UConn vs. Arizona score predictions

Will Arizona wrap up non-conference play with a W?

The Arizona Wildcats (9-3) wrap up non-conference play Thursday with a home game against the UConn Huskies (7-3) in McKale Center at 7 p.m. MST.

Arizona is favored by 15.5 points and KenPom projects the Wildcats will win 79-65 with a 90 percent win probability.

Here are our predictions. Be sure to leave yours in the comment section below.

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Jason Bartel — Arizona wins 84-62

Arizona’s non-conference schedule this year would have been awesome about five years ago. This year? Not so much. There’s really no reason to think that UConn will keep this one close.

Ryan Kelapire — Arizona wins 81-67

UConn is the No. 101 team in college basketball, according to KenPom, so Arizona shouldn’t have much trouble winning this one at home. Though the calculus does change if Allonzo Trier is out, but it sounds like he will play.

Christopher Boan — Arizona wins 88-80

The days of UConn being good at this whole basketball thing have gone the way of the condor, with the Huskies currently ranked 101th in KenPom. I expect Arizona to run up and down the court with relative ease, though they will have to contend with Jalen Adams, who’s a beast. I expect Arizona to pull away in the final 10 minutes, and wouldn’t be surprised if they rack up 100 points on Kevin Ollie’s team, which ranks 170th in Division I in points allowed, at 71.5.

Scott Moran — Arizona wins 79-64

UConn is having another underwhelming season, and their offensive output has been shaky all year. Arizona still looks like an elite team when they’re playing on the mainland. Even if Trier doesn’t play, I trust the Wildcats to beat a middle-of-the-road team in McKale, and I don’t think it’ll be close for most of the game.

Alec Sills-Trausch — Arizona wins 83-71

Finally, we’ll get revenge for 2011! Oh, that isn’t what anyone else is thinking? But onto this game, Arizona will again have a size advantage (UConn’s tallest player is 6-foot-9) which it will probably turn to with Allonzo Trier less than 100 percent.

Regardless of Trier’s ability, Rawle Alkins looks to be locked in and suffering no ill effects of his foot injury that kept him out at the beginning of the year. This is also the final tune up before (likely top-five) ASU heads down I-10 for the matchup of the millennium between these two schools. This means we might see some weird things thrown out by Coach Sean Miller just to give the Sun Devils some extra things to mull in their tape sessions.

Matt Sheeley — Arizona wins 85-63

Too much talent on the Wildcats’ side. Ayton could very well have a field day.

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