No. 17 Arizona is set to open the 2022-23 season against Nicholls at McKale Center Monday night. The Wildcats open their second season under Tommy Lloyd and will look to build off last year's Sweet Sixteen appearance where they fell to Houston.
Game info
Who: No. 17 Arizona (33-4, 18-2 Pac-12 last season) vs. Nicholls State (25-4, 15-3 Southland last season)
When: 7:30 p.m. (MST)
Where: McKale Center - Tucson, Arizona
TV: Pac-12 Network
Last Meeting: 99-60 Arizona win (1998 NCAA Tournament)
All-time series: Arizona leads 1-0
Favorite: Arizona (-24.5), O/U: 157.5
Nicholls State snapshot
Head coach: Austin Claunch (5th season at Nicholls State: 74-46; 47-21 Southland all-time)
Preseason Southland prediction: 2nd place (six first-place votes)
Matchup rundown
Nicholls State won its second-straight Southland Conference Regular Season championship last year and made it to the NIT. The Colonels return eight players from last season including two starters in Latrell Jones and Pierce Spencer. Jones averaged 11.9 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game last season after transferring from the University of Portland, while Spencer averaged nine points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game.
The Colonels were voted to finish second in the Southland Conference preseason poll behind Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. Nicholls State received six first-place votes.
The lone matchup between these two teams all-time came in the 1998 NCAA Tournament where the Wildcats defeated the Colonels 99-60 in the first round as the No. 1 seed. Arizona reached the Elite Eight that season.
On the Arizona side this season, they will have to replace Bennedict Mathurin, Dalen Terry and Christian Koloko who are all currently in the NBA. That trio combined for 1,418 points last season which the Wildcats will have to replace.
The Wildcats were picked to finish No. 2 in the Pac-12 preseason poll behind UCLA and received three first-place votes.
The freshman class consists of Filip Borovicanin, Kylan Boswell, Henri Veesaar and Dylan Anderson who all figure to play immediate roles. Lloyd also brought in Courtney Ramey and Cedric Henderson Jr. through the transfer portal this offseason. Ramey has been suspended the first three games of the season after violating an NCAA policy. Henderson is expected to join the Wildcats starting lineup in Ramey's absence.
Arizona will also look for Pelle Larsson and Adama Bal to take on bigger roles this season, particularly as scorers this season while Oumar Ballo takes over for Koloko as the Wildcats primary big man down low.
Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. MST at McKale Center. The game will be aired on the Pac-12 Network.
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