TEMPE, Ariz. – The Arizona Wildcats head to Arizona State to face the Sun Devils for a second time this season after winning the first meeting, 84-78, in Tucson back on Dec. 30, 2017. Thursday's match-up will mark the first time since the 1994-95 season that both teams were ranked in the AP Top 25 in both meetings in the same season.

No. 17/19 Arizona at No. 25/22 Arizona State
Thursday, Feb. 15 at 7:00 p.m. (MST)
TV: ESPN (Dave Pasch, Fran Fraschilla, Molly McGrath)
Radio: Arizona IMG Radio Network (Brian Jeffries & Ryan Hansen)
Twitter: @APlayersProgram
#BearDown
 
Arizona heads north to Tempe after securing a 14-point victory over USC on Saturday in McKale Center. The Wildcats were led by Rawle Alkins who led all scorers with 20 points while also dishing out a team-high five assists against the Trojans. UA's starting bigs, Deandre Ayton and Dusan Ristic, combined for 34 points and 18 rebounds in the victory. The Cats shot 45.0 percent from deep in the win but made an even better 62.2 percent from inside the arc as a team.

UA has been the best road team in the Pac-12 Conference since the league grew from 10 to 12 teams prior to the 2011-12 season with a conference road record of 39-21 (.650). Arizona and Oregon are the only conference institutions with winning records in away games during that span.

Parker Jackson-Cartwright's distribution numbers against Arizona State in his career are the senior's best versus any Pac-12 foe. PJC has tallied 22 assists to just two turnovers in his six career appearances versus the Sun Devils.

Thursday's meeting is the 234^th installment in the all-time series between Arizona and Arizona State, which dates back to 1913. ASU was the first college team Arizona ever faced on Dec. 13, 1913 after playing primarily YMCA's and Tucson High School alumni teams nine years prior.

Freshman Deandre Ayton had a massive showing in the last meeting between these two teams. Ayton finished with 23 points and 19 rebounds, grabbing the most boards by a UA freshman since Bob Elliott tallied 25 versus ASU on Feb. 2, 1974. Ayton's big night against the Sun Devils in December also earned him Pac-12 Player of the Week.

The Wildcats have split their last 10 trips to Tempe after winning their last two meetings there. In the five victories, Arizona's average margin of victory has been 15.2 points. UA's average margin of defeat in that same span has been 4.0 points. UA has not won three consecutive games at Arizona State since its five-game winning streak from 2003 to 2007.

Thursday's head coaches were once teammates as Sean Miller and Bobby Hurley represented USA Basketball on the 1991 World University Games team. The United States won the gold medal after going 6-0 in Sheffield, England under head coach PJ Carlesimo.

Dusan Ristic has scored ten or more points in each of his last nine games, which is the longest such streak of his career. The center is averaging 15.1 points, 7.7 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game while shooting 69.8 percent from the field and 81.3 percent at the foul line.

Thursday's meeting with the Sun Devils will be Arizona's fourth game this season against a team in the AP Top 25 with a record of 2-1 in the previous three games. The Wildcats are 13-8 against the Top 25 since the start of the 2014-15 season.

Allonzo Trier is averaging 20.5 points per game in his four career appearances versus Arizona State, which now ranks as his highest career scoring average against a Pac-12 opponent. A large part of the junior's scoring damage has come at the free throw line in those games where he 33 of 36 (.917) while averaging nine free throw attempts per game.

With a 20^th win already secured in the 2017-18 season, Arizona has now won 20 or more games in each of its past eight seasons. The 20-win mark also marks the 12^th time in his 14 seasons as a head coach, at Arizona and Xavier, that Sean Miller has won 20 or more games in a season.