Dan Hurley’s No. 3 UConn Huskies will be facing the No. 4 Arizona Wildcats at home in the Gampel Pavilion on Wednesday. On Saturday, the Huskies were able to beat AJ Dybantsa’s No. 7 BYU at TD Garden but this time, they will be facing a rather tough Arizona squad which is the only school in the nation with multiple top-25 wins.
On the other hand, the Wildcats took down the defending champs Florida Gators in an impressive victory in their season opener, with a 30-point performance from freshman Koa Peat. Arizona has also beaten No. 15 UCLA on the road on Friday and are currently 4-0 in the season so far. This matchup on Wednesday will be the earliest top-five matchup in UConn’s history and the first big Gampel game this season.
Let’s find out how both teams are expected to perform in this upcoming matchup.
UConn Huskies vs Arizona Wildcats Prediction
Historically, UConn holds a 5-2 advantage against Arizona in their all-time series. In their last game against BYU, UConn’s Jaylin Stewart showed excellent defensive skills despite AJ Dybantsa single-handedly going off to keep it level for the Cougars. But this time, UConn have two more freshmen in Koa Peat and Brayden Burries to deal with while facing Arizona. Peat stands 6’8″ tall and is a powerful, athletic forward with good footwork and rim protecting skills. He could be another touch matchup for Jaylin Stewart.
Though Peat isn’t a threat from the deep, he is a much more physical player. Alex Karaban and Tarris Reed could face trouble holding him back, while also having centers Motiejus Krivas and Tobe Awaka to deal with. Reed might be assigned to cover Peat around the rim. Peat is averaging 16.3 points and 5.3 rebounds per game this season.
As of now, the Wildcats are hitting 40% from the deep but are taking less shots from the deep. Only 27.2% of their shots are coming from beyond the arc, which is one of the lowest rates in Division I. The Wildcats attempted only five threes against the Gators and 19 against UCLA. Their offense still ranks 12th nationally in efficiency, but they will need more perimeter volume to keep pace with UConn in a difficult road setting.
Arizona has shown much resilience in overcoming double-digit deficits with wins over Florida and UCLA. UConn’s tight finish against BYU was less about a collapse and more about the Cougars hitting difficult shots. Yet, it underscores the need for the Huskies to maintain pressure if they build another big lead to avoid a repeat comeback from a tested Wildcats team.
ESPN‘s matchup predictor estimates a 58.6% chance for UConn to win this matchup.
UConn Huskies vs Arizona Wildcats lineup
UConn Huskies Lineup
PG: Silas Demary
SG: Solo Ball
SF: Jaylin Stewart
PF: Alex Karaban
C: Tarris Reed
Arizona Wildcats Lineup
PG: Jaden Bradley
SG: Brayden Burries
SF: Ivan Kharchenkov
PF: Koa Peat
C: Motiejus Krivas
Injury Report
As per Dan Hurley, UConn freshman Braylon Mullins is making steady progress in recovering from his sprained ankle from preseason practice. However, he is most likely to be out for this game as well as his reported recovery time is estimated to be around six weeks.
For the Wildcats, there is no report of injury amongst active players in their roster.
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