The Arizona Wildcats are in Tempe, Arizona, to take on the Arizona State Sun Devils at 2:00 p.m. ET. Arizona beat ASU 89-82 in their first meeting this season on January 14. Since their first game, Arizona has gone 4-0, while the Sun Devils are 1-3. Arizona has won six consecutive games against Arizona State and hasn’t lost in Tempe since January 2020.
Check out my best bet for today’s Arizona-Arizona State matchup below.
Arizona vs. Arizona State (2:00 p.m. ET)
Arizona is coming off its sixth top 25 victory of the season as it beat No. 13 BYU in its last game on January 26. Freshman Brayden Burries has recently taken over as the Wildcats’ best player, averaging 15.2 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.6 steals per contest. Burries has scored 29 and 22 points in his previous two games and has continued to elevate his game. Arizona’s veteran leader, Jaden Bradley, is also coming off an elite performance of 26 points against BYU.
The Wildcats have an elite defense, and the 83 points they allowed to BYU were their most since opening night. Arizona is No. 2 on KenPom, while ASU is ranked No. 78. Arizona State has the 66th-highest offensive rating and the 127th-highest defensive rating.
Even though this game is on ASU’s home court, Arizona enters it even more confident, coming off a big victory. In their first matchup of the season, Arizona’s starting backcourt was held to a combined 18 points. If Burries and Bradley continue playing at a high level, it will be hard for ASU to keep up on offense. ASU only averages 79.4 points per contest and has scored 73, 63, 82, and 76 since playing Arizona. Two of Arizona’s last three victories have come by at least 15 points, and they should be able to put on a much better performance in their second game against ASU.
