Arizona (2-0) Vs. Wisconsin (2-0)
GAME NOTES: The Pac-10 meets the Big Ten tonight, as the Arizona Wildcats tangle with the Wisconsin Badgers in the first round of the Maui Invitational at the Lahaina Civic Center. The winner of this game will advance to the winner's bracket on Tuesday, facing either Colorado or Gonzaga.
The Sean Miller era has gotten off to a promising start in Tucson, as the Wildcats have won their first two games under their new head coach. Miller, who came over after a successful run at Xavier, has watched his team defeat Northern Arizona (87-70) and Rice (66-49) to start the campaign. This is Arizona's fifth appearance in the Maui Invitational and its first since 2005. The Wildcats are 8-4 all-time in this event, including a championship in 2000.
As for the Badgers, they are also 2-0 on the young season following a pair of convincing home victories. Wisconsin got things started with a 75-46 pounding of IPFW before breezing past Oakland, 58-42, on Wednesday.
Tonight's game represents the fifth all-time meeting between Wisconsin and Arizona on the hardwood, with the series being level at 2-2. The Wildcats won the last meeting, 94-75, in the first round of the 2006 NCAA Tournament.
The Wildcats did it with defense in their last game, forcing 19 turnovers and holding Rice to a dismal 28.6 percent shooting performance from the floor in a 66-49 win on Thursday. Arizona, itself, hit on 45.0 percent from the field and made seven three-pointers. Nic Wise turned in an all-around effort in the win, as he posted 15 points, seven assists and five steals. The team's top returnee, Wise had 15 points and four helpers in the team's opener. Jamelle Horne and Solomon Hill also scored in double figures for the second straight game, tallying 13 and 12 points, respectively, in the win over Rice.
The Badgers have been terrific on defense to start the season and last game they limited Oakland to a mere 27.3 percent shooting effort from the floor in a 58-42 win. Wisconsin knocked down 41.5 percent of its attempts from the field and won the battle on the boards, 39-32, for the second game in a row. Trevon Hughes led the way with 15 points and seven boards, a nice rebound to his eight-point effort in the team's opener. Keaton Nankivil added 13 points and nine boards, and Jon Leuer chipped in with 12 points. Leuer was the team's top producer in the opener, when he scored 19 points on 8-of-10 field goals.
These two teams appear to be evenly match, so the game could go either way. The Wildcats seem to have a few more offensive weapons and that should help them slip past the Badgers tonight.
Predicted OutcomeArizona 68, Wisconsin 64Copyright 2009 Courtesy of The Sports Network.
