The Arizona Wildcats are on a three-game winning streak to start the season, but are hoping there isn't any rust on the team as they take on the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks on Wednesday night at the McKale Center in Tucson.
Due to some scheduling, the Wildcats haven't played a game in nearly 10 days, but will luckily face a team they have beaten 28-straight times. Arizona ranked ninth in the nation this season and is coming off of a 94-72 win against Long Beach State on Nov. 19.
"I think every team in November is on a quest to get better and continually improve," coach Sean Miller said to the Associated Press. "We have a great opportunity now to learn through our game experience and now build."
Arizona has been one of the most impressive offensive teams in the nation to start the season, ranking 16th in scoring with 82 points per game. The Wildcats have increased their victory margin in each win and defeated UTEP 72-51 on Nov. 15 for their second win of the season.
Leading scorer Brandon Ashley started his first game of the season against UTEP and was impressive against Long Beach State, scoring a season-high 20 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. He hit 6-of-6 shots from the field and also added two blocks and one steal.
"We want to reward players that are working hard and doing it every day," Miller said to the Associated Press following the game. "You get 20 points and 10 rebounds in 24 minutes, he was the best player on the court."
The freshman has been one of the best players on the roster for the Wildcats, leading the team in scoring and rebounding, averaging 13.7 points and 7.7 rebounds. Ashley only had nine points against UTEP, but scored 12 and grabbed eight rebounds against Colorado State to open the season.
Senior Solomon Hill has provided leadership and tough play through three games, ranking second on the team in scoring, rebounding and assists, averaging 13.0 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.3 assists. Hill has scored in double digits in all three games this season and played a season-high 33 minutes against UTEP.
Long Beach State is the toughest opponent the Wildcats have faced so far this season, but it wasn't much of a contest. Arizona hit over 53 percent of its shots to win the game, but struggled defending the 3-pointer, allowing 14-of-32 to Long Beach.
Defending the perimeter has been the biggest issue this season for the Wildcats, who are allowing opponents to hit over 39 percent of their shots from long-range.
"We're giving up way too many (3-pointers)," Miller said. "We need to fix that."
Sophomore Nick Johnson is leading the team in assists with 4.3 per game and is averaging 10.3 points and two rebounds per game. The guard scored 12 points and added five assists against Long Beach State and also added three steals.
Last season the Wildcats were 23-12 and finished 12-6 in the Pac-12. The team made it to the championship of the Pacific-12 Conference Men's Basketball Tournament, but lost to Colorado. Arizona went to the NIT tournament and were defeated by Bucknell in the first round.
Northern Arizona enters the game following a 70-62 win against Campbell in the Global Sports Classic on Saturday, but the team has dropped 28-staright games to Arizona.
The Lumberjacks opened the season with two-straight losses, including an 83-73 loss to Oregon on the road. Following a 92-54 blowout loss to UNLV, Northern Arizona notched its first win of the season, a close 85-85 victory over UC Davis.
Northern Arizona is under first-year head coach Jack Murphy and is ranked 216th in the nation in scoring, averaging 66 points per game. The team is only shooting 43 percent from the field and is ranked 279th in rebounding with 32 per game.
The Wildcats should have an easy time with the 2-3 Lumberjacks, but will need to focus on guards Gabe Rogers and Dewayne Russell, who are skilled at shooting 3-pointers, combining for 25 total this season.
Rogers is leading the team in scoring with 16.6 points per game and scored 13 points in 34 minutes against Campbell. The senior had a season-high 27 against UC Davis on Nov. 18 and has scored in double digits in all games but one this year.
Rogers had 16 points in each of the last two meetings against Arizona, according to the Associated Press.
Russell ranks second on the team in scoring and first in assists, averaging 15.8 points and four assists per game. The freshman is shooting over 49 percent this season and scored a season-high 25 points against UC Davis.
Last season Northern Arizona went 5-24 and finished in last place in the Big Sky Conference with a 1-15 record. The team hasn't made the NCAA tournament since 2000 when the team lost in the first round 61-56 to St. John's.
According to the Associated Press, "The Lumberjacks have lost 13 in a row to ranked opponents, dropping the most recent such matchup 92-54 to then-No. 18 UNLV on Nov. 12."
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