It’s a top-15 showdown as Indiana and Arizona battle in the desert on Saturday. Here’s everything you need to know about the 2022 Las Vegas Clash matchup at the MGM Grand.
Game Day Essentials:
No. 14 Indiana (8-1) vs. No. 10 Arizona (7-1)
- Tip Time: 7:30 p.m. Eastern
- Location: MGM Grand Garden Arena (17,000), Las Vegas, NV
- Television: FOX (Gus Johnson, Bill Raftery)
- Stream: FOX Sports
- IU Radio Network: IU Radio Network
- Point Spread: Arizona is a 1.5-point favorite
- KenPom Projected Score: No. 10 Indiana 80 No. 18 Arizona 79
- Series: First Meeting
(Note: UNLV and Washington State play before IU and Arizona at the MGM Grand)
Arizona’s Tommy Lloyd:
Tommy Lloyd was named the head men’s basketball coach at Arizona on April 14, 2021 and is now in his second season leading the program.
He was previously an assistant coach at Gonzaga for 22 seasons, where he developed 19 All-Americans, 15 conference players of the year and contributed to five straight 30-win seasons and two appearances in the national championship game.
In his first season as a head coach in 2021-22, he was named National Coach of the Year by the NABC, USBWA and the Associated Press, becoming the first Arizona men’s basketball head coach to win any of those awards.
He led Arizona to a 33-4 overall record and a 18-2 mark in Pac-12 play to claim the conference’s regular season title by three games over UCLA.
Lloyd set the Pac-12 record for most wins in his first season as head coach and the Wildcats became the first Pac-12 team to ever win 18 regular season conference games.
The 33 wins are the second-most in NCAA history for a head coach in his first-ever season as a head coach, falling one short of UNC’s Bill Guthridge mark of 34 in 1998.
Arizona’s results and roster:
Arizona has handled their business in many of their wins this season, as only two of their seven victories have been decided by 10 points or less.
Those two included defeating KenPom No. 71 Cincinnati, by eight, and No. 22 Creighton, by two, both on neutral courts. They also defeated KenPom No. 28 San Diego State by 17. All three of those games were on neutral courts.
Their only blemish thus far is an 81-66 road loss to No. 39 Utah.
Arizona’s 2022-23 KenPom Highlights:
Overall Tempo – No. 1 (Offense No. 3 / Defense No. 18)
Offensive Efficiency – No. 2
- Arizona’s effective FG percentage of 61.3 percent is No. 1 nationally. They are also No. 1 nationally in two-point percentage (64.5), and rank No. 79 in three-point percentage (36.5).
- The Wildcats get to the foul line, as free throws account for 41.2 percent of field goal attempts (No. 24). However, they don’t always capitalize, making just 72.7 percent of free throws (No. 118).
- Arizona relies heavily on two’s, with three-point attempts accounting for just 33.1 percent of field goal attempts, No. 283.
- The Wildcats are just No. 200 in turnover percentage, at 19.4 percent. They give up steals on 11.9 percent (No. 324) of possessions.
Defensive Efficiency – No. 65
- Arizona ranks No. 103 in overall opponent effective field goal percentage (47.7), including No. 243 in three-point percentage (35.2) and No. 44 in two-point percentage (44.8).
- The Wildcats don’t force teams into many mistakes, turning them over on just 14.9 percent of possessions (No. 342).
- Defensive rebounding is one of their strong points, as they only allow teams to get offensive rebounds on 24.7 percent of possessions, No. 57.
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