The Star's Bruce Pascoe breaks down the starting lineups, storylines and stats as the No. 6-ranked Arizona Wildcats host the Utah Utes Saturday night at McKale Center.
What: Utah (8-8, 1-5) at No. 6 Arizona (13-1, 3-0)
Where: McKale Center
When: 6 p.m.
TV: Pac-12 Network
Radio: 1290-AM
Social media: @TheWildcaster on Twitter / TheWildcaster on Facebook
PROBABLE STARTERS
ARIZONA
G Kerr Kriisa (6-3 sophomore)
G Dalen Terry (6-6 sophomore)
F Bennedict Mathurin (6-6 sophomore)
F Azuolas Tubelis (6-11 sophomore)
C Christian Koloko (7-0 junior)
UTAH
G Rollie Worster (6-4 sophomore)
G Marco Anthony (6-5 senior)
F Lazar Stefanovic (6-7 freshman)
F Riley Battin (6-9 senior)
C Lahat Thione (6-10 junior)
HOW THEY MATCH UP
Utah guard Alfonso Plummer (25) drives around Arizona Wildcats guard Dalen Terry (4) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Thursday, Feb. 4, 2021, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Alex Goodlett)
The series: Arizona leads Utah only 35-31 in the alltime series but is 14-3 against the Utes in Pac-12 play and has never lost to Utah at McKale since the Utes joined the Pac-12 in 2011-12. The teams did not meet at McKale Center last season but Utah beat Arizona 73-58 on Feb. 4, 2021 in Salt Lake City, where the Wildcats shot just 37.0% and allowed Utah to shoot 50.9%. Bennedict Mathurin shot 1 for 6 with just four points for UA, though Azuolas Tubelis had 17 points and seven rebounds.
The last time the teams met at McKale Center, on Jan. 16, 2020, Arizona won 93-77. Zeke Nnaji and Max Hazzard each had 24 points to lead the Wildcats, with Hazzard hitting 6 of 10 3-pointers off the bench.
This season: The Wildcats and Utes are scheduled to meet again on Feb. 24 in Salt Lake City.
Utah overview: If it wasn’t enough that the Utes lost four starters from last season and returned just two rotation players in the transition from fired coach Larry Krystkowiak to new coach Craig Smith, they have also been plagued with non-COVID-19 health issues while losing eight of their last 11 games. The latest loss was that of center Branden Carlson, who suffered an appendicitis attack last weekend that Smith says will keep him out at least two more weeks. Carlson was one of two players who returned from Krystkowiak’s playing rotation last season along with forward Riley Battin.
While Carlsen is a skilled and efficient center who can shoot with some range, Battin is the Utes’ third-leading rebounder, a rugged presence who is most naturally a power forward but plays the five behind Thione on occasion. Thione is playing a much bigger role after averaging just 5.6 minutes last season, giving the Utes a rim-runner and screen and roll big man. But physical backup center Dusan Mahorcic is the Utes’ only other healthy big man at the moment and he’s only played the Utes’ last two games after missing the previous eight because of a knee injury.
The Utes’ perimeter is in better shape, thanks in part to two guys who followed Smith from Utah State: wing Marco Anthony and point guard Rollie Worster. Smith says Anthony has become a vocal leader for the Utes after playing a limited role at Virginia for two seasons, redshirting in 2019-20 and then making the Mountain West’s all-defensive team last season at Utah State. Even though he’s a sophomore, Worster plays like a veteran point guard, a tough box score-filler with a high basketball IQ. The Utes also have a big, long point guard in Both Gach, an efficient scorer inside and out who can pick up fouls and take advantage of them: He draws 4.6 fouls per 40 minutes and hits free throws at a 77.1% rate.
Utah's Riley Battin (21) celebrates after making a 3-point shot against Kentucky during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2019, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
UNLV transfer David Jenkins is the Utes’ biggest 3-point threat, taking three-quarters of his shots from beyond the arc and hitting them at a 41.8% rate. The Utes’ lone freshman, Lazar Stefanovic, is a versatile big wing who can play inside or out, having gained experience while averaging 12.4 points for Serbia in the FIBA U19 World Cup last summer, a tournament that also featured UA’s Bennedict Mathurin (Canada), Azuolas Tubelis (Lithuania) and Oumar Ballo (Mali).
He said it: “I think they're a better team than the record says. They had injuries but even those four losses if you really watch the games, they basically had the lead in almost all of the games in the second half. So the challenge to me is going to play to who they are and not their record because they're very solid team. Craig Smith is a really good coach. Carlson is a big player for them but they have other bigs who are very capable and they’ve been playing small ball. I think they're finding other solutions to get themselves going.
"They're very unselfish team. They try to move the ball. They have their motion. There is always action in their pick-and-roll. There is always action on the weak side. There are some pin-downs that are obviously to post up Carlson and pick and pop him. So I expect a little bit of all of that. They have two very experienced players, Jenkins and Gach, who can score in a bunch. They have a lot of guys who are capable of making the right plays.
“I think they’re gonna throw everything at us (inside). Thione has been playing good. Since Mahorcic got back, he’s given them big support, another super experienced guy. And Battin is a four man who can play the five and can shoot -- kind of like the Colorado bigs. So they have three different skill sets and they complement each other.
“(Defensively), they’ve done some 1-3-1 and 2-3 (zone) but their bread and butter has been a very solid man-to-man . But they had a week to prepare. So I don't know if they're thinking maybe they're going to go into something they haven't done.”
--UA assistant coach Riccardo Fois, who scouted the Utes.
KEY PLAYERS
UTAH: Both Gach
Utah’s Timmy Allen, right, celebrates with Both Gach (11) after he scored against Colorado at the end of the second half during an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, March 7, 2020, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
The Utes have been playing two of their best players off the bench, Gach and David Jenkins. Gach is one of Utah’s eight “new” players but actually played two seasons with the Utes under Krystkowiak before declaring for the NBA and transferring to Minnesota in 2020 — only to bring his versatile point guard game back to Salt Lake this season.
ARIZONA: Justin Kier
Arizona guard Justin Kier, left, laughs with teammate Grant Weitman while stretching before Monday’s game against Washington in McKale Center. The Wildcats are the only team in the Pac-12 not to endure a COVID-19 pause since the start of the 2020-21 season.
The Wildcats' super senior guard has played college basketball since 2016, and it shows a lot of the time in leadership, personality and play. He's had four double-figure scoring efforts in his past seven games.
SIDELINES
McKale spirit improves
Earlier in the week, UA guard Kerr Kriisa tweeted that he had “actually signed up for a full house of McKale that I haven’t seen yet,” and encouraged fans to get the place "rocking."
Then, despite a 9 p.m. start and continued COVID-19 surges, the Wildcats managed to attract about 11,000 fans on Thursday for what was among its most spirited crowds of the season.
Arizona Wildcats guard Bennedict Mathurin (0) throws up a three sign after draining a long range shot to open the night's scoring against the Colorado Buffaloes in the first half of their Pac 12 basketball game at McKale Center, Tucson, Ariz., January 13, 2022.
“Would want to take a minute here and thank the crowd who showed up yesterday big time!” Kriisa tweeted Friday. “See you y'all tomorrow."
UA coach Tommy Lloyd was appreciative, too.
“It felt pretty good,” Lloyd said. “Hopefully, people are getting excited. These players are doing a great job and they're very deserving. It’s a special group of young guys and I know they appreciate the support.
“With everything going on in the world, it's great to have a loyal fan base that comes out in a trying time.”
Other side of the coin
After all that time in practices without games to look forward to, now Arizona is on the other side of the equation.
The Wildcats have less than 48 hours to get ready for Utah after beating Colorado in what was just its second game in 22 days… while Utah had the entire week to prepare for the Wildcats because its game Thursday at ASU was postponed until Monday.
It’s a “Utah team that may be a little bit down, but they’re there, they’re rested.” UA coach Tommy Lloyd said Thursday, after the Wildcats beat Colorado 76-55. “They’re sitting there watching our game right now and have been preparing for Arizona all week. … So we're expecting a well prepared, well coached, tough team Saturday.”
But the Utes didn’t know until after they practiced Monday that their game at ASU on Thursday was postponed and the Pac-12 also did not announce until Wednesday that the Utes would be able to make up the ASU game on Monday. All that has shifted their travel plans, practices and mentality around.
Arizona Wildcats head coach Tommy Lloyd gets a low five from guard Dalen Terry (4) as the Wildcats head back to defend against the Colorado Buffaloes in the second half of their Pac 12 basketball game at McKale Center, Tucson, Ariz., January 13, 2022.
“Obviously we want to play games. We don't want to miss any games. Want to play as many as we can,” Utah coach Craig Smith said at a Utah news conference on Tuesday. “But I do think that you've always got to look at the positives and the positive now is we're going to be able to have four days of practice where we can add some new things, hone in on some things and let's get it down.
"Because clearly we don't have some things down to a T and I'm not sure everybody's executing the way that we need to to win games in the Pac-12."
Character test
The Utes’ schedule change also potentially makes a rough situation even rougher. Already on a four-game losing streak, Utah will now play four games in eight days — and those four opponents include Arizona, UCLA and USC.
“It's easy to be a tight team and have great chemistry when things are going good,” Smith said. “But when you lose four in a row, and your record isn't what you want it to be in league play, that's when you really find out about your character of your team, the resiliency of your team, and you find out what you’ve got in terms of individuals, what makes them go and what their true colors. A lot of times that comes out in adversity, just like in all walks of life.”
So far, despite injuries and an appendicitis attack to center Branden Carlson, Smith said the Utes have been OK through it all.
Most of the time.
“Certainly, there's some individual moments that you see with certain guys that aren't exactly what you'd like,” Smith said. “Some of these guys haven't been around winning and so not all of them understand what it looks like, and that's OK. That's why we're here, to help that process. But certainly, there's some tough times and then there's some good times. We’ve got to all come together and work through those moments.
Numbers game
7 – Seasons since the UA went 14-1 over its first 15 games, a mark the Wildcats will reach if they beat Utah on Saturday.
16 – Utah’s rank in free-throw percentage (78.6)
23 – Craig Smith’s rank among winningest active coaches with at least five years as a head coach in terms of winning percentage (67.6).
