LAS VEGAS - The Arizona men's basketball team (9-2) opens Pac-12 play on Friday by traveling to Berkeley, Calif., to take on the Cal Golden Bears at Haas Pavilion. The game is scheduled to start at 8:30 p.m. MST on Pac-12 Networks with Guy Haberman and Don MacLean on the call.
STARTING FIVE
1) The Wildcats have been ranked 44 straight weeks and 44 out of 47 weeks under head coach Tommy Lloyd. They have been in Top 10 for 36 weeks and in the Top 5 for 21 weeks.
2) Senior center Oumar Ballo is this week's Pac-12 Player of the Week and was one of five players nationally named Player of the Week by the USBWA. In two games last week against Alabama and FAU, Ballo averaged 15.5 points, 16.5 rebounds and was 11 of 17 on free throws.
3) The combined offensive efficiency for Arizona's non-conference opponents ranked 4th nationally according to KenPom. Despite that, the Wildcats defensive efficiency ranks second.
4) The Wildcats' four Quad 1 wins are tied for second-most in the country.
5) The Arizona offense has recorded a 10-0 run 16 times through 11 games this season, a total that ranks second nationally (Houston - 17).
SERIES VS. CALIFORNIA
• Arizona leads the all-time series, 74-31.
• The Wildcats have won the last 13 overall meetings and the last six in Berkeley
• The last Cal win came on Jan. 23, 2016, by a score of 74-73.
NOTING THE WILDCATS
• Oumar Ballo grabbed 21 rebounds vs. FAU on Dec. 23, the most in a game by a Wildcat since Jordan Hill snagged 22 on Nov. 18, 2008. His nine offensive rebounds in the game were the most since Derrick Williams had nine against Washington State on Jan. 22, 2011.
• Kylan Boswell has five steals in each of the past two games, joining Jason Terry in 1999 as the only two Wildcats to have five steals in back-to-back games over the past 28 seasons.
• Senior guard Caleb Love has made his last 22 consecutive free throws heading into tonight's game. He leads Arizona in scoring (16.5) and is averaging 22.0 over the last four.
• Fifth year forward - and Oakland native - Keshad Johnson has made at least one 3FG in seven straight games and is averaging a career-best 13.0 ppg and a career-best 6.5 rpg.
• Arizona head coach Tommy Lloyd is in his third season with the Wildcats and has a record of 70-13, the third-most wins of any team in the country over that span.
• Under Lloyd, Arizona has recorded 20+ assists in 45 out of 83 games to lead the nation.
• As of Dec. 27, Arizona had played five of the top 11 most efficient offenses in the country and the Wildcats defensive efficiency still ranks second in the country. The Wildcats are the only team in the country to rank in the Top 10 of KenPom.com's offensive (6) AND defensive (2) efficiency ratings.
• Freshman Motiejus Krivas scored 20 points off the bench against Belmont, the first Arizona post player to score 20 off the bench since Oumar Ballo did it on Jan. 20, 2022 at Stanford.
• The preseason All Pac-12 teams featured four Wildcats: senior Oumar Ballo (first team), senior Caleb Love (second), sophomore Kylan Boswell (second) and senior Pelle Larson (honorable mention).
• Ballo was named to the preseason watch list for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award, Love is on the preseason list for the Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award and Keshad Johnson is on the preseason list for the Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Award.
• The 2023-24 season marks the 119th year of men's basketball for the University of Arizona, and the Wildcats have an all-time record of 1,871-979.
THIS AND THAT
The 85 FGA against Florida Atlantic were the most by an Arizona team since attempting 91 shots against Northern Arizona on 11/24/2003
MAGIC NUMBER: 90
Arizona is 26-1 under Tommy Lloyd when scoring at least 90 points in a game. The lone loss was a 96-95 double overtime defeat against FAU on Dec. 23, 2023.
BALLO FREE THROWS
Over the last four games, Oumar Ballo is 13 of 21 (.619) at the free throw line. In the first seven games of the year, Ballo was 9 of 24 (.375).
BOOST FROM THE BENCH
Jaden Bradley and KJ Lewis have made instant impact over the last three games when coming off the bench.
Bradley is a combined +29 against Purdue, Alabama and FAU.
Lewis is +28 in that same span.
