Wednesday night, the No. 3 Connecticut Huskies host the No. 4-ranked Arizona Wildcats in a spectacular showdown. This is the second meeting between Arizona and UConn, with the Huskies winning the first matchup 65-53 in the Elite Eight in March 2011. Both teams have started the season 4-0, with Arizona recently beating No. 15 UCLA and UConn picking up a win against No. 7 BYU.
On DraftKings Sportsbook, UConn is a -4.5-point favorite with Arizona being a +170 underdog. Here is my best bet for tonight’s matchup between Arizona vs. UConn.
Arizona vs. UConn (7:00 p.m. ET)
After a second-round exit, the Huskies are back in championship form. UConn has four players this season averaging double-digit points, with Tarris Reed Jr. leading the way with 20 per game. The senior center, Reed, has taken a massive leap this season, increasing his scoring by 10.4 points and his rebounding by two per contest. Fourth-year forward Alex Karaban was part of UConn’s two championship teams and has continued to improve over the last two seasons. Veterans Silas Demary Jr. and Solo Ball create an elite backcourt for the Huskies.
The Wildcats already have one of the best resumes in the country, with victories over the defending champions, the Florida Gators, and, most recently, the UCLA Bruins, both of which were top-15 wins. Freshman Koa Peat leads the Wildcats in scoring with 16.3 points per contest. After totaling 30 points against the Gators on opening night, Peat has struggled, scoring only 10 and seven points in his previous two games. Senior point guard Jaden Bradley is Arizona’s leader and is one of the best point guards in the country.
This is an excellent matchup between two of the premier programs in the country, with two of the best coaches, Dan Hurley and Tommy Lloyd. Storrs is a tough place to play, but I believe that Lloyd will have his team ready for the challenge. Arizona has the frontcourt of Motiejus Krivas and Tobe Awaka to limit Reed’s production and should be able to slow him down. If they can do that while having Bradley and Burries being effective on offense and defense, the Wildcats should be able to cover the spread (+4.5) and pull off the upset.
