After its 81-72 victory against St. John’s, No. 15 Arizona will take on Mississippi State in the final round of the 2K Sports Classic in New York’s Madison Square Garden at 4:30 p.m. today.
The Bulldogs upset No. 19 Texas A&M earlier in the day, 69-60, behind senior guard Dee Bost’s 20 points and four steals. Arizona will also have to deal with 6-foot-10, 270-pound junior forward Renardo Sidney.
Although Sidney scored just three points and didn’t make a field goal against Texas A&M, his size and mobility gives him an advantage over anyone on Arizona’s roster.
Junior forward Arnett Moultrie will also be a handful for the Wildcats in today’s final. The 6-foot-11, 230-pounder scored eight points and grabbed eight rebounds against the Aggies.
But Arizona won’t be looking for much offense from its forwards, at least in the paint — the Wildcats abused St. John’s from behind the arc in its win on Thursday, shooting 50 percent on 28 attempts.
Mississippi State can also shoot from outside. The Bulldogs hit 46 percent of their 3-point attempts against Texas A&M. As a whole, Mississippi State is an experienced team, starting just one underclassman— freshman guard Rodney Hood.