Scouting report: How Arizona, North Dakota State match up heading into Tuesday night's game

North Dakota State (2-1) at Arizona (2-0) •
McKale Center • 7 p.m. •
Pac-12 Arizona • 1290-AM, 107.5-FM

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)

NDSU

G — Dezmond McKinney (6-0 sophomore)

G — Jarius Cook (6-3 junior)

F — Tyree Eady (6-5 senior)

F — Grant Nelson (6-11 sophomore)

C — Rocky Kreuser (6-10 super senior)

HOW THEY MATCH UP

The series: Arizona has only played North Dakota State once before, beating the Bison 83-53 on Dec. 18, 2017. Deandre Ayton had 25 points on 11-for-17 shooting and nine rebounds to lead the Wildcats in that game.

Game agreement: North Dakota State is appearing at McKale for an “add-on” game in the Las Vegas Main Event. The Wildcats will play bracketed Main Event games in Las Vegas on Friday against Wichita State and on Sunday against either UNLV or Michigan.

North Dakota overview: With unusual size for a low-major-conference team and remarkable continuity in the current free agent era of college basketball, the Bison are serious contenders for a Summit League title and NCAA Tournament berth this season. Expected to be the best of UA’s first three opponents this season, NDSU is balanced offensively and especially tough on the boards. Super senior Rocky Kreuser anchors the frontcourt, wing Tyree Eady is an all-around scorer while sophomore stretch four Grant Nelson adds size and skills to the starting lineup after being named the Summit League’s sixth man of the year last season. The Bison announced on Friday that starting point guard Sam Griesel had surgery to repair an internal abdominal issue and it’s not clear if Griesel will play, but he is on the trip. Quick and aggressive Dezmond McKinney has started in Griesel’s place at the point.

The Bison (2-1), who opened the season with wins at home against Concordia-Moorhead and at Cal Poly, lost 64-62 at UNLV late Monday night before being scheduled to hustle to Tucson.

He said it: “They’re an experienced team and they have a winning culture. You think about that in four of the last eight seasons they’ve been to the NCAA Tournament, so they’re one of the best teams in their league and they’ve done it over an extended period of time.

“They get great play out of their post player Kreuser. He can shoot it from three, he can drive it, he can score it in the paint, he’s a tremendous rebounder. I think he’s the guy who really motors their team. Grant Nelson is capable — he’s gonna shoot the ball from the outside, he can drive the ball to the basket, very skilled big guy. And then have Tyree Eady, a strong solid player, an all conference kind of guy who can score the ball, can make shots from inside, he can drive to the basket, a versatile type of player. So they pose some challenges.

“You’re not sure what’s going to happen in terms of how they’re gonna play coming off of back-to-back games but (defensively) they’ve been mostly man throughout the the early part of this season. They’re a good solid defensive team. You look at their numbers and they’ve done a pretty good job so far.” — UA assistant coach Steve Robinson, who scouted the Bison.

KEY PLAYERS

NORTH DAKOTA STATE: Rocky Kreuser

Now in his fifth year of college basketball, Kreuser was thrown into the fire at McKale Center four years ago, when he came off the bench to match up with 7-footer Dusan Ristic and Ayton. Kreuser had five points and three rebounds in 17 minutes of that game and has since grown into a first team all-Summit League pick last season.

ARIZONA: Christian Koloko

The first UA player in a quarter-century to block 10 shots over the first two games of a season, Koloko and the Wildcats’ post players now will face three players listed at 6-10 or more: Krueser, Nelson and reserve Andrew Morgan.

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SIDELINES

Yeah, he was different

Besides a five-figure cash payment, one of the benefits low- or mid-major opponents usually get out of playing nonconference games at high-major teams such as Arizona is the chance to prepare themselves to play in their own conferences, many of which can get in only one team to the NCAA Tournament field.

Except in 2017-18, when North Dakota State lost 83-53 at Arizona, the Bison couldn’t easily translate what they had to deal with in Arizona to how they had to deal with opponents ahead.

That’s because Ayton was on the floor. As then-UA coach Sean Miller noted several times that season, there aren’t many humans like the Bahamian 7-footer who are walking the planet.

“I remember all kinds of Deandre Ayton,” NDSU coach David Richman said of Ayton, who had 25 points and nine rebounds in the game. “I think there were certain things (about the game) that helped but … we didn’t face anybody like that again. It wasn’t even in Summit League. There weren’t any other games we saw somebody like that.”

Instead, what the Bison and their coaches gained was an experience like no other.

“One of our assistants as we were preparing said `Coach, that’s the most talented individual player I’ve ever scouted.’ And we’ve played some really good players,” Richman said. “But then when I saw it up close and personal for myself, I surely couldn’t disagree, that’s for sure. And I was impressed too — as talented as he is, as big as he is, I do remember a play where he’s diving on the floor for a loose ball.”

Different perspective

Like a lot of his coaching peers, UA coach Tommy Lloyd mostly watches other college basketball games via recorded video, so he can more efficiently scroll through each play of an upcoming opponent rather than watching commercials and other down time.

Not so with one particular matchup on Saturday.

Naturally, he had to watch No. 1-ranked Gonzaga’s 86-74 win over No. 5 Texas in Spokane, Washington, live on television.

“It’s the first live Gonzaga basketball game I may have watched on TV in my life,” Lloyd said. “I never watched Gonzaga on TV before I went there. They weren’t on TV very much.

“So it was great. It was great to see those guys. It’s a special place. They played another good, highly-ranked team and they had their way with them. I’ve seen that happen a lot at the Kennel. It looks like they’re off to having a great season.”

Hang ’em up

A self-described T-shirts-and-shorts kind of guy, Lloyd says he actually does own a few suits.

He just usually hasn’t had to pay for them.

“Coach Few used to get them for us every once in a while as a staff gift,” Lloyd said. “I think every suit I have he bought.”

Lloyd says he probably now has a “handful of suits,” even though he has no intention of wearing them on the sidelines this season — and may not be able to even if he wanted to wear them.

“What’s funny about suits is if you don’t wear them for a while, they get a little tighter,” he said, smiling. “I don’t know if the fabric shrinks or something. That’s what I was wondering. But they get a little tighter than they used to be. So I don’t even know if I have a suit that fits right now.”

NUMBERS GAME

1

North Dakota State’s rank in defensive rebounding percentage last season (19.7)

25

North Dakota State’s ranking in the preseason collegeinsider.com Mid-Major rankings

28.3

Combined shooting percentage of UA’s first two opponents this season, NAU and UTRGV.

93

Percent of minutes played last season by North Dakota State players who returned this season.