The Arizona Wildcats will be playing their biggest game of the season to-date on Saturday afternoon as they take on the Washington Huskies in Seattle. The UA sits one game back of Washington in the standings and a road win would likely solidify their seeding for the NCAA Tournament. The Wildcats will have revenge on their minds after falling at home to the Huskies at the buzzer.
Arizona fans are well-acquainted with these Huskies, seeing as their last three matchups have literally come down to the final second. Derrick Williams came up with a game-saving block in the first meeting, only to be outdone by Isaiah Thomas in the Pac-12 Tournament championship game. In 2012, the Huskies hit two late free throws and swatted away a layup at the buzzer to secure the victory.
Washington is led by point guard Tony Wroten, who is a finalist for being the best freshman in the country. Terrence Ross and C.J. Wilcox flank him on the wings and both are capable of filling up a stat sheet in a hurry. Ross and Wilcox both shoot the ball very well and can score in a variety of ways. Big man Aziz N'Diaye has been battling a wrist and knee injury, but he continues to be effective and will likely give the UA problems with his size and length as he did in the previous contest.
Neither team is particularly deep, especially with the injuries to Kevin Parrom and Jordin Mayes, so fatigue could definitely become an issue down the stretch. Look for head coaches Sean Miller and Lorenzo Romar to be very methodical with their timeouts, especially with the game likely to be played at a high tempo.
This is a huge game for Arizona and the team can ill-afford to fall behind early as they did in the previous matchups with Utah and Washington St. The Wildcats need to limit turnovers in a hostile road environment and protecting the defensive glass is an absolute must if they hope to have any chance to pull out a victory.
Tipoff is set for noon in Washington, which is 1:00 p.m. in Tucson.
Bear Down.