Arizona men's basketball to play Indiana for the first time in school history
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Arizona's Oumar Ballo, left, and Indiana's Trayce Jackson-Davis. Photos: Darryl Oumi and Andy Lyons/Getty Images
The Arizona Wildcats and Indiana Hoosiers travel to Nevada this weekend for the Las Vegas Clash. So, we decided to have some fun with our Indiana colleagues and share reasons why our respective teams will win.
The intrigue: The Hoosiers and Wildcats have never played each other in men's basketball before.
Hi! Axios editor — and IU alum — Lindsey Erdody here to tell you why the No. 14 Hoosiers will walk away with the win on Saturday.
Of note: I'm that fan who had season tickets during Tom Crean's first year as head coach. Ya know, the year we went 6-25. But I was also in Bloomington for the legendary Wat shot and win over Kentucky in 2011.
Why the Hoosiers will win:
- Trayce Jackson-Davis. Our star forward can't be beat (unless he's playing Rutgers, I guess). He averages 17.5 points and 8.9 rebounds per game. He was also instrumental in helping Indiana beat then-No. 18 North Carolina last month.
- It's Indiana basketball. We have five national championships, compared with Arizona's one. Yes, OK, our last one was 35 years ago, but the legacy still counts for something, right? We live and breathe basketball in this state.
- The odds are in our favor — ESPN Analytics gives IU a 57% chance of winning.
Jeremy here. As Axios Phoenix's resident UofA alum, I'm here to defend the Wildcats' honor.
Why the Wildcats will win:
- Ballo is ballin'. Center Oumar Ballo has been dominating in the paint so far this season, averaging 9.3 rebounds and 19.1 points per game on nearly 77% shooting. And in our disappointing loss to Utah last week, he was the one bright spot, scoring 22 on 83% shooting.
- Scoring. Keeping up with UofA's offense is no easy feat. The Wildcats' 91.5 points per game is third in the nation. And we're No. 1 in field goal percentage — two spots ahead of Indiana.
- Vegas, baby! The game is at a neutral site, but Las Vegas is practically home court for UofA. The city, just a few hours' drive from Tucson, has been home to the past nine Pac-12 tournaments, four of which ended with UofA victories.
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