No. 22 Arizona knows it will be in for an “uncomfortable” reception when it tips off against No. 9 Iowa State in a Big 12 Conference battle Saturday night in Ames, Iowa.
Wildcats coach Tommy Lloyd would expect nothing less.
“We’re not asking for things to be comfortable, because I know Saturday it’s going to be very uncomfortable,” Lloyd said. “So we better be comfortable in an uncomfortable environment.
“And for the rest of the season, I think that’s just how it’s going to be. I thank the Big 12 for that. I honestly do, in a good way. Not that we didn’t have stressful moments in the Pac-12, but we’ve had a good stretch of them here, and I think we’re going to be better for it in the long run.”
Arizona (19-9, 13-4) is looking to maintain second place in the conference standings. The Wildcats are coming off an 83-66 win against Utah on Wednesday night.
Meanwhile, Iowa State (21-7, 11-6) is eager to snap a two-game skid after losses against then-No. 5 Houston on Saturday and Oklahoma State on Tuesday. The Cyclones are 4-5 over their last nine games.
Injuries and illness have played a role in Iowa State’s recent slide. Top scorer Curtis Jones returned against Oklahoma State after an illness, and assists leader Keshon Gilbert has missed the last two games because of a muscle strain.
Iowa State coach T.J. Otzelberger said Gilbert was making progress.
“We’re optimistic that he’ll be able to return on Saturday, but again, his health and well-being is No. 1,” Otzelberger said. “(He) was able to practice for the first time (in a while), so we’ll see how his body responds to that and where he’s at.”
Arizona is led in scoring by Caleb Love, who is averaging 16.4 points to go with 4.4 rebounds and 3.5 assists. Jaden Bradley ranks second with 11.4 points per game, and KJ Lewis rounds out the top three scorers with 10.4 points per contest.
Jones leads Iowa State with an average of 16.9 points per game and is shooting 36.8 percent from beyond the arc. Gilbert (14.1 ppg), Joshua Jefferson (12.6), Milan Momcilovic (10.6) and Tamin Lipsey (10.5) also are scoring in double digits.
Jefferson said he and his teammates needed to play more consistently regardless of whether anyone was out injured.
“It’s frustrating,” Jefferson said. “We’re 18-1 when we’re fully healthy, but it’s not an excuse. We’ve still got to find a way to win those games that we’re supposed to win.
“But now that we’re fully healthy, I think we’ll start to get right back on track moving forward.”
This will be the ninth game all-time between the programs and the second matchup this season. Arizona held on for an 86-75 overtime win on its home court on Jan. 27.
The Wildcats have won four straight games against the Cyclones, including this season’s first contest. Arizona leads the all-time series 5-3.
Iowa State is 14-1 at home this season. Arizona is 6-3 on the road.
–Field Level Media
