Arizona women’s basketball will look to remain undefeated as they travel to Austin, Texas for the last game of its two-game road trip. The Wildcats will take on No. 22 Texas and tip-off is set for 12 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 17.
It’s no secret that the ‘Cats are out to prove they deserve a shot to go to the Big Dance early in the season after three dominating wins to start the season. However, there may not be a better way to showcase they belong with some of the elite teams than to beat the first ranked team they have come across this year.
Arizona is coming off an absolutely stellar performance as the team routed Chicago State Tuesday night by a score of 82-50. The Wildcats could not miss from the field, as they shot virtually lights out from the field and shooting perfect from the line, making all 13 of their attempts from the charity stripe.
The University of Texas Longhorns were able to rebound after dropping the first game of the season against USF, as they blew out UTSA in Austin by a final score of 84-53, putting them at 1-1 the year. Texas edged Arizona out last year and they received an invitation to the Tourney after posting a 23-10 record.
Arizona’s offense has been the juggernaut leading them to three straight victories, outscoring its opponents 221-144. The offensive game plan has been led by the ‘Cats two leading scorers: Aari McDonald and Cate Reese.
The Wildcats will have their hands full in the post as they will have to battle down low against the Longhorns’ 6-foot-5 center Charli Collier and 6-foot-3 forward Joyner Holmes. Collier and Holmes have each been monsters in the paint, recording double-doubles in both games thus far.
The Wildcats will have to rebound the ball better if they intend to stand a chance against the Texas frontcourt. The Longhorns have out rebounded their oppositions 91-63, grabbing 60 boards alone in their last matchup against UTSA.
This will be the third meeting between both schools as Arizona looks to win its first game of the all-time series. Both teams average just above 70 points per game on the year, so expect the game to come down which team can come away with key stops and who can win the battle of the boards.
Follow Ray Diaz on Twitter