(Photo: Alyssa Buruato/WCSN)
Just last season in February of 2023, the then No. 7 ranked Arizona Wildcats welcomed an unranked Arizona State squad to the famed McKale Center in Tuscon. Rankings and numbers suggested they would dominate the game at home. With time expiring of a back-and-forth contest then Sun Devil graduate forward Desmond Cambridge Jr. unleashed a prayer from half-court. Seconds later, a stunned silent Tuscon crowd watched him get mobbed by his teammates in pure euphoria after sealing an 89-88 victory.
He didn’t care about the numbers.
Rivalries can be created in many fashions but those forged in proximity often render the most explosive. The Territorial Cup featuring two schools that proudly brandish their state’s name across their chest is no different. It is a constant battle for the superiority of a state where they represent, by far, the two biggest student populations.
No. 5 Arizona (19-5, 10-3 Pac-12) and Arizona State (13-2, 7-7 Pac-12) are set for the 247th edition of their contention on the hardwood come Saturday night. Arizona — a widely recognized blue-blood and traditionally elite college basketball program — has a considerable edge over their neighbors to the north 159-87 all-time.
The numbers, both nationally and in the Pac-12, that define Arizona’s season do little to suggest that this won’t be yet another Wildcat victory for the tally. They are ranked first in the conference, third in the nation in the NET Rankings, and fifth in both the AP Poll and the KenPom rankings.
A deeper dive paints an even clearer picture of the juggernaut Arizona Head Coach Tommy Lloyd is currently leading in Tuscon. Nationally, the Wildcats are tied for the best rebounding margin in the country at +11, second in scoring at 90.1 points a game, second in rebounding at 43.2 a night, and fourth in assists at 18.9 a contest.
At just the Pac-12 level, the theme of Arizona atop the statistical leaderboards is even more apparent. Arizona leads the conference in the following per-game statistics: scoring offense (90.1), scoring margin (+16.63), assists (18.8), steals (8.83), assist-to-turnover ratio (1.57), offensive and defensive rebounds (13.92 and 29.29), offensive and defensive rebound percentage (0.77% and 0.37%), total rebounding (43.21) and rebounding margin (+11).
The Sun Devils can claim one statistical category over the Wildcats though as they rank first in the conference in turnover margin at +3.6 a game. The Wildcats rank second at +2.38. The only other category that sees ASU next to Arizona in is steals per game as the Sun Devil’s 8.52 swipes a contest puts them second in the conference. In every other category, there are considerable gaps between the two State 48 foes.
ASU will look to draw on its stars who carried the offensive load in its now two-game winning streak in which they averaged 82 points a game. An offense that at times this season looked lethargic has run rampant as of late. Last Wednesday night in a 79-61 victory over Oregon State, junior guard Jamiya Neal came off the bench for the first time this season pouring in 21 points. A few days prior, graduate wingman Jose Perez had 21 points of his own, spearheading an away 85-77 win over Utah.
Perez and Neal will need support not just offensively but defensively primarily from junior guard Frankie Collins. The former Michigan transfer is averaging just under three steals a game and is now just two swipes away from tying and three from breaking the all-time program single-season steals record. It’s likely ASU head coach Bobby Hurley will need a record-setting defensive performance to keep one of the nation’s most elite offensive units at bay.
While statistically, this upcoming matchup between the Sun Devils and Wildcats — who are an undefeated 12-0 at home — in Tuscon, oozes with David and Goliath elements, the games are ultimately played on the court. Rivalries, especially those as deep-rooted as the Territorial Cup, have a funny way of nullifying statistical pretense.
Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 17 from the McKale Memorial Center in Tuscon Arizona. The game will be televised on FS1.
