Last year when the Oregon basketball team traveled down to Tucson, Arizona, to face the Wildcats, it knew it was facing a very tall order. Not only would a win help the Ducks in their chase for a Pac-12 Championship, a win would end Arizona’s nation-leading 49 straight home wins.
Led by Dillon Brooks’ 24 points, Oregon went into the McKale Center and broke that winning streak. The Ducks emerged victorious with an 83-75 win en route to winning the Pac-12 regular season and conference tournament championships.
Fast forward a year later and the Wildcats will be presented the opportunity to exact their revenge. When No. 5 Arizona (21-2, 10-0 Pac-12) visits Matthew Knight Arena on Saturday to face No. 13 Oregon (20-3, 9-1 Pac-12), it will be looking to break the Ducks’ 39-home game winning streak, currently the second longest in the nation.
“It’s a really important game,” Jordan Bell said after Thursday’s game. “I know they’re going to try and come out and end our home (win streak) like we did to them last year. We know it’s going to a tough game, just like against UCLA. The fans are going to be here, and there’s going to be a lot of energy and emotion.”
Likewise, Oregon’s last home loss came on Jan. 8, 2015‚ to none other than the Wildcats.
Widely considered the top two teams in the Pac-12, both teams will be vying for the top spot in the conference. Also, the matchup features potential NBA players Bell, Brooks, Chris Boucher, Allonzo Trier and Lauri Markannen.
“You know Markannen, he’s just a great player. He can shoot it, he can handle it at like 6-foot-10,” Brooks said. “He’s kind of like Chris (Boucher) so we are going to have to take the matchup to our hearts, take it personal and really try to lock him up like we did to (Cal’s) Ivan Rabb.”
It will also be a battle between two of the Pac-12’s top coaches: Oregon’s Dana Altman and Arizona’s Sean Miller.
When Oregon and Arizona take the court, it will be as if each team will be looking in the mirror. Oregon averages 78.6 points a game while Arizona puts up 76 points a game. The Ducks allow 63.7 points while the Wildcats surrender 62.7 points. Both teams shoot 47 percent from the field and average 37 rebounds a game.
Arizona has proven that it’s a team that can win in multiple ways. In 15 of the Wildcats’ victories, opposing teams have failed to score more than 63 points. Also, in their much-hyped showdown with UCLA, Arizona proved that it can win offensively when the Wildcats scored a season-high 96 points.
“We are going to have to play our ‘A’ game,” Altman said. “They’ve won 15 in a row so they’ll be ready to go. I think our guys will be ready but we’re going to have to play a whole lot better than what we are playing.”
Six different Wildcats average 9.8 points per game while Markannen is the leader at 16.4 points and 7.7 rebounds. Arizona’s key is Trier, who missed the first 19 games of the year due to an NCAA suspension. Trier is an explosive athlete with an improving jump shot to take over any game.
“Obviously he (Trier) makes a big difference,” Altman said. “He gives them a lot more depth and some experience as a perimeter player. He’s very talented so he definitely gives them another weapon and we’re going to have our work cut out for us.”
Tipoff is set for 1 p.m. on ESPN.
Follow Ryan Kostecka on Twitter @Ryan_Kostecka