The Arizona Wildcats suffered their first Pac-12 loss of the season last time out to Oregon, but still sit in a tie with the Ducks for the conference lead. They will aim to bounce back in a matchup with the California Golden Bears next time out.
Arizona is also jockeying for one of the top seeds in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament so every win counts. California seems to be in good shape to make March Madness but a road win like this would certainly be a signature victory.
The Wildcats are the better team and playing at home so clearly it will be the favorite in this matchup.
Don't miss the hardwood action from McKale Memorial Center in Tucson, Arizona at 10 p.m. ET on Saturday, February 11, 2017. Catch every moment of the game live on ESPN2.
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Arizona is 21-3 straight up and 12-11-1 against the spread. The Wildcats have played in 12 home games this season but have struggled at the McKale Center, going just 4-7-1 against the spread. Arizona has been the favorite in 17 games this season and has gone 8-8-1 against the spread in those contests.
California is 17-6 straight up but only 9-14 against the spread. The Bears have played in five road games this season and have covered in two of them. The Bears have not been the underdog very often, splitting the four attempts.
Revenge Angle
Cal kept it close the first time these two teams faced off this season on December 30th, but the Golden Bears could not contain Arizona in the second half and eventually fell to their conference foe, 67-62. The teams split victories last season, with Cal winning the first matchup and Arizona taking the second game, and the Golden Bears will hope for the same outcome this season as well.
Cal led 32-26 at halftime, before being outscored 41-30 in the second half by the Wildcats. Ivan Rabb and Jabari Bird each finished with a team-high 16 points in the matchup and Dusan Ristic also had 16 points for Arizona.
The last three matchups between these two teams have all been decided by five points or less. A win this week against a team like Arizona would be huge for the Bears, but Cal comes in as the clear underdog in this one and will also be playing on the road so an upset isn’t likely.
Player to Watch
Lauri Markkanen -- It’s been a tough two weeks for the Arizona freshman who, after averaging 15.9 points on the season, has combined for just 12 points in the last two games for the Wildcats. He had just four points in Arizona’s loss to Oregon on Saturday, marking a new season-low.
The young player made just two shots on 11 attempts in the last two games, shooting 1-of-6 from the three-point line. Markkanen is the team’s leading scorer this season so the recent performances are significant. He scored a season-high 30 points last month in Arizona’s win over rival Arizona State and also had 23 points against USC on January 19th. Without question, Markkanen will be looking to turn things around this week.
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With the return of Allonzo Trier from suspension, the Wildcats had been flying high, but that momentum came to a halt against Oregon. Trier and Markkanen are a great duo but if one of them isn’t playing well it could lead to trouble.
Cal has won four consecutive games but against some inferior competition. This will be a tough game, and one that will likely be too tough to result in an upset. However, watch for the spread in this one, because the Bears are experienced enough to keep this close and earn the cover.
Arizona should remain on top of the Pac-12 with a win in this one as it has yet to lose against a conference opponent at home this year.
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