in the paint, but honestly, Arizona does too at this point in the season.
Matchup To Watch: T.J. McConnell vs. Kyle Fogg
Lineup Changes Coming? Arizona started Monday's game they way they had for both exhibition games (Turner, Fogg, Hill, Perry, Natyazhko), but as Turner and Natyazhko struggled, Jordin Mayes and Angelo Chol solidified themselves in the second half. They may not start, but look for both players to see playing time early and often on Wednesday night.
TV: The game will be aired live on ESPN2.
Online Stream: ESPN3.com
Final Score Prediction: Arizona 81 - Duquesne 70
Arizona needs to be careful. This is a very talented and experience Duquesne team and they are capable of scoring a lot of points. If UA continues to be careless with the basketball, an upset could be on the way in Tucson.
This all being said, I have to believe Sean Miller will have the Wildcats more than ready for the hectic style of play the Dukes will bring. Expect an outcome similar to what transpired on Monday, with UA pulling away midway through the second half.