The No. 5 University of Arizona men’s basketball team will host the NAU Lumberjacks on Tuesday, Nov. 11 at 7 p.m. in McKale Center.
The Wildcats have freshly improved to 2-0 starting their season, beating schools like the University of Florida and Utah Tech University.
History vs. NAU
Tuesday’s matchup marks the 130th meeting between the two Arizona schools. The first meeting came in 1919, where Arizona fell in a five-point 37-32 defeat. Since then, the Wildcats lead the series 102-27 and have won the last 36 consecutive games.
NAU and Arizona last saw each other in 2021, where the Wildcats won 81-52 at home. Arizona looks for their 37th consecutive win as the Wildcats prepare to welcome NAU to McKale Center once again.
Lumberjacks to watch
Shane Burcar is in his seventh season at the helm of NAU, leading the Lumberjacks. In the 2024-2025 season, NAU won 18 games under Burcar, the most in the program since NAU won a school record of 23 games in the 2014-2015 season. He is the program’s 26th head coach, first joining as an assistant coach in April 2018.
6-foot-9 redshirt sophomore Zack Davidson leads the Lumberjacks in scoring, averaging 25 points in the early season. The forward also is second in rebounding, collecting 8.5 boards per game. Before NAU, Davidson played at the University of Montana where he played in 16 games off the bench as a redshirt freshman. During this time, he made 15-of-23 field goals, a 65.2 shooting percentage.
Traivar Jackson leads NAU in rebounding, picking nine boards a game alongside 5.5 points and one assist. The 6-foot-7 graduate student spent his senior year at GCU, appearing in 11 games off the bench. Coming off a 87-55 victory against Justice University, Jackson shot 4-for-8 from the field, collecting nine points and nine rebounds in the win.
Ryan Abelman and Arne Osojnik are also Lumberjacks to watch out for as both guards put up 12.5 points apiece. Defensively, Abelman grabs 7.5 rebounds a game, and leads the team in steals, grabbing two steals per game.
Wildcats to watch
Arizona head coach Tommy Lloyd returns for his fifth season leading the Wildcats. Last year, the Wildcats advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16, the third time under Lloyd in his last four seasons at Arizona. Lloyd has done an impressive job in shaping players for the pro-level, sending seven of them to the NBA (Caleb Love, Pelle Larsson, Carter Bryant, Keshad Johnson, Bennedict Mathurin, Dalen Terry and Christian Koloko).
This season, Lloyd looks to continue building the team and find the best ways to rotate the players with the talent-heavy roster he has in his hands.
Koa Peat has been named to multiple honors this week, including NCAA Freshman and Player of the Week in addition to Big 12 Newcomer and Co-Player of the Week. The freshman forward has led the Wildcats in scoring as he averages 24 points, five rebounds, four assists and 1.5 steals per game. Look out for his continuous effort on the court and some dunk attempts as Peat adapts to being in a Wildcat jersey.
Senior guard Anthony Dell’Orso has made huge improvements to his game this off-season as shown on his season average, adding on 5.8 more points from last year. This season, the 6-foot-6 guard averages a statline of 13 points, three assists, 2.5 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game.
Dell’Orso was one of three players to score 18 points in Arizona’s 93-67 victory over Utah Tech last Friday. In the game, he went 6-for-10 from the field and 3-for-5 from beyond the perimeter. Dell’Orso continues to be a rotational player that makes major contributions to the team as seen early on this season.
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