The (#9) Arizona Wildcats (14-2) will head to Corvallis to take on the Oregon State Beavers (7-9) on Thursday. Arizona took an uncharacteristically bad home loss last Saturday at the hands of Washington State, 74-61.
The Wildcats struggled on offense, shooting 31% from the floor and finishing 17-of-28 from the free-throw line. Former All-Pac-12 honoree and leading scorer Azuolas Tubelis did his best to keep the Wildcats afloat, posting a 29-point, 14-rebound double-double on 45% from the field.
However, the rest of the starters struggled, lowlighted by Texas transfer Courtney Ramey and former top prospect Kerr Krissa combining to go 4-of-18 from the floor.
Arizona vs. Oregon State
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Arizona vs. Oregon State Match Details
Fixture: Arizona Wildcats at Oregon State Beavers
Date and Time: Thursday, January 12 at 11:00 PM ET
Venue: Gill Coliseum
Oregon State is in the midst of a three-game slide, losing to Oregon, Utah, and Colorado by a combined 48 points. The Beavers scored 18 points in the first half against Colorado, losing 62-42.
Leading scorer Jordan Pope went 2-for-11 from the field, failing to score in double-figures for his third straight game. Former Marquette Golden Eagle Dexter Akanno was the only player to score double-digit points, yet he still shoots under 39% for the season.
ShotQuality Tale of the Tape
Below, we will highlight essential ShotQuality data for this matchup, including Adjusted Offensive and Defensive SQ, strengths, weaknesses, and frequency. SQppp is a player's average ShotQuality points per possession.
Thus, SQppp = Total SQpoints/Total No. of Possessions.
The Arizona Wildcats own a 1.15 AdjOFF SQ this season, good for 11th in the nation. Oregon State has the 204th-best AdjDEF SQ at 1.02. Arizona does well in all key stats, except the open three rate metric, where they are 318th in the country. Conversely, the Beavers are 26th in the defensive open three rate metric.
The Wildcats have high-frequency numbers in catch & shoot three-point, cut, finishing at the rim, off-the-dribble three-point, P&R ball screen, post-up, and transition shot types. They are in the top 100 in all those shot types except off-the-dribble three-point, with a 0.96 SQ PPP (292nd in the country), and post-up, with a 0.89 SQ PPP (144th). Conversely, the Beavers do well to average in defending all those shot types except with cuts and in transition, which ranks outside the top 200.
The Oregon State Beavers have a 0.97 AdjOFF SQ, the 261st-best mark in the country. UA has posted a 0.94 AdjDEF SQ this season, clocking in at 39th in the country. The Beavers are in the top 120 in shot-making and free-throw rate while ranking outside the top 215 in all other key categories. The Wildcats are in the top 40 in defensive shot-making and free-throw rate.
Oregon State is in the country's top half in frequency regarding the following shot types: isolation, off-screen, post-up, and transition. However, they do poorly in all other shot types outside the post-up (131st in SQ PPP). The Wildcats, on the other hand, are in the top 150 in defending all those shot types.
Arizona vs. Oregon State Prediction
UA had a rough home stand last week, barely beating lowly Washington before getting crushed by Washington State. They are good, considering their record, pedigree, talent, and wins this season, but they have been going through a rough patch over the last seven days.
They have had four days of preparation to get right for the Oregon State game, and Tommy Lloyd is a good enough coach to help right the ship.
Per ShotQuality, a date with Oregon State is just what this team needs to get back on track. Expect a dominating win from the Wildcats.
Prediction: Arizona -15.5 (-110)
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