Scouting report: Arizona Wildcats vs. Washington Huskies

The Star's Bruce Pascoe previews game day essentials, from projected starting lineups to storylines and series history, ahead of the Arizona Wildcats' game against Washington on New Year's Eve. 

Game info

Who: Arizona (7-1, 1-1) at Washington (1-6, 0-2)

Where: Hec Edmundson Pavilion, Seattle

When: Thursday, 6 p.m.

TV: Pac-12 Networks

Radio: 1290-AM, 107.5-FM

Follow: @TheWildcaster on Twitter / TheWildcaster on Facebook

Pregame Podcast

Probable starters: Arizona

G James Akinjo (6-0 junior)

G Jemarl Baker (6-5 junior)

F Dalen Terry (6-7 freshman)

F Azuolas Tubelis (6-10 freshman)

C Jordan Brown (6-11 sophomore)

Probable starters: Washington

G Quade Green (6-0 senior)

G Nate Pryor (6-4 junior)

F RaeQuan Battle (6-5 sophomore)

F Hameir Wright (6-9 senior)

C Nate Roberts (6-11 sophomore)

How they match up

The series: Arizona leads Washington 54-31 overall but has lost three of the past five games to the Huskies, including a 69-63 upset loss at McKale Center on the final day of the 2019-20 regular season. Arizona did beat Washington four days later in what turned out to be its season finale, 77-70 in the Pac-12 Tournament first round, and earlier beat them 75-72 in Seattle, when Jemarl Baker hit 4 of 7 3-pointers, including a go-ahead 3 with 44 seconds left.

This season: The Wildcats and Huskies are scheduled to meet again on Feb. 27 at McKale Center in what will be Arizona’s second-to-last game of the season.

Washington overview: The Huskies went from first to worst in the Pac-12 last season, and it doesn’t look like things are getting better anytime soon. Washington can’t shoot 3-pointers well (25.4%), is below average inside the arc (47.1) and is also one of the worst defensive rebounding teams in the country (allowing opponents to collect 37.0% of their missed shots). Even its vaunted Syracuse-style zone defense is coughing a bit – ranking No. 69 overall in Kenpom defensive efficiency.

The Huskies have only won a home game with Seattle so far and have been beaten by two teams Arizona already took care of: Montana and Colorado. They also lost what might have been their best player, when wing Naziah Carter was suspended and ultimately left school earlier this month following two sexual assault allegations, on top of losing one-and-dones Isaiah Stewart and Jaden McDaniels after last season.

UW has two capable ballhandlers in Quade Green and junior transfer Nate Pryor, but executing has been an issue. Wichita State transfer Erik Stevenson is hitting only 4 of 21 3-pointers and only Green is shooting better than 33% from 3 (and only 34.5% at that). The Huskies aren’t terribly effective in transition offense, either.

Key player (Washington): Quade Green

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When the Kentucky transfer was declared academically ineligible during Washington’s winter quarter last season, that was blamed for a lot of the Huskies’ downfall, since Green is a central piece who can shoot, pass, drive and pick up fouls. But his return hasn’t been nearly enough so far this season for the Huskies.

Key player (Arizona): Terrell Brown

The WAC’s top scorer last season at Seattle U, Brown returns to his home city reinvented as a steady ball-handing presence off the bench. Brown has played 123 straight minutes without a turnover and his 10-1 assist-turnover ratio for the season is second nationally.

Sidelines

In good hands

By dishing another seven assists without a turnover Monday against Colorado, Brown now has 30 assists to just three turnovers for the season. He also has a Kenpom “assist rate” that ranks 74th nationally, with him getting the assist on 32.1% of his teammates’ baskets when he’s on the floor.

“That’s something I pride myself on,” Brown said after UA beat Colorado on Monday. “I mean, giving James (Akinjo) a break, giving Jemarl a break — come off the bench and make sure everything still runs the same exact way. So that’s just something I pride myself on, not turning the ball over and getting everyone else involved.”

A point guard himself in college, UA coach Sean Miller said Brown’s 10-1 ratio was “amazing,” noting that he was excited to add Brown as a Seattle U grad transfer because of his role in the Redhawks’ program — and not just because he led the WAC in scoring with 20.7 points a game last season.

Miller said one of the reasons he was excited about adding Brown this season was the number of assists (141) relative to his made field goals (225). Even though Seattle was just 14-15 last season, the Redhawks were first nationally in turnover percentage, losing the ball via turnover on only 13.6% of their possessions.

“Seattle is an excellent team of not turning the ball over and he had the ball in his hands a lot,” Miller said. “So putting him out there with James, (or when) James is out of the game and then, at times, having Jemarl (Baker), James and him and together, you have a really agile ball-handling group. They take care of it.

“They make good decisions and I think they make their teammates better but they also have a way of making each other better too.”

Koloko bounces back

Removed from the starting lineup on Dec. 22 against Montana, Christian Koloko had just two points on 1-for-4 shooting with one rebound against the Griz. But he returned aggressively Monday against Colorado to put up his best game of the season, with 10 points, eight rebounds and a block in 18 minutes.

“Against Montana, he didn’t have a good night,” Miller said. “We talked about it. He became frustrated in that game. Christian is an incredibly hard worker. ... and you want your hard work to translate to games.

“But as oftentimes is the case, you need game experience to really settle in and gain confidence. Confidence is big for Christian. He came back, had two really good days of practice. Maybe took a break here over the holidays that was much needed, but he had his best game of the season (vs. Colorado) against a very good front line.”

Whiffing some fresh air

After going 1-6 through Dec. 20, maybe it was just as well that Washington hasn’t played a single game since.

“We needed time off,” Washington coach Mike Hopkins said Wednesday, on a media Zoom call. “We needed to get our minds right. This time has been really positive. We had a team-building Wiffle ball game that was fun. They were laughing, sharing, taking the pressure off.”

Sophomore guard RaeQuan Battle said a family emergency kept him from playing Wiffle ball but agreed that the extra time off was much needed.

“Our chemistry needs to get better and it has been,” Battle said. “Our main focus right now is coming together as a squad. It’s a new year and we’re trying to turn this thing around. This break I would say opened our minds. We’re all here together and we need to work together.”

Hopkins said he’s hoping the good efforts he’s seen translate in practices since the break result in a competitive game with Arizona.

“I’d like to see a lot of fight,” Hopkins said. “Just a lot of fight and togetherness. You know, some days you’re not gonna make foul shots. Some days you’re not going to make 3s, the ball is just not gonna bounce.

“But what we have to do is really believe in each other and trust each other and compete on the defensive end.”

Numbers game

3 — Games Arizona has recorded 20 or more assists, having done so only seven times all of last season.

25.4 — Washington’s 3-point shooting, worst in the Pac-12.

38.6 — Arizona’s 3-point shooting percentage, best in the Pac-12.