Game info

Who: Arizona Wildcats (8-4) vs. UC Davis Aggies (3-7)

Where: McKale Center, Tucson

When: 5 p.m. Saturday

Watch: Pac-12 Arizona

Listen: 1290-AM, 107.5-FM

Follow: @TheWildcaster on Twitter / TheWildcaster on Facebook

Probable starters: Arizona

G Justin Coleman (5-10 senior)

G Brandon Williams (6-2 freshman)

F Brandon Randolph (6-6 sophomore)

F Emmanuel Akot (6-7 sophomore)

C Chase Jeter (6-10 junior)

Probable starters: UC Davis

G TJ Shorts (5-9 senior)

G Siler Schneider (6-3 senior)

F Caleb Fuller (6-5 freshman)

F Garrison Goode (6-7 senior)

C AJ John (6-8 senior)

How they match up

Series history

The Wildcats have played the Aggies once, and that was before they moved from Division II to Division I in 2004-05. The UA beat UC Davis 84-58 on Dec. 4, 1974, at McKale Center.

Game contract

Arizona is paying UC Davis $95,000 to make a one-time appearance at McKale Center.

UC Davis overview

With four starters back from a Big West regular-season champion team last season, the Aggies entered the season with high expectations. They’re just 2-7 against Division I competition so far. But they lost at home to strong mid-major teams in San Francisco and San Diego to start the season and have played six of eight games away from home since then.

The Aggies’ motor is dynamic 5-9 guard TJ Shorts, while shooting guard Siler Schneider was a second-team all-conference pick who can score in bunches. English freshman Caleb Fuller has started seven of 10 games on the wing while making a quick adjustment from international to college basketball.

Inside, the Aggies have versatility in forward Garrison Goode and stretch-four shooting from AJ John, who can create more space for the Aggies’ guards to drive.

UC Davis has a patient offense that looks for good shots, taking 45.1 percent of them from 3-point range — the 45th highest rate in Division I. The Aggies haven’t been hitting them very often, shooting just 29.3 percent from 3-point range and 45.2 from inside the arc. They’ve also hit only 68.3 percent from the line, making the Aggies the 25th-least efficient offensive team in college basketball.

He said it

“They’re very organized offensively in terms of their ball-screen motion and how they do things. Their frontcourt guys do an amazing job of sprinting and then changing angles at the last minute. They had our guards really confused at times in terms of being able to get over a screen, or be able to contain the dribble. … They have a great point guard (Shorts). He’s really, really quick and they get to the paint and open the floor up.”

— Indiana coach Archie Miller, after the Hoosiers came back to beat UC Davis 76-62 on Nov. 23 at Bloomington, Indiana.

Key player: TJ Shorts

UC DAVIS

The junior college transfer burst on the Big West scene last season, earning both the conference’s newcomer and player of the year awards. He has a knack for making clutch plays, knows how to make teammates better, and his 5-foot-9-inch height belies a fierce competitiveness.

Key player: Alex Barcello

ARIZONA

If Sean Miller is going to play Devonaire Doutrive more, he has to take minutes away from somebody on the wings — and that won’t likely be the Brandons or Dylan Smith. Saturday’s game is the last audition for Barcello, and everyone, really, for a spot in the rotation heading into Pac-12 play.

Head games

Since making 6 of 15 3-pointers to start the season, UA forward Ryan Luther suffered a finger injury and has been bounced from the starting lineup in favor of Emmanuel Akot.

In December so far, Luther has made just 2 of 10 3-pointers while averaging 4.8 points and 3.6 rebounds, though he pulled down six rebounds, with four on the offensive end, against Montana on Wednesday.

“Ryan has to play with a belief and a confidence,” Miller said after the Wildcats beat Montana on Wednesday. “He rebounded well. But he’s one of the team’s best shooters and at times he’s scored around the basket. I know he can do it. He has a situation in his hand which, with every day that goes by, I think that will be gone.

“But he’s in his own head right now and the only thing that solves that is hard work and just making it happen in the game. When he plays with confidence and plays well, that’s when we’ve been at our best.”

Growing pains

Since transitioning to Division I six years after winning the Division II NCAA title in 1998, UC Davis has had to relearn what it takes to win.

For the past four seasons, the Aggies have nailed it down pretty well. They won Big West titles in 2015 and 2018, while winning the Big West Tournament in 2017, before winning an NCAA First Four game over N.C. Central and then losing 100-62 to Kansas in the 2017 NCAA Tournament

This year, more of the same appeared likely. The Aggies returned four starters from their Big West champs, including player of the year Shorts … and then lost six of their first seven games. Part of the problem, UC Davis coach Jim Les indicated, is that everyone else knows they’re good now — and prepare accordingly.

“When you have success, it’s kind of a different mindset,” Les said. “We’re not sneaking up on people anymore. We’re going through a little bit of these growing pains, and it starts with our senior leadership. We’re putting some responsibilities on their shoulders and asking them to step up and lead us on both ends of the floor.”

The Aggies’ mentality could help them recover soon. Shorts and many of his teammates were under-recruited players who aim to show what they can do, Les said.

“We’ve got really quality young men who work hard and have excellent character,” Les said. “They really build into the culture of our program and really have a chip on their shoulder because a lot of these guys weren’t highly recruited. We value that. We accept that.”

They’re the Millers

UC Davis’ record isn’t likely to fool Miller. Not if his brother provided the scouting report, that is.

Indiana coach Archie Miller spoke glowingly about UC Davis’ intricate and well-coached offense on Nov. 23, when the Hoosiers beat the Aggies 76-62 in Bloomington. UC Davis led Indiana 54-48 with 8:33 left in the game.

But if Sean Miller has a scouting advantage, so does Les: The UC Davis coach can scout and prepare for some of the same things with Arizona that he did with Indiana because the Miller brothers share some philosophies. Archie Miller was his brother’s associate head coach during Sean Miller’s first two seasons at the UA.

“No question,” Les said. “First of all, both teams are underrated defensively, in my opinion. They’re both very physical defensive teams and they try to take you out of your comfort zone in what you want to run offensively.

“But we’ve had a number of games, similar to Indiana, where we’ve gotten to the 30-minute mark and given ourselves an opportunity to win and we haven’t played down the stretch.”

Numbers game

1

UC Davis’ international ranking in veterinary science, agricultural economics and policy, plant and animal programs, according to U.S. News and World Report. The Wall Street Journal ranked UC Davis the No. 5 public university in the nation.

13.1

Additional average points Brandon Randolph is scoring this season (16.8) compared with last season (3.7).

23

Arizona’s rank in adjusted defensive efficiency (93.4 points allowed per 100 possessions) according to Kenpom.