Rivalry week is in full swing in college basketball as many programs face off against their in-state rivals. The battle of Arizona gets underway on Friday as the Wildcats and Sun Devils face off for state supremacy. The Wildcats come in ranked No. 2 in the nation but a tough rival road test could challenge that top spot.
Arizona will be relying on their depth when they face the Sun Devils on Friday night. Forward Brandon Ashley who is the team's third-leading scorer, is out with a foot injury and not expected to return any time soon. In his place, freshman Rondae Hollis-Jefferson will be getting the start. In his first 22 games, Hollis-Jefferson only averaged 8.0 points per game. However, in the past two matchups, he has averaged 15.0 points and 15 rebounds. Freshman Aaron Gordon is helping as well after recording 17 points against Oregon State last Sunday.
Replacing Ashley's 11.5 points per game is not easy, so Arizona will rely heavily on their defensive front to keep things together. The Wildcats are holding conference opponents to a league-low 57.5 points per game on 40.7 shooting percentage. That defense is helping Arizona ranked near the top while their offense sorts out chemistry issues in the absence of Ashley.
Arizona State hopes to ride high on their home court advantage. The team is 13-1 this season at home including five-straight conference victories. The Sun Devils have won five of their last six games after defeating Oregon over the weekend. Jordan Bachynski put up a career-high 26 points in the win while adding nine rebounds and nine blocks to the boxscore. He was named Pac 12 player of the week as a result.
When these two teams faced off last month, Arizona had seven players reach double figures while shooting 53.3 percent from 3-point range. That was the highest shooting percentage of the conference in the past two years. The Sun Devils hope to avoid a repeat performance.
