Arizona basketball is in a two-game losing streak heading into a rematch against Baylor at the Foster Pavilion. Read more for a full Arizona vs Baylor prediction and preview.
Arizona (17-8, 11-3) is coming off a 2 game loss streak against Kansas State on the road and No. 1 Houston at the Mckale Center. Arizona was on a heater until the loss against Kansas State where the team’s overall performance was drastically worse than any other game it played this season.
The Wildcats were lucky to find themselves back in the AP Top 25 sitting at No. 19.
Baylor (16-9, 8-6) is coming off of a win against West Virginia following its loss against Houston. The difference between the two teams; Baylor is coming off of a win and gets to play at home against Arizona for some revenge, and Arizona is coming off of two hard losses including Houston on Saturday. Baylor has the opportunity to turn the end of its season around starting with a win over Arizona tonight.
General Information:
Teams: Arizona (17-8, 11-3) and Baylor (16-9, 8-6)
Tip-off: 8 p.m. MST (10 p.m. EST)
Watch: ESPN
Latest on Baylor basketball:
The Bears are lucky to be coming off a win and playing at home against Arizona for a rematch where both teams have something to play for. Baylor wants revenge after a double-digit loss to Arizona at the beginning of the inaugural season and Arizona wants to restart its win streak and remain ranked going into March Madness. The Bears have been exceptional at home losing just 1 of its 13 home games this season, against TCU directly after the loss at Arizona.
The Bears have pulled off some impressive wins at home including No. 23 Kansas by double digits and Kansas State by 8, the same Kansas State that Arizona lost to. Will Baylor continue to pull off impressive wins in its home game against Arizona Monday night?
The Bears had a slow start to its season hence the loss against Arizona early on. The team was playing in an extremely loud, high-energy arena for the first matchup against the Wildcats. The disadvantages for the Bears were extremely present in the two teams’ early matchup and Baylor is absolutely not the same team they were that early in the season, nor is Arizona, though.
If Baylor forces outside, quick shots on defense, and can keep up with Arizona’s high energy they will absolutely win this game, potentially knock Arizona off of the AP Top 2,5 and will find themselves in a decent position for tournament play.
Latest on Arizona basketball:
The Wildcats have lost two straight headed into Baylor’s home arena for a rematch. Arizona cruised past the Bears in the first matchup but the circumstances of this matchup are a little different.
Arizona traveled to Kansas State early last week and played potentially the worst basketball it has played all season, and lost by 3 points against an unranked and less skilled program than the Arizona team fans got used to seeing.
The Wildcats had something to prove coming home to play Houston with a tough loss under its belt already. Houston has been on an absolute heater all season and they are No. 1 for a reason but to come into an arena like McKale Center and win against an extremely strong home team like Arizona just solidifies that Houston will make it far this tournament season. Arizona played well against Houston until the team completely gave it up in the last 5 minutes. The Cats lost 62-58 and it was a heartbreaker.
Trey Townsend was out for the game against Kansas State with a concussion but returned for the Houston matchup where he saw minimal minutes. Now that he has had some time to shake off the rust we will more than likely see more minutes and valuable play from him tonight.
Caleb Love is a controversial topic in Big 12 basketball but there is no denying he is playing some of his best basketball since his hero moment against Iowa State. Love has become a playmaker rather than a pointmaker. He is averaging 15.9 points per game, lower than at the start of his season but in the best way possible. He is averaging 4.5 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game. This shows his ability and willingness to help where he is needed rather than trying to be a hero and scorer. Without him on the court, the Wildcats nearly fall apart.
Jaden Bradley is a short second behind Caleb Love and absolutely holds the team together on offense. He is averaging 11.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game for the Wildcats and can oftentimes be found bringing the ball down the court and creating plays for the Cats. There is a clear difference in the structure of the offense when he is not on the court.
KJ Lewis is phenomenal on defense alongside Carter Bryant who has started to see more minutes in the last few games.
Arizona needs to be smart with the basketball to win against Baylor tonight. The Wildcats need to come out of the first whistle with energy, strength, and composure in order to put themselves in a good position before halftime.
Arizona has struggles against the weaker teams especially away from its home court. An away win will absolutely put them back on track to finish the season with nothing but wins and ultimately set them up for success in tournament season.
Arizona vs Baylor prediction: Bears by 5 (86-81)
Baylor is coming off a win at home, and Arizona is coming off two losses. Baylor gets home-court advantage, and Arizona struggles on the road. Baylor wants revenge.
Before winning to WVU at home, Baylor suffered a double-digit loss against Houston. Arizona gave Houston a run for its money and was expected to pull off the win until the last 5 minutes of the game. Arizona only lost by 4 points.
The Big 12 Conference has some of the best fans and arenas in the country which makes travelling that much harder. Since Baylor visited McKale for the first matchup where the Bears lost in double digits, I guess it is only fair Arizona has to play at Foster Pavilion too.
Baylor will not let Arizona coast by as easily as it did in the first game. The Bears have great potential to pull off a win at home tonight.
Arizona has consistently been a second-half team and it likes to keep things interesting. We have seen some incredibly close games for them including the game against Houston on Saturday. We all thought Arizona had it in the bag until the team felt it was necessary to turn over the ball and hand Houston the win. They will let Baylor have a lead to start the game but by halftime, the Wildcats will be ahead in a low-scoring game. Arizona will come out quickly in the second half and extend its lead but will later Baylor catch up and extend its lead throughout the last 10 minutes of the game. I think Arizona will continue its losing streak, especially playing away from home.