Arrow-right Camera
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

SportsLink

Scouting the WSU opponent: Arizona

For about one half, the Arizona Wildcats looked vulnerable. Sean Miller's team had suffered a sweep in Los Angeles, their leading scorer, Allonzo Trier, suffered a hand injury that will keep him out at least month and on Thursday, the young Washington Huskies were keeping pacing with the Wildcats at halftime in Tucson.

Then Arizona turned up the heat and reminded everyone who the conference's bully-in-residence is. Forward Ryan Anderson put on a show with 21 points and the Wildcats overpowered UW in the second half, winning the final 20 minutes by a score of 55-26.

Tomorrow the Cougars will get their own shot in the Wildcats' den. Here's a look at what they're up against.

Here's a quick glance at the Sun Devils:
Record: 14-3, 2-2 Pac-12
Points per game: 82.6
Opponent points per game: 67.2
Field goal percentage: 49
3-point percentage: 36.2
Free throw percentage: 71.7
Rebounding margin: +12.1
Steals per game: 6.3
Blocks per game: 4.6
Average home attendance: 8,231

And here are some more detailed statistics, courtesy of KenPom.com. http://kenpom.com/team.php?team=Arizona

Adjusted efficiency national rank (offense/defense): 16/44
Adjusted tempo national rank: 194
Average possession length: 17 seconds (No. 185 nationally)
Turnover percentage: 18.3 (No. 158)
Offensive rebound percentage: 35.8 (No. 36)
3-point percentage: 36.2 (No. 266)
Block percentage: 12.8 (No. 108)

Expected starters:
G: Gabe York 13.7 ppg, 2.7 apg, 43.6 3FG%
G: Kadeem Allen 8.7 ppg, 3.9 ap, 37.5 3FG%
F: Ryan Anderson 14.8 ppg, 10.3 rbg, 53.7 FG%
F: Mark Tollefsen 8.6 ppg, 3.5 rbg, 84 FT%
C: Kaleb Tarczewski 10.6 ppg, 8.7 rbg, 55.7 FG%
 
Injured players: Guard Allonzo Trier is out with a hand injury. Ray Smith is out with a torn ACL.
 



Jacob Thorpe
Jacob Thorpe joined The Spokesman-Review in 2013. He currently is a reporter for the Sports Desk covering Washington State University athletics.

Follow Jacob online:






Looking for a Grip on Sports?

Vince Grippi's daily take on all things regional sports has been moved to our main sports section online. You can find a collection of these columns here.