Surprising Huskies host No. 9 Wildcats (Feb 02, 2018)
It wasn't supposed to be this way, but this Saturday's game at Hec Edmundson Pavilion will match two of the top three Pac-12 Conference teams with No. 9 Arizona (19-4, 9-1 Pac-12) traveling to Seattle to take on one of the more surprising teams in the league, Washington. The Huskies (16-6, 6-3) were picked to finish 10th in the conference before the start of the season, but Washington has surpassed those expectations heading into Saturday's 10:30 ET tip off.
First-year Washington head coach Mike Hopkins is going to be in play for the conference's coach of the year award, and coming off a big win over No. 25 Arizona State Thursday night he has his Huskies in a position to really make some noise Saturday when it takes on the Wildcats.
"It will be great to play a team the caliber of Arizona and see where we're at," Hopkins said after Thursday night's win over ASU. "It will be a great test for us."
Junior forward Noah Dickerson scored 21 points and recorded 16 rebounds in the 68-64 win for the Huskies. Hopkins said after the game he will continue to go to his team's leading rebounder and second-leading scorer as the rest of the season unfolds.
Meanwhile, Sean Miller has his Wildcats doing what they have been expected to do. The conference's favorite and first-place team has just one blemish on its record since November and is in the midst of a seven-game winning streak after knocking off Washington State 100-72 Wednesday night in Pullman.
Arizona continues to be led by its two stars with junior shooting guard Allonzo Trier (19.9 points per game) and freshman power forward Deandre Ayton (19.7 ppg).
The Wildcats also were able to get Rawle Alkins back in the lineup Wednesday night after he spent the previous week resting a sore foot. He scored 16 points, including four 3-pointers off the bench in the lopsided win.
All the pieces are coming together for Arizona at the right time, but Miller knows Hopkins has his team playing well coming off its second defeat of a top-25 team this season.
"Washington has had some of the best wins in our conference," Miller said. "This is a big home stand for them. If you look at their zone defense and the talent they have Mike Hopkins is doing a good job."
The game will also mark a homecoming for longtime UW head coach Lorenzo Romar who is now an assistant with the Wildcats after 15 seasons in Seattle. Arizona expects Romar will get a positive reception in his return to Alaska Airlines Arena.
"I'm sure he'll get a very warm welcome for everything he accomplished there and how much he means to that program for what he was able to do during that time when he was there," Trier, a Seattle native said. "I know that goes back to when I was a little kid and getting into basketball. He's well respected and I'm sure he's excited for the homecoming."
