Arizona Wildcats vs. Washington Huskies Pick

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Arizona was only of the last teams to lose a game this year, but the Wildcats have lost two of their last five. Their home loss to UCLA last week came as a pretty big surprise. Now, they have to play catch up in the PAC 12 standings. Washington is down a notch from where they were a couple years ago, but the Huskies are 4-3 in the league. Winning in Seattle is never an easy task.

Game Overview:

Mark Lyons transferred in from Xavier, and he has instantly become the focal point of the Arizona offense. Lyons isn’t really a point guard, but Arizona has put him at that spot because that is their biggest need. He is a shoot first point guard, and he leads the team in scoring with 14.9 points per game. In the Wildcats loss to UCLA, Lyons didn’t have an assist all game. This could be an issue for Arizona against the top teams in the country. Arizona has a lot of offensive weapons, and that makes them tough to slow down. The Wildcats average 75.5 points per game this year.

Arizona has dominated the glass this year. There isn’t any one dominate rebounder on the team, rather the Wildcats have several guys who are all good at rebounding. Four guys average at least five rebounds per game for Arizona. Defensively, Arizona uses their athleticism and length to challenge shots very well. Opponents have been able to find open looks from beyond the arc, but inside the paint the Wildcats have been extremely good on the defensive end.

Washington was the top dog in the PAC 12 for a couple years, but they are more like a middle of the pack team this year. The Huskies have a very good point guard in senior Abdul Gaddy. Gaddy is a play maker who can get everyone on the offense involved. C.J. Wilcox leads the team in scoring at 19 points per game. He is an NBA-type player who can get his own shot at any time, and he shoots 42 percent from beyond the arc. Aziz N’Diaye averages 10.5 points and 9.2 boards per game. He has become a much better offensive player in the past year, and the team has been getting him the ball quite a bit of late. Washington averages 69.4 points per game.

The Huskies aren’t very good defensively. Opponents are shooting 43 percent from the floor against them so far this season. Washington is coming off losses at both Oregon and Oregon State in the last week. Both of those were games that the Huskies had a real chance to win, but they couldn’t come up with big stops in the clutch.

Prediction:

Arizona may have more talent than Washington, but I don’t think anything will come easy for them in this game. Washington has a great home court advantage, and I like the Huskies to keep this one very close. Look for Washington to cover.