PULLMAN, Wash. - The Arizona Wildcats, ranked eighth in this week's Associated Press Top 25 poll, travel to Pullman, Washington on Saturday to take on the Cougars at Beasley Coliseum in a Pac-12 Conference battle. Arizona has won the last 11 meetings in Pullman with the Cougars is coming off back-to-back dominating performances at home against Colorado and Utah last week. The game on Saturday starts at 4:00 p.m. MST on Pac-12 Networks with Greg Heister and Eldridge Recasner on the call.
STARTING FIVE
1) Last Saturday against Utah, both Pelle Larsson and Oumar Ballo scored their 1,000th collegiate points. Ballo needs 60 more points to become the 54th player in Arizona history to score 1,000 points in their Arizona career.
2) Senior Caleb Love was named Pac-12 Player of the Week after averaging 19.5p, 4.5r, 3.0a vs. Colorado and Utah last week. Also on 25-man Wooden Award Midseason Watch List.
3) Arizona leads the country in rebound margin (+13.9) and scoring (92.6ppg).
4) The Arizona offense has post a 10-0 run 20 times this season, second-most in the country.
5) In two games last week, Arizona was 21 of 38 (.553) from the 3-point line while holding Colorado and Utah to a combiend 14 of 50 (.280) from long range.
SERIES VS. WASHINGTON STATE
• Arizona leads the all-time series, 70-18
• The Wildcats have won 11 straight games in Pullman after losing there in 2010
• Dating back to 1997, Arizona is 22-3 in Pullman
NOTING THE WILDCATS
• Arizona is one of four team in the country to have all five starters averaging double figures in scoring this season (Baylor, Indiana State, Tulane)
• Arizona is shooting 54.5% from the floor in conference play to lead the Pac-12.
• Pelle Larsson is averaging a career-best 12.5 points and shooting 57.1% from the 3-point line this season (16 of 28). He's scored in double figures 13 of 15 games and has 20 assists to just six turnovers in the last six games.
• Fifth year forward Keshad Johnson has made 14 3FG this season, surpassing the 11 he made in 39 games last year at San Diego State. Johnson was 9 of 11 from the floor for 20 points against Utah, setting a new career high for FG made in a game.
• Sophomore Kylan Boswell was 7 of 12 (.583) from the 3-point line last week against Colorado and Utah. In the five games prior to that, he was 6 of 27 (.222).
• The Wildcats have been ranked 47 straight weeks and 47 out of 49 weeks under head coach Tommy Lloyd. They have been in Top 10 for 38 weeks and in the Top 5 for 21 weeks.
• Motiejus Krivas is averaging 9.8 points, 6.0 rebounds and shooting 72.7% (16 of 22) from the floor. He's also 7 of 7 at the charity stripe in league play. He had 18 points at Cal and 15 points against Colorado.
• Arizona head coach Tommy Lloyd is in his third season with the Wildcats and has a record of 73-14, the third-most wins of any team in the country over that span.
• Under Lloyd, Arizona has recorded 20+ assists in 46 out of 87 games to lead the nation.
• 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 1,874-980.
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
Kylan Boswell had five steals in back-to-back games against Alabama and FAU, becoming the first Wildcat since Jason Terry in 1999 to do that.
Oumar Ballo had 21 rebounds against FAU, the most by a Wildcat since Jordan Hill grabbed 22 in 2008.
Ballo and Larsson both reached 1,000 career points in their overall college careers in the Jan. 6 game vs. Utah.
MAGIC NUMBER: 90
Arizona is 29-1 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.
BALANCE
All five starters are averaging between 11.1 and 17.7 points per game this season. At least five players have scored in double figures in 10 of 15 games.
LLOYD LEADS THE WAY
Head coach Tommy Lloyd's record is 73-14 in his third season as a head coach. After setting the NCAA record for most wins in his first two seasons (61), the focus turns to the three-year record. The NCAA record for most wins through three seasons is 89 wins by Brad Underwood and Brad Stevens.
THINGS YOU 'LOVE' TO SEE
Senior guard Caleb Love leads the Wildcats in scoring (17.7), is third on the team in assists (47) and has a career-best assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.8.
Love has scored 20+ seven times this season, including in each of his first two Pac-12 road games at Cal and at Stanford. The last Wildcat to do that in his first two Pac-12 games was Deandre Ayton in 2018 (first 3 games).
He is playing six minutes LESS per game but averaging career bests in points per game (17.7), FG% (44.4%), rebounds (4.9) and assist-to-turnover (1.8).
BALLO BACK IN BUSINESS
Redshirt senior Oumar Ballo was named the Pac-12 Player of the Week (Dec. 26) after averaging 15.5 points and 16.5 rebounds over two games against Alabama and FAU.
The native of Mali has recorded four double-doubles this year and scored in double figures in 14 of 15 games. Ballo is shooting 61.4% overall from the floor this season.
His career FG% currently ranks as the best in Arizona history (.633).
Ballo needs 60 points to reach 1,000 in his three seasons at Arizona. He would become the 54th player in program history to score 1,000 points as a Wildcat.
BOSWELL BLOSSOMS
After graduating high school a year early, Kylan Boswell is an 18-yaer old sophomore, one of the youngest in the country. That year of experience had led to a breakout sophomore campaign.
After scoring a career-high 18 points in the season opener against Morgan State, Boswell had 12 points, eight rebounds and five assists at No. 2 Duke on his way to being named Pac-12 Player of the Week. The Champaign, Ill., native was 4 of 6 from long distance on his way to 14 points against Colorado.
In six November games, he averaged 13.5 points and 3.8 assists while shooting 55.8% from the floor (58.6% 3FG).
He averaged 8.7 points on 32.4% shooting overall (26.3% 3FG) in seven December games but still handing out 4.3 assists.
