Arizona vs. Santa Clara: Wildcats open Wooden Legacy Tournament with Broncos

Staying up late with Arizona basketball

After your Thanksgiving dinner, take a nice nap, and get ready for the Arizona Wildcats to take the floor late at night to end your Turkey Day.

How to Watch

Time: 9:30 PM MST

TV: ESPN2

Announcers: Roxy Bernstein, Sean Farnham and Jeff Goodman

Streaming: Watch ESPN

Radio: 1290 AM and 107.5 FM in Tucson or you can stream it here:

What to Watch

This is Arizona's first game outside of McKale this season, but I don't imagine it being a hostile environment either as they hit the floor in Fullerton's Titan Gym.

The Wildcats are undefeated (4-0), while their first opponent of the Wooden Legacy Tournament, the Santa Clara Broncos, are winless (0-5).

Santa Clara is not just winless, they are one of the worst offensive teams in the nation. According to KenPom, the Broncos are the 281st team overall, 315th in adjusted offense, and 326th in adjusted tempo. Arizona struggled with a Northwestern State team that surprised them with a slow tempo, but being prepared for it might have better results for the Wildcats.

The game that's probably having the biggest effect on the Broncos' stats is a 55-33 loss to Denver. That's right, Santa Clara only scored 33 points in a full-length college basketball game. At home nonetheless. Otherwise, this team tends to score in the 60s.

Arizona will have one player to shut down, and that is junior guard Jared Brownridge, who is averaging 15.4 points per game this year. That is nearly twice the second-highest scoring player on the team. Brownridge also picks up nearly five rebounds per game. Nate Kratch has averaged ten rebounds per game, but is also only 6'8" tall, so Arizona's height should neutralize him.

Sean Miller rested Ryan Anderson against Northwestern State, and this could be another chance to do that before two much more difficult games awaiting this team on Friday and Sunday. Santa Clara is a team that Arizona should run out of the gym, but of course, we also said that about Northwestern State.

This tournament is also a homecoming of sorts for Gabe York, who is from nearby West Covina.

"I'll be able to see my family, however much time coach gives us, but we're all going out there for another tournament championship under our belts," York said after the NSU game. "I've played open gym (at Titan Gym) for three years now, so I've definitely played in there, but I haven't played in front of a crowd or anybody like that, so it's definitely going to be fun."

Expect York and some of the other 'Cats to put up big numbers Thursday night, and advance to the winner's side of the bracket on Friday against either Providence or Evansville.

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