The last time now No. 22 Arizona and No. 9 Iowa State met, it was an instant classic in Tucson with Caleb Love hitting a shot from past half court as time expired to send the game to overtime where the Wildcats rolled 86-75.
The Wildcats and Cyclones are set for what could be another tight game, but this time Arizona heads on the road. Iowa State has lost its last two games, but without a couple of key players that are expected to be healthy on Saturday.
Here is a preview of Saturday's game between Arizona and Iowa State.
GAME INFO
Who: No. 22 Arizona (19-9, 13-4) at Iowa State (21-7, 11-6) (last game lost 74-68 at Oklahoma State)
When: 7 p.m. (MST)
Where: Hilton Coliseum | Ames, Iowa
TV: ESPN
Odds: Iowa State (-6.5) | O/U 151.5
All-time series: Arizona leads 5-3
SNAPSHOT (IOWA STATE)
Head coach: T.J. Otzelberger (4th season | 91-41 at Iowa State)
Preseason prediction: 3rd (Big 12)
2023-24 finish: 29-8, 13-5
HEAD TO HEAD
Scoring offense: Arizona (28th/81.6 PPG) | Iowa State (43rd/80.1 PPG)
Scoring defense: Arizona (129th/70.2 PPG) | Iowa State (56th/67.2 PPG)
Rebounding margin: Arizona (11th/8.1) | Iowa State (46th/4.8)
Assists per game: Arizona (14th/17.1) | Iowa State (90th/15.0)
Turnovers per game: Arizona (175th/11.8) | Iowa State (167th/11.8)
WHO TO KNOW:
G Curtis Jones
The leading scorer for Iowa State struggled mightily in the first meeting in Tucson. Curtis Jones shoots 43 percent from the field and 37 percent from deep on the season, but shot just 1-for-11 from the field and 0-for-8 from deep against the Wildcats. He had been on a scoring tear heading into that first game, so he was a primary focus for Arizona defensively. Jones missed the game against Houston last Saturday, but returned for the Cyclones last game against Oklahoma State.
F Joshua Jefferson
The forward for the Cyclones who can do it all in Joshua Jefferson is third on the team in points, second in assists and leads them in both rebounds and steals. In the game against Arizona, he chipped in 15 points with four rebounds and four assists. Jefferson is coming off a complete performance against Oklahoma State with 17 points, eight rebounds, five assists and three steals. He will likely once again be a force down low for Henri Veesaar and Tobe Awaka.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR
The crowd/environment
Hilton Coliseum is known to be one of the toughest places to play in not just the Big 12, but the entire country. Iowa State has just one loss at home this season which came against Kansas State in the next game after losing to Arizona. The crowd and players on Iowa State will certainly be ready for this game given how the last game against the Wildcats went. The Cyclones also figure to be healthier coming off two straight losses.
Forcing turnovers
One major issue for Iowa State all season has been turnovers. It ranks No. 167 in the country with 11.8 turnovers per game, the same number as Arizona, an issue for both teams this year. In the first meeting, Iowa State turned the ball over 18 times. The Cyclones also turned the ball over 18 times in their last game against Oklahoma State in a loss. If Jaden Bradley and KJ Lewis amongst everyone else can stay aggressive and get Arizona quick points off turnovers to keep the crowd out of the game, it would go a long way towards the Wildcats pulling off the win Saturday night.
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