The matchup between top-ranked Arizona and UCLA will feature one of the best defenses against one of the best offenses as the Wildcats have one of the tougher defensive units in college basketball while the Bruins have a high-flying scoring unit. The Wildcats will put their perfect record on the line as they face the two-loss Bruins in Pac 12 play.
Arizona is off to the best start in school history as the team sits on top of college basketball with a 15-0 record while winning their first two games in conference play. They held Washington State to 25 points after beating Washington 71-62. The team held the Huskies to 27 points at halftime while the team was shooting 10-of-33. It is the team's best start since 1931-32 and they are not ready for it to end.
Arizona is on top because of their tough and gritty defense. The Wildcats are currently holding opponents to an average of 54.9 points on just 36.6 percent shooting. That ranks them in the top 10 among Division I teams. Freshman Aaron Gordon is prepared to face UCLA's top scorers as Nick Johnson will lead the offensive effort.
The Bruins will certainly challenge the Arizona defense as they come in with one of the better all-around offenses. They ranked amongst the top averaging 87.1 points a game on 52.7 shooting percentage. They also hit at least 40.7 percent of their 3-point shots. They opened Pac 12 play strong against Southern California where they made 11 of 23 shots from beyond the arc while totaling up 107 points on 57.7 shooting percentage.
Freshman Bryace Alford leads the team after putting up a career-high 20 points. Kyle Anderson also finished with 23 points and 12 rebounds, his seventh double-double of the season and third in four games.
The Bruins swept Arizona last season in all three meetings so the Wildcats are ready for some regular-season revenge. They did beat the Bruins in last year's quarterfinals of the Pac 12 tournament.
