Game of the Week- Saturday

For the second time in as many installments of the “Game of the Week” feature, Arizona (15-4, 4-2) finds itself in the day’s marquee matchup. Two days removed from the battle for first place with Washington, the Wildcats travel five hours east to take on Washington State (14-5, 4-3) in Pullman. The game takes place at 7:30pm Saturday at Beasley Coliseum and will be broadcast regionally on FSN.

There are two clear options for the Wildcats’ mindset coming into this game. They could be on an emotional low after getting blasted at the hands of Isaiah Thomas and the Huskies and come into Saturday’s game flat and unfocused. Or, in what seems like a more likely scenario, Arizona will view this game as a chance to salvage its trip to the northwest, and give the Cougars one of their tougher home games of the season.

Washington State, for its part, is looking to continue its ascent to the top of the conference standings after getting swept in their opening Pac-10 series in Los Angeles. Since that weekend, the Cougs are 4-1, with their only loss coming in overtime to a hot-shooting Cal team. Led by potential Pac-10 Player of the Year candidate Klay Thompson, Washington State boasts a high-scoring, dynamic offense when the shots are falling. When that is the case, few teams have been able to slow down the likes of Thompson, Faisal Aden and Reggie Moore through the first 19 games of the season. However, the Cougars have been prone to shooting slumps at times, often resulting (or perhaps caused by) players attempting to go one-on-one rather than sharing the ball. 

WHAT TO WATCH FOR

Much of the intrigue in this game revolves around how the Cougars are able to contain Arizona’s frontcourt. Sophomore Derrick Williams and freshman Solomon Hill give the Wildcats a spectacular core of frontline players. On the other side, the Cougars are rather undersized, with junior DeAngelo Casto (6’8, 255) and redshirt junior Abe Lodwick (6’7, 208) anchoring the frontcourt. Will the Cougars be able to slow down Arizona’s inside game and force them to make shots over the top? Or will Williams and Solomon have their way with the undersized Cougars, putting them in foul trouble and taking over the game? The answers to these questions may very well determine the outcome of the game. Either way, this game should go a long way in proving where each team stands in the Pac-10 race.

KEY PLAYERS

Derrick Williams- The likely NBA lottery pick scored 22 points and pulled in 11 rebounds Thursday against Washington, but at times Arizona seemed to get away from its biggest strength: getting the ball to Williams and letting him go to work. As that happened, the game began to get away from the Wildcats.

Klay Thompson- Against Arizona State Thursday, Thompson may have had one of the quietest near triple-doubles in history. The silky-smooth shooter has evolved into one of the most complete all-around players in the Pac-10, if not the country.

DeAngelo Casto- Casto dominated an undersized Arizona State team Thursday to the tune of a career-high 25 points. If the emotional spark plug can defend Williams and get him into foul trouble as he did last year in Tuscon, the Cougars have to like their chances in a shootout.