The No. 22 University of Arizona men’s basketball team (18-9, 12-4 in Big 12) aims to bounce-back into the win column as the Wildcats look to beat the University of Utah (15-12, 7-9 in Big 12) on Wednesday, Feb. 26 at 7 p.m. in the McKale Center.
History vs. Utah
This will be the two program’s first time meeting this season. Arizona recorded 40 wins and 31 losses against the University of Utah, dating back to the first match on Dec. 21, 1953, where Utah came out on top 65-57. The most recent matchups took place last season on Jan. 6 and Feb. 8, 2024. Both of those games resulted in victories for Arizona. Notably, the Feb. 8 match went into three overtime periods before Arizona secured the 105-99 victory.
Utah players to watch
The Hawks are led by Josh Eilert, an interim head coach as of Feb. 24. Craig Smith, the team’s prior head coach, has been replaced in his position with hopes to meet higher aspirations of Utah’s athletic director, Mark Harlan. As head coach for only four games left in the season with the team, Eilert has a lot of pressure on his shoulders to create an impression on Utah men’s basketball athletics.
Fifth year guard, Gabe Madsen, leads the Hawks in scoring, averaging 15.8 points per game. He shoots 38.8% from inside and 33% from around the arc. Madsen has been with Utah since his sophomore year of college. Prior to his arrival, he played for the University of Cincinnati.
Despite the Hawks 76-72 loss against the University of Central Florida on Feb. 23 Madsen had a huge impact on the court. He led the game with 23 points, going 8-for-12 from the field and 5-for-9 from the 3-point line. Notably, Madsen grabbed three rebounds and recorded one assist and steal.
Lawson Lovering, a 7-foot-1 senior center, is a crucial player posted beneath the basket for Utah. Lovering averages 8.6 point per game, 4.9 rebounds per game and leads the team with 21 blocks. Additionally, he averages 57.9% shooting percentage from the field. This is Lovering’s second season with the Hawks after transferring from the University of Colorado.
In Utah’s 74-69 win over Kansas State University on Feb. 17 Lovering brought down 10 boards, a game-high. He also contributed 15 points, the second most for his team and the third for the game. He was successful in drawing fouls as well, earning 12 attemprs from the line and hitting 7.
Keanu Dawes, a 6-foot-9 sophomore forward, is a valuable player for the Hawks this season. Dawes leads Utah defensively, averaging 5.6 rebounds per game. Additionally, he averages 7.2 points per game with an impressive 61.2% shooting percentage from inside the paint.
Against Kansas State, Dawes played for 12 minutes and was able to bring down eight boards. With his size down low, he was able to draw fouls, hitting 2-of-3 shots from the free throw line. Dawes contributed 4 points for the game.
Wildcats to watch
Tommy Lloyd, Arizona’s fourth season head coach, is guiding the Wildcats for another hopeful win this season. Lloyd coached Arizona to an impressive 86-75 victory over No. 3 ranked Iowa State University on Jan. 27 and many other impressive wins for the Wildcats first season in the Big 12 conference.
Henri Veesaar, a 7-foot sophomore forward, has been seeing starting appearances on the court in recent games. In Arizona’s recent loss against BYU on Feb. 22 Veesaar put up 12 points and secured five rebounds. Additionally, he went 5-for-7 from the field.
Veesaar averages 4.8 rebounds per game and leads the team with 30 blocks so far this season. Along with his rebounding, Veesaar puts up 8.8 points per game. He shoots an impressive 60.4% from the field and 33.3% from beyond the arc. Defensively, Veesaar has had 21 steals this season.
Caleb Love, a fifth year guard for the Wildcats, remains at the top for points with a 16.2 game average. Love has collected the second most defensive rebounds for Arizona, with 108 boards. Love has contributed 92 assists this season and has served as an essential playmaker for the Wildcats.
In the loss against BYU, Love led both programs with an impressive 27 points, going 7-for-16 from the field, 4-for-9 from beyond the arc and 9-for-10 from the free throw line. Additionally, he collected three rebounds, five assists and one steal. This is not the first time we have seen Love leading with game high points this season as he continues to be an impressive player offensively.
Tobe Awaka, a 6-foot-8 junior forward, has been consistent beneath the hoop for the Wildcats this season. Against BYU, Awaka shot a perfect 5-for-5 on his attempted shots. Impressively, he was able to sink a 3-pointer from outside despite not being a usual 3-point shooter for the team. He led both teams with 10 boards and ended the night with 14 points.
Awaka dominates the board for the Wildcats, collecting eight rebounds per game and 215 rebounds just this season. On top of his efforts down low, Awaka on average has 8.3 points per game and shoots 62.9% from inside. Although he has not taken many, Awaka is 50% from the 3-point line, making 2-of-4 shot attempts.
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