Preview UW at Arizona
By Mark Knight
Washington Huskies (18-7, 10-4) at Arizona Wildcats (22-4, 11-2)
Stars: F Derrick Williams and G Lamont Jones
Location: Tuscon, AZ (McKale Center)
Time: 3:00 PM (PDT)
TV: ESPN/ESPN2
Radio: 950 AM
Matchup: This matchup against the 12th rank team in the country and the leader of the Pac-10 looks to be a pivotal game not just in the regular Pac-10 champion race but also for seeding into the NCAA tournament.
This game places the pre-season PAC-10 number one team versus the current number one team. However, even though Arizona has had a wonderful season, Washington won in their first contest by a score of 85-68. Isaiah Thomas just lit up the wildcats with 22 points and 10 assists and holding back any significant attack at the end of the game.
Washington is coming into this game with a ton of momentum after a big win at Arizona State, where the Dawgs were able to find their defensive prowess on the road. They are hoping to keep up that momentum and strong defensive play in this game at the U of A.
UW will be without junior guard Scott Suggs as he strained his MCL in the last game versus ASU. Venoy Overton is projected to start and Lorenzo Romar will be dishing out a healthy dosing of Terrence Ross and CJ Wilcox.
The keys to this game are:
- Establish the Defense Early
- Create Points off of Turnovers
- Work through their Defense (find the holes, like they did at ASU)
- Avoid silly mistakes
- Make their free throws
This may seem like a pretty obvious list, but it really boils down to playing smart basketball and they can come out on top. UW is the better team, and they just need to play like it and if they do, UW will leave Arizona with the sweep.