The Star's Bruce Pascoe previews all of the game day essentials, from projected starting lineups to storylines and series history, ahead of the Arizona Wildcats' home contest against Utah. 

Game info

Who: Utah (10-5, 1-2) at Arizona (11-5, 1-2) 

Where: McKale Center

When: Thursday, 6:30 p.m.

TV: Pac-12 Arizona

Radio: 1290-AM, 107.5-FM

Follow: @TheWildcaster on Twitter / TheWildcaster on Facebook

Probable starters: Arizona

G Nico Mannion (6-3 freshman)

G Dylan Smith (6-5 senior)

F Josh Green (6-6 freshman)

F Zeke Nnaji (6-11 freshman)

C Chase Jeter (6-10 senior)

Probable starters: Utah

G Rylan Jones (6-1 freshman)

G Both Gach (6-6 sophomore)

F Timmy Allen (6-6 sophomore)

F Riley Battin (6-9 sophomore)

C Lahat Thioune (6-10 freshman)

How they match up

Arizona forward Zeke Nnaji (22) redirects a rebound over St. John's guard Julian Champagnie (2) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Dec. 21, 2019, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/D. Ross Cameron)

The series: The Utes haven’t beaten Arizona at McKale Center in seven Tucson matchups since joining the Pac-12 in 2011-12, but the last two games have been decided by one possession. Last season, the Wildcats won 84-81 in overtime when standout Utah guard Sedrick Barefield fouled out with 1:41 left in regulation after scoring 26 points, then Parker Van Dyke missed a potential game-winning 3-pointer with six seconds left before the Utes fouled and Brandon Randolph hit two free throws for the final score. In 2017-18, Dusan Ristic scored a career-high 23 points on 9-for-11 shooting – including a surprise 3-pointer — to help Arizona hang on for a 74-73 win.

This season: Arizona will not make the Utah-Colorado trip this season, so Thursday’s game will be their only matchup unless the Wildcats and Utes meet in the Pac-12 Tournament.

Utah overview: Think Arizona’s annual roster turnover seems high? Check out Utah. The Utes lost seven total players to transfers last spring and now have 10 true freshmen plus redshirt freshman center Lahat Thioune on this season’s roster. Not surprisingly, they rank No. 351 out of 353 Division I teams in Kenpom’s experience calculation.

Utah starts three sophomores and two freshmen, but two of those sophomores, wings Timmy Allen and Both Gach, are among the Pac-12’s most productive players. Both have already recorded triple-doubles while Allen leads the Pac-12 in scoring (20.2 points per game) and is seventh in rebounding (7.7), while Gach is 15th in 3-pointers made (1.7) and 14th in assists (2.93). Allen isn’t a 3-point threat but excels in driving to the lane for shots and picking up fouls. He draws an average of 7.3 fouls per 40 minutes, the 10th highest fouls-drawn rate in Division I, and takes advantage of an average of nearly eight trips to the line every game by hitting free throws at a 77.1% rate.

Gach is a long, intriguing shooter and ballhandler on the wing. He starts at shooting guard but will slide over to the point when Rylan Jones is out. Just a 6-0 freshman, Jones already has proven a crafty and smart passer whose 3-point shot (48.4%) demands defenses’ attention.

Inside, the Utes have a stretch-four presence in Riley Battin, their other sophomore returnee, while they have mixed in 7-footer Branden Carlson with slender the 6-10 Thioune and 6-8 Finn Mikeal Jantunen.

Defensively, Utah is always tough to figure, switching their scheme as matchups dictate. The Utes might throw out three-quarter-court pressure, slip back into half-court defense and their 2-3 zone can morph into a man-to-man sometimes in the same possession.

He said it

Arizona head coach Sean Miller gives guard Nico Mannion (1) a big attaboy after he drew a foul on his bucket against Oregon in the second half of their Pac-12 game at Matthew Knight Arena, January 9, 2020.

“Timmy Allen is one of our conference’s best players. I really felt that last year he was one of our conference’s best players. He really has a unique skill set of scoring close to the basket even though he’s a wing player. He just plays his style and his game, regardless of who the opponent is.”

Gach “can really get it going from 3, and is also very clever using the middle ball screens. He makes other people better. I love their freshman point guard (Jones) — he’s very, very smart. He can shoot the basketball, and he makes his teammates better. They have some young big guys very similar to how we feel about Christian Koloko, and they’re very well coached team as always. They beat Kentucky. They’ve had some great moments and I think the best is yet to come for them because they’re so young. You could tell they’re building something special with that freshman class because those guys are going to grow and get older together. I think at some point, when they’re when they’re veterans they’re going to be an excellent basketball team. They’re a very good team right now.”

Key player (Arizona): Chase Jeter

Arizona center Chase Jeter (4) tries to force his way along the baseline against Arizona State forward Romello White (23) in the first half of their Pac12 opener at McKale Center, January 4, 2020.

If the Wildcats are going to rebound better, the starting point just might be their starting center (or former starting center, since UA coach Sean Miller has hinted changes might hit at some point). Jeter had just one rebound each at Oregon and Oregon State last weekend, and he was benched for the final 18 minutes of action against Oregon.

Key player (Utah): Timmy Allen

Utah forward Timmy Allen, who played at Mesa’s Red Mountain High School, is averaging more than 20 points per game this season to lead all Pac-12 players.

You can call the Mesa Red Mountain grad a wing, but Allen does most of his damage driving inside the arc, creating and exploiting mismatches along the way. If he doesn’t get the shot off, there’s also a good chance he’ll draw a foul: A total of 54.9% of his shots are free throws, the 96th highest free-throw rate in Division I.

Sidelines

Binge watcher

Because he’s a grad student who loaded up with classes last spring, summer and fall, forward Stone Gettings didn’t have to go back to class with the rest of his teammates when the spring semester started Wednesday. He’s only taking one class this spring and it doesn’t start until March.

“It’s smooth sailing,” he said.

That’s given Gettings the extra time to schedule workouts with UA associate head coach Jack Murphy, to study film and keep up with the stock market after having worked with a hedge fund manager two summers ago.

That’s the good kind of free time. Last month, after suffering a concussion against Penn on Nov. 29, Gettings had more time than he wanted. In fact, for the initial first few days, Gettings could do little of anything.

“It wasn’t that dramatic with keeping the lights out and everything,” Gettings said. “But my eyes swelled up pretty significantly and I was experiencing concussion symptoms. I was trying to just push through it but it’s one of those things that you can’t really push through. It’s not like a sprained ankle.”

Gettings couldn’t even watch TV or read initially, having to get extensions from some of his instructors to finish up fall semester work. However, he eventually made his way to Netflix to chew up some idle time.

“I’ve been a big fan of ‘You’ and ‘Messiah,’ ” Gettings said of the Netflix thrillers. “Those are my two right now. Although now they’re done, so I need another one if you have any suggestions.’”

A big ask?

Among UA coach Sean Miller’s call to help on the glass includes blocking out on the free-throw line when opponents shoot free throws and miss.

“It’s something you can really control,” Miller says. “If a guy isn’t able to block out on the free-throw line, do you want to trade him to another Pac 12 team? Of course, but you’re not able to do that. You can’t cut him.

“You just have to kind of look and say ‘Hey look, we just need you to do a better job of doing what we’re asking you to do. I know it’s not fun. I know there’s not going to be an article written after the game about your free-throw block out. But if you don’t mind, we’d really appreciate if you could put your hands up and step across that guy so he doesn’t get the ball, if they miss it.’”

Magic brothers

Hillcrest Prep’s Dalen Terry, center, rests between drills during a practice in Gilbert. The four-star prospect committed to the UA in November. 

Of all the friends and family scheduled to watch Mesa product Timmy Allen at McKale Center on Thursday, the one the Utah forward calls “my little brother” won’t be on hand.

That’s probably a good thing for the Utes. Because the “brother” is UA signee Dalen Terry, a former teammate of Allen with the Compton Magic travel club.

Terry is busy playing for Hillcrest Prep this week but, when asked if Terry has said anything about Thursday’s game, Allen said Terry “is always making little jokes.”

Numbers game

0

Arizona losses to Utah at McKale Center in seven meetings since the Utes joined the Pac-12 in 2011-12.

18

Nico Mannion’s national rank in assists per game (6.3)

29.2

Percentage of Arizona field goal attempts in Pac-12 games that have been 3-pointers, the third-lowest mark in the conference. Arizona has made 3s over its three league games at a 32.7% rate.

 

 

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Contact sports reporter Bruce Pascoe at 573-4146 or bpascoe@tucson.com. On Twitter @brucepascoe