PROBABLE STARTERS
ARIZONA
G Kerr Kriisa (6-3 junior)
G Courtney Ramey (6-3 senior)
F Pelle Larsson (6-5 junior)
F Azuolas Tubelis (6-11 junior)
C Oumar Ballo (7-0 junior)
MORGAN STATE
G Isaiah Burke (6-1 senior)
G Malik Miller (6-4 senior)
F Khalil Turner (6-8 junior)
F Lewis Djonkam (6-9 senior)
C Toto Fagbenle (6-8 freshman)
HOW THEY MATCH UP
The series: Arizona has only faced Morgan State once before, slamming the Bears 115-53 on Nov. 20, 1997 at McKale Center. The victory margin was just two points shy of UAβs school record, set against Robert Morris the previous season.
Morgan State overview: Few teams may have enjoyed the 2020-21 COVID season more than the Bears, who went 14-8 and reached the finals of the MEAC conference tournament before losing to Norfolk State. But since then, the Bears have had it rough. Saddled with what appeared to be chemistry issues, they went 13-15 last season, and so far this season they are just 1-7 against Division I teams, beating only Utah Valley in overtime at the Jamaica Classic multi-team event on Nov. 18.
The Bears returned only one starter from last season (guard Malik Miller) and lost a double-figure scorer in 6-4 DeβTorrion Ware, who was initially expected to return for a fifth season but did not for unexplained reasons. Miller has become the Bearsβ leading threat along with guard Isaiah Burke, a key reserve last season.
This season, Miller averages nearly a double-double and Burke is hitting 3-point shots at a 42.1% rate overall and 42.4% against Division I teams. Multiple guards take on the point guard duties, including Burke, Miller and 5-10 freshman Kamron Hobbs. The Bears have been without starting wing David McCullough for the past four games for unexplained reasons and a team spokesman said McCullough, a transfer from Bowie State, did not make the trip to Arizona. Inside, Kalil Turner is a boxscore-stuffer who can shoot inside and out, leads the Bears in steals and can guard multiple positions. Morgan State also has a couple of bigger bodies up front in 245-pound Lewis Djonkam and 240-pound Ty Horner.
Because the Bears have played and beaten three non-Division I teams, their overall stats can be deceiving, including their scoring average of 80.9 points, their 47.5% shooting percentage and their 3-point percentage defense of just 29.4%. Alternatively, Kenpom.com calculations, which do not include games against non-Division I teams, show the Bears with the 36th-worst offensive efficiency (94.3 points per 100 possessions), the 11th-worst 2-point percentage (42.9) and the 53rd-worst turnover percentage (Morgan State loses control of the ball on 21.8% of its possessions). However, the Bears partly make up for their shooting with a respectable offensive rebounding percentage of 32.7 and Division I opponents turn the ball over against them on 24.5% of their possessions (the 20th best defensive turnover percentage in Division I). They also hold Division I opponents to 31.8% shooting from 3-point range.
He said it: βTheyβre aggressive, theyβre active and theyβre pretty handsy (defensively). They can pressure you, they can trap, they can come at you a number of ways. Theyβre aggressive on the ball.
βTheyβve got some guys who can score. Miller is an active player. Heβs got a nose for the ball (in rebounding). Some guys just have that. They find a way. They have that sort of energy that creates opportunity.
βBurke shoots a high percentage from the 3-point line. Turner is their four- man, a productive and capable shooter from 3. Heβs got that balance to his game. All their guys offensively have good scoring balance. They have good spacing and spread the floor, a lot of cutting off the ball. They can move the ball well and catch you napping.
βTheyβve been off for (12 days) because of exams so sometimes that really gives you a chance to recharge your batteries and get after it.β
β UA assistant coach Steve Robinson, who scouted the Bears.
KEY PLAYERS
Morgan State
Malik Miller
A second-team preseason all-MEAC pick, Miller is a relentless presence on the glass at just 6-foot-4, with the 144st best offensive rebounding percentage in Division I competition, grabbing teammatesβ misses 11.7% of the time when heβs on the floor. He also has a 18.8 defensive rebounding percentage and has evolved into an improved scoring threat.
Arizona
Filip Borovicanin
Tommy Lloyd says he wants to play his subs more and, if the Wildcats build a comfortable lead as expected, Thursday might give him a good chance to do it. As of now, Borovicanin is on the outside of the UA rotation but is valued for long-term potential.
SIDELINES
Bal battling ankle issue
Adama Bal played played just three minutes on Tuesday against Montana State because of an ankle injury, and is questionable for Thursdayβs game against Morgan State.
Balβs injury is not believed to serious, but UA may opt to sit him out for precautionary reasons against the Bears, which is pretty much what the Wildcats did after Bal struggled on Tuesday.
βHis ankleβs been bothering him and it looked like he was playing on one leg,β UA coach Tommy Lloyd said Tuesday after the Wildcats beat Montana State. βI just didnβt feel good about putting him back in there.β
Human nature vs Wildcats
Maybe it was inevitable that Arizona wouldnβt have quite the same energy for Montana State as it did three days earlier against Tennessee, but Lloyd didnβt find that much of an excuse.
βI understand the connection everybodyβs trying to make, but when you sit in my seat and youβre trying to drive a culture, standardsβ¦β Lloyd said after Tuesdayβs game. βWeβve got to meet those standards, no matter who weβre playing. I mean, come on, the college guys play 35-40 games (a season), if theyβre lucky. Youβve got to be excited to play.
βIβm not saying we didnβt play hard, but I donβt know if we played hard enough. I just feel like our teamness at times can be a little disconnected and I donβt like that feel. It just doesnβt sit well with me. It doesnβt mean Iβm mad at the guys or anything like that. But there just has to be a feel with how you operate on a day to day basis. β¦ itβs hard to define what that is, but I didnβt feel it today.β
The Wildcats led the Bobcats by just seven points at halftime and again with 10 minutes to go, and didnβt put them fully away until the final two minutes of the game.
βThe biggest thing is regardless of who we play, whether theyβre Tennessee or Montana State, theyβre still good teams,β forward Cedric Henderson said. βWe canβt come out flat and thatβs what we did. Itβs kind of like a trap game. You have the big name and then you turn around and play the team that youβre like, `Oh, this should be an easy one.β But theyβre all good teams. We play good teams. Theyβre good players.β
Speechless
Largely because Kerr Kriisa had 18 points and hit 6 of 9 3-pointers against the Bobcats, UA selected him to be interviewed after Tuesdayβs game.
Then, as hard as it might be to believe, Kriisa bit his tongue when asked about the efficient offensive game he had.
βI mean, listen. How to say it? No, Iβm not going to say it,β Kriisa said. βBut, yes, shots went in and Iβm here in press conference, (so) everybody thinks Iβm a great player. If I missed, I wouldnβt be here. Everybody would think that I wouldnβt contribute. Iβm a bad player.
βSo itβs really nothing to say. Thatβs how it is.β
Numbers game
1 β Tommy Lloydβs ranking among modern-era college basketball coaches through 50 games if the Wildcats beat Morgan State. Lloyd would be 45-5 with a win, tying him with Bill Carmody (Princeton), Bill Guthridge (North Carolina) and Brad Stevens (Butler). Doc Meanwell of Wisconsin holds the all-time best first-50-game record at 49-1 (set between 1911-14) while Riderβs Clair Bee was 45-5 between 1928-31.
9 β Morgan Stateβs rank in defensive steal percentage. The Bears swipe the ball away from Division I opponents on 14% of their possessions.
48 β Lloyd turned 48 years old on Wednesday.
β Bruce Pascoe
McKale Center was built at the University of Arizona in the early 1970s. There have been updates through the years.
