The No. 4 University of Arizona men’s basketball team gets ready for a top-five matchup against the No. 3 University of Connecticut on Wednesday, Nov. 19 at 5 p.m. MST in Harry A. Gampel Pavilion.

With the Wildcats preparing to face the Huskies in a tough environment, the two programs go into the anticipated matchup with Arizona moving up in a spot in the AP Polls and UCONN remaining at the No. 3 rank for Week 3. This top-five showdown is the first in Gampel Pavilion since 2006, marking only the second ever in Storrs, Connecticut.

History vs. UConn

Although this matchup comes early in the season, it remains one to be watched, with the potential to shape the narrative as the year unfolds. UConn holds a 5-2 series over Arizona as the two programs first met in 1999, at a neutral site, where the Huskies beat Arizona 78-69.

UConn went on to win the next four consecutive matchups, building its series lead over the Wildcats. However, when the Huskies took a trip to Tucson and played in McKale Center, Arizona’s first victory over them came, 73-58.

Most recently, Arizona and UConn faced off on Dec. 2, 2018, in Hartford, Connecticut, where the Wildcats won 76-72. Going into this game, Arizona looks to gain another victory to remain undefeated in the early season, as does UConn.

Huskies to watch

Dan Hurley enters his eighth year at the helm of UConn men’s basketball and has led the team to back-to-back NCAA titles in 2023 and 2024, respectively. Hurley was named 2024 Naismith College Coach of the Year, the first men’s coach to win the honor in UConn history. During his tenure, Hurley has collected a 165-69 record, including a 69-27 record in Big East play.

The Huskies, like Arizona, hold a 4-0 series record so far as they are coming off of a 86-84 win over BYU. The game took place during the Hall of Fame Series Boston at the TD Garden located in Boston. In the game, three Huskies collected 21 points apiece to attain the win, including leading scorer Tarris Reed Jr.

Reed is a senior center for UConn, leading the team in both rebounds and scoring. His stat line consists of averaging 20 points, 9.3 rebounds, 2.7 blocks and 1.3 steals per game. The 6-foot-11 center looks to cause trouble for Arizona in the paint and limit the Wildcats’ chances of scoring. Last season, Reed won the Big East Sixth Man award, appearing in 35 games off the bench. His improvement is to be noticed as he has added 10.4 points to his scoring average from last season (9.6 points per game).

Alex Karaban is another Husky to watch as the redshirt forward also put up 21 points against BYU, combining for 41 points in his last two games. In the game against BYU, Karaban shot a perfect 4-for-4 from the 3-point line, looking to have a similar performance against Arizona. Last season, Karaban logged a team-high 35.9 minutes per game, appearing in 33-of-35 games.

The 6-foot-8 forward is second in leading points and rebounds, putting up 18.2 points per game, 5.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists. Notably, Karaban leads the team in free throw percentage, making 90% of his shots from the charity stripe.

Wildcats to watch

Head coach Tommy Lloyd is in his fifth season leading Arizona, holding a 112-33 overall record. Lloyd looks to get Arizona past the Sweet 16 this season as the Wildcats succumbed to a 100-93 loss to Duke University last year. This marked Lloyd’s third appearance in the Sweet 16 in his fourth season, hoping to take it further this year.

The Wildcats are coming off of a 69-65 victory over No. 15 UCLA on Nov. 19, earning the team’s fourth win to raise its 4-0 season record so far. Senior guard Anthony Dell’Orso led in scoring with 20 points for the Wildcats to go along with two rebounds and three assists. Notably, Dell’Orso shot 4-for-7 from the 3-point line, looking for a similar performance against the Huskies. The Melbourne, Australia, native is Arizona’s third-leading scorer, averaging 13.5 points, 2.3 rebounds, three assists and 1.3 steals per game.

Koa Peat has done an impressive job showing his ability to score and use his size ever since putting on a Wildcat jersey. Despite only scoring 7 points against UCLA, the Chandler, Arizona, native had a memorable season debut against the University of Florida, scoring 30 points over the reigning NCAA Champions. Against Florida, the freshman delivered on 11-for-18 field goals in 36 minutes of play, hoping to carry that level of play forward throughout the season.

6-foot-8 forward Tobe Awaka is necessary under the rim, leading the team in rebounds as he collected 10.5 boards per game. Known for his dominance and interior presence, the senior also averages 9.3 points and one assist to go along with his rebounds.

Awaka thrives in the paint, shooting close to 60% from the field, remaining a non-factor from beyond the line as he hasn’t attempted a shot from beyond the perimeter this season. Despite limited perimeter shooting, Awaka’s contributions remain vital for the Wildcats’ success.

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