Preview: Arizona at Cincinnati

Cincinnati returns to the court Saturday afternoon for a 2:30 pm tipoff against Tommy Lloyd's Arizona Wildcats on ESPN2.

(Photo: Marison Bilagody / Arizona Athletics)

After beginning the season 3-4, Arizona has gone 4-1 over their last five games, including a 90-81 home win over TCU to open Big 12 play.

"They're an elite, elite team in college basketball," head coach Wes Miller told media Thursday morning. "When you start really breaking them down, you see it in every facet. You see it analytically on both offense and defense."

Despite the five losses in non-conference play, the Wildcats are still No. 23 in the NET rankings and No. 21 in KenPom.

Arizona enters Saturday ranking 16th in offensive efficiency and 34th in defensive efficiency.  As a team, Arizona is averaging 26.3 assists over the last three games, including back-to-back games with 28 assists.

The Wildcats have scored 90+ points in all seven wins this season.

While there was disappointment following the Bearcats' 70-67 road loss to Kansas State to open Big 12 play, Miller knows his team has to turn the page quickly and focus on what's up next.

"You're playing in one of the elite leagues in college basketball," said Miller. "Everybody's good. Every game matters, so the next game's going to feel that important all year long. That's one of the neat things about competing in a league like this. They all matter."

Arizona by the numbers:

-  Arizona has registered a 10-0 run or better 15 times through 12 games this season, which is tied for seventh-most in the country. On the flip side, the Wildcats have allowed a 10-0 run just twice. The stat is tracked by Evanmiya.

- The Wildcats possess great depth. With 31.67 points per game coming from the bench, Arizona ranks 16th in the country.

- Arizona is eighth in the country in rebound margin (+11.5), 10th in rebounds per game (42.17).

- UC leads the Big 12 in 3FG% defense (27.7%) while Arizona is last in the conference in 3-point shooting at 30.8%.

"Offensively, they put a lot of pressure on you in their transition offense," said Miller. "They're a really really good halfcourt offensive team. They're obviously very well coached and have great players. They do some great things defensively as well to make it difficult and then they're a great rebounding team. That's why they're one of the best teams in college basketball."

(Photo: Marison Bilagody / Arizona Athletics)

Players to Know:

6'4" GR G Caleb Love (16.7 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 3.2 apg)

After appearing in 101 games over three seasons at North Carolina, Love transferred to Arizona last season and earned PAC-12 Player of the Year honors while also being named an All American by multiple outlets. Coming in to this season, Love was a preseason AP first team All American and was also named to the Big 12 Preseason First Team. 

Love currently leads the Big 12 in FG attempts (169) and is third in FG made (72). Over the last three games, Love has scored 23, 24 and 33 points for an average of 26.7ppg. He’s also averaging 4.7 rebounds and 4.0 assists with a 3-to-1 Assist/TO ratio. He is shooting 58.7% overall from the floor and 39.3% from the 3-point line in that span. 

Wes Miller on Caleb Love:

"One of the elite players a year ago in college basketball that's obviously continued to develop and grow so he is even better than he was a year ago as the best player in one of the top leagues. He's a terrific player and you could break down his game here but he's just a terrific player that's going to cause problems for everybody that's got to face him this year. We're no different, but they're a team that is not about one guy or two guys. I mean they have a roster full of guys that are really good."

6'3" Jr G Jaden Bradley (11.3 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 3.8 apg)

As a sophomore last season, Bradley ranked ninth in the country in defensive rating according to EvanMiya. After spending his freshman year at Alabama, Bradley has transitioned to Arizona as one of their best on the ball defenders over the last two seasons. Offensively, he is capable of being the leading scorer on any given night. Bradley has scored in double figures in 7-of-10 games this season, including 22 at Wisconsin, 18 against Duke, and 16 against Oklahoma.

Bradley has seen his 3-point shooting percentage drop from 46% last season to 30% this season, but Wes Miller still knows his back court will be challenged against one of the best backcourt duos in college basketball.

"Another really experienced player," Miller explained when discussing Bradley. " Aggressive with the ball, puts a lot of pressure on you in transition with all their movement in the half court. You look at their team, they have two point guards to start the game that can put a lot of pressure on you, can create shots for others, and can also go create one for themselves. The best teams in college basketball are going to have multiple guards."

6'6" 5th yr Sr F Trey Townsend (10.3 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 1.5 apg)

Townsend was the talk of the NCAA Tournament last season after helping lead his Oakland squad to an upset win over 2-seed Kentucky with 17 points, 12 rebounds, and then following that performance with a 30-point, 13 rebound effort against an NC State squad that advanced all the way to the Final Four.

Townsend, who was the Horizon League Player of the Year last season, hasn't quite seen that level of success transition to Arizona, but the fifth year senior has been extremely efficient, converting a career high 56% of his field goal attempts as well as a career high 79% of his free throws. Townsend is averaging five points per game over his last two games, scoring 2 points against Central Michigan and 8 against TCU.

6'4" Soph G KJ Lewis (9.9 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 2.7 apg)

Lewis was a Pac-12 All Freshman Honorable Mention selection last season after finishing with the ninth most steals by a freshman in Arizona history. Lewis, who was a consensus four-star recruit out of Duncanville (TX), has scored in double figures in six of ten games with his best performance being a 15 points, 8 rebound, 5 assist effort against Southern Utah. Lewis provides great depth at the guard position behind Love and Bradley. 

6'6" Jr G Anthony Dell'Orso (8.8 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 1.3 apg)

Dell'Orso has been the Wildcats most consistent three-point shooter this season, converting 43.8% of his attempts. After averaging 19.5 points, 6.5 rebounds per game last season at Campbell, the Australia native earned Second Team All-CAA as a sophomore. Dell'Orso was also named Big South Freshman of the year following the 2022/23 season. While it has been an up-and-down first season in Tuscon, Dell'Orso is still dangerous off the bench and a guy that can heat up in a hurry with his efficient scoring ability.

6'8" Jr F Tobe Awaka (8.3 ppg, 7.6 rpg)

Awaka spent the last two seasons at Tennessee but is currently experiencing career highs in points per game, rebounds per game, and field goal percentage (60.6%) in his first season with Arizona. Awaka leads the team in rebounds per game and gives them a physical presence around the rim at both ends of the floor. Awaka is currently second in the Big 12 in offensive rebounds per game (3.3). He had 10 points, 10 rebounds against CMU on Dec. 21, his team-leading third double-double of the season.

7'0 RS-Soph C Henri Veesaar (6.9 ppg, 4.3 rpg)

Veesaar is coming off a season high 15-point effort against TCU, in which he also pulled down six rebounds. Over the last five games, he is averaging 10 points, 5 rebounds, and shooting 63.3% from the field.

6'8" Fr F Carter Bryant (4.7 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 1.4 apg)

A former top-20 recruit, Bryant was named a McDonald's All American during his senior year of high school. While his numbers don't jump off the page, Bryant's talent is undeniable. He scored seven points in the win over TCU, as well as eight points in the win over Central Michigan. Bryant isn't a guy that is going to come off the bench and beat you with his shooting ability, but has the ability to impact the game in multiple other ways. 

 

Final Thoughts:

UC will have to take better control of the ball and avoid turning the ball over at the same rate in which they did on the road at Kansas State. 15 turnovers led to 15 points for the home team and ultimately contributed to a three-point loss. Cincinnati is still 24th nationally at 9.8 turnovers per game and will need to keep that number around that mark to pull out a win.

Arizona is at their best when they're able to get in transition and put pressure on the defense. Arizona is averaging 70 points per game in their five losses and 97.3 ppg in their seven wins.

The Wildcats will come prepared, hungry, and ready to try to upset the Bearcats in front of a sold-out, standing room only crowd. 

"I think at this level of basketball, you're gonna get the best shot all the time," said Miller Thursday morning. " If you look at our league, everyone's good and hungry. What I challenge our staff, myself and our team on a daily basis is to never allow ourselves to believe we've figured it out and arrived. You never have it figured out. You try to take something you're doing well and master it."

At the end of the day, how well UC defends will determine the outcome of the game. Saturday's atmosphere should be electric.

Cincinnati is a 2.5-point favorite with the over under set at 147.5.

 

Wes Miller Previews Arizona: