WVU Hoops looks to continue its hot streak on Tuesday, as the Mountaineers are back at home and set to host the Arizona Wildcats, who West Virginia defeated in the Bahamas earlier this season. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. Let’s take a quick look at everything you need to know about the Wildcats ahead of the next contest in the rugged Big 12 for WVU.
COACHING AND THIS YEAR
Arizona is led by fourth year head coach Tommy Lloyd, who was a long-time assistant at Gonzaga under Mark Few before taking his first head coaching gig in Tucson. He holds an overall record of 96-25 (.793) with the Wildcats, and has made the NCAA Tournament all three of his prior seasons, although he’s never made it past the first weekend.
Arizona has had a less-than-stellar start to the 2024 campaign, however, and currently sits at just 8-5 after close losses to WVU, Oklahoma and UCLA. They also got handled by both Wisconsin and Duke early on in the season. Despite that, the Wildcats are actually on a bit of a roll right now, and will take a four game winning streak into the Coliseum (wins over Cincinnati and TCU to open up conference play).
KenPom currently ranks Arizona as the 17th best team in the country despite its record. The schedule has been undoubtedly tough and this is a talented team who can beat anyone if they play up to their potential.
offense
This offensive attack rides and dies with the polarizing play of Caleb Love at guard. He leads the way with 16.3 points and 14.3 shots per game (8.2 of those coming from beyond the arc). The next three leading scorers all take less than two 3-pointers per contest, and Arizona as a whole doesn’t take, or make, shots from beyond the arc very often. Just 23.4 percent of the team’s points come from triples – 342nd nationally), and Love is only shooting 30.2 percent from downtown on the year. He’s a lethal shooter when given an open look, but when he’s attempting to create for himself on the ball (i.e as a ball screen handler), that’s where he really struggles to take good looks. If it isn’t Love’s night, the Wildcats are hardly a threat from beyond the arc, which has been one of the primary problems this year…