The University of Arizona men’s basketball team (13-0) begins their conference play tomorrow against the University of Utah (8-5) in Jon M. Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City. The teams will meet each other on Saturday, Jan. 2, at 2 p.m. MST.
The Wildcats look to continue their undefeated season against the Utah Utes, who currently stand at 8-5. This is the first time the Wildcats have started 13-0 in their conference play since 2013. With both teams looking to start conference play with a win, who are the most important stars to each team, and what will decide the game for both teams?
Arizona key players
Freshman forward Koa Peat is averaging 14 points a game along with 5.6 rebounds. Expect Peat to be a presence on the interior on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball, as well as using his playmaking skills to create space to open up the floor for his teammates.
Freshman guard Brayden Burries averages 14 points a game along with three rebounds and two assists. Burries extends the floor with his 3-point shooting while having a big impact in the mid-range game.
Junior center Motiejus Krivas, who averages 10.5 points to go along with eight rebounds and 1.9 blocks, plays a key role in the Wildcats’ success. Krivas is able to use his height and tenacity to give Arizona the edge against Utah with rebounds and score on put-back points.
Utah key players
The front runner and lead scorer for the Utes is junior guard Terrence Brown. Brown leads Utah’s offense in scoring averaging 21.9 points along with 2.1 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game. Expect Brown to try and get to the free throw line, as he leads the team in the amount of free throws attempted. Brown is also a force defensively with 26 steals in the 13 games played so far this season.
Following Brown, there is fifth-year guard Don McHenry. McHenry averages 18.3 points a game to go along with 3.2 assists and 1.7 rebounds. Expect McHenry to stretch the floor as he leads Utah in 3-pointers made with 34 total, as well as on the free throw line. McHenry has the best free throw percentage on the team with .807.
Lastly, for the Utes, is junior forward Keanu Dawes who averages 12.2 points per game to go along with 9.8 rebounds and 2.9 assists. Dawes will have a huge impact on the boards and be an impact counterpart to Peat for the Utah defensive side.
As conference play begins, Arizona looks to stay undefeated behind their balanced attack, while Utah aims to defend home court with veteran scoring. The outcome will hinge on paint control, free throws and which team dictates the tempo in this early conference test.
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