Two of the more impressive defensive teams in college basketball will take the floor Wednesday in Knoxville when sixth-ranked Arizona faces No. 19 Tennessee. It will be the final nonconference road game for the Wildcats (11-0), and up to this point Arizona has seen a lot of different styles of defense thrown its way. Squaring off against the Volunteers (8-2) will present a step up in competition for UA, and head coach Tommy Lloyd is making that clear to his group ahead of its road matchup.
For UA, the offensive side of the floor has gained a lot of attention this season as the Wildcats enter the day with the No. 1 scoring offense in college basketball. However, the team's ability to put up as many points as its has this year has been sparked by its defensive play.
Currently, Arizona ranks fourth in blocked shots per game and is coming off a stellar performance in the paint with 12 blocks as a team Saturday against California Baptist.
Knowing that, Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes has his group focused on facing a team Wednesday that is capable of changing the game around the basket.
"The way they're playing, they're playing really good basketball," Barnes said. "Front line is terrific. The blocks they do around there. I've really enjoyed watching them. What I've watched of them, they play hard. They're not going to beat themselves. They mix their defenses."
For Lloyd right now the focus is on what his team can do to prevent a slow start on the road. UA has seen some different defensive looks from teams as opponents continue to try and figure out how to slow down the uptempo offense the Wildcats bring to the floor. Lloyd has noticed areas of his team he wants to see improvement in, and that has been his focus leading into Wednesday's matchup.
"We're playing the way we play and and hopefully it'll continue to be successful,' Lloyd said after Saturday's win. "We gotta tighten up some execution things. We're getting a lot of things thrown at us. Which, like I told you guys before, that's a sign of respect for your team if they're throwing the kitchen sink at you. I'm gonna do my best job I can keeping these guys prepared."
One thing the Wildcats know to expect from Tennessee is pressure on the ball. The Volunteers currently rank eighth in Division I with 10.6 steals per game this season. Four players on the team have at least 12 takeaways this season, and Lloyd is certainly aware of what to expect from the Tennessee defense come Wednesday evening.
"You watch Baylor play defense and Texas Tech? Pretty much copy and paste that," Lloyd said. "They're getting after ya. Tons of ball pressure. There's a lot of switching. They're doing a really good job keeping the ball out of the middle of the floor, and kind of disrupting the normal flow of your movement in your offense. So it's going to be a great challenge, but it's a challenge we need."
Arizona has continued to show that seemingly no lead it too large for the Wildcats to erase. That was the case Saturday as UA battled back from a double-digit deficit to win by 24 points. Arizona's ability to easily flip games starts on the defensive end leading to success with the uptempo style the Wildcats like to play.
Though Tennessee has one of the upper-tier defensive teams in the game right now, the Volunteers are certainly preparing to be tested Wednesday.
"We have a terrific opponent coming in here," Barnes said. "A team that is going to really test our defense. They are the nation's best two-point field-goal defensive team. I am excited."
Arizona's matchup against Tennessee is set to tip off at 5 p.m. MST at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville. The game will be televised to a national audience by ESPN2.
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