Staples Center – Los Angeles, CA
Tip-off: Saturday, 5:30 p.m. ET
Line: N/A

West Coast heavyweights #8 Gonzaga and #16 Arizona tip off the first ever Hoophall LA at Staples Center this Saturday afternoon.

Arizona and Gonzaga have made it a habit to make each other’s acquaintance regularly, be it in the non-conference or a few times in the NCAA Tournament, but it’s been a one-sided relationship with Arizona taking six of seven since 2000 (4-3 ATS). The Wildcats are 3-0 (2-1 ATS) since 2014 against the Bulldogs, including an NCAA Tournament pounding (84-61, Ariz -7) in 2014. Gonzaga is expected to be the favorite in this contest, which would be the first time that happened in this matchup since 2008. The story for Arizona, even with a successful 6-1 (3-4 ATS) start, is about who isn’t playing rather than who is. Whether it’s freshmen going overseas (Terrence Ferguson), injuries (Ray Smith, Parker Jackson-Cartwright) or the most mysterious suspension in recent college basketball history (Allonzo Trier), Arizona has all the pieces to make a deep run into March, but many of them are in crutches or sweatpants. The latest shoe to drop was the loss of starting G Jackson-Cartwright (8.3 PPG, 5.3 APG), who suffered a high ankle sprain in Arizona’s last win (over Texas Southern) and will be out for a “considerable amount of time” according to head coach Sean Miller. As for Trier (14.8 PPG last season), who was expected to challenge for Pac 12 POY as a sophomore, Arizona officially has no comment on why he’s suspended or if/when he might return. He has been practicing with the team, however, for the duration of his suspension. Gonzaga has no such roster issues this season, gliding to a 7-0 (2-2 ATS) record as head coach Mark Few eases in a class of talented transfers to fill the gaps left behind by Kyle Wiltjer and Domas Sabonis. The Bulldogs had great success on a neutral floor to take home the Advocare Invitational championship (in Florida) by dispatching of Quinnipiac (82-62, Zags -27.5), Florida (77-72, Zags -3.5) and Iowa State (73-71, Zags -4.5). They then returned home to dismiss Mississippi Valley State 97-63 on Thursday night. Arizona’s sole loss was on a neutral floor during the Continental Las Vegas Invitational championship game to Butler, 69-65 (Ariz +1.5). After beating Michigan State on a buzzer beater to open the year, Arizona had fattened their record as a double-digit favorite in their next five games. The fact that they were an underdog against unranked Butler on a neutral floor is reflective of the doubt on the Wildcats long-term prospects with a depleted roster. The Wildcats did bounce back by returning home to defeat Texas Southern (85-63, Ariz -15) on Wednesday night.

Just beneath the blue bloods circling the top of the top 25 lies undefeated Gonzaga, steered by Coach Few. Few has done a masterful job reloading his roster this season, getting former All-Pac 12 G Nigel Williams-Goss (12.9 PPG, 4.9 APG) to lead an attack that boasts six double-figure scorers. Williams-Goss will be very familiar with Coach Miller and Arizona. The last time Williams-Goss faced Arizona (as a sophomore at Washington) he flopped to a 1-for-10 performance from the field (7 points – a season low) and his former team got trampled, 86-62 (Feb. 2015). Few also has the luxury of having 7’0’’ senior C Przemek Karnowski (10.7 PPG, 6.0 RPG, in 19 mins) back in the fold after an injury plagued junior season that resulted in back surgery. Sophomore G Josh Perkins (12.7 PPG) is the top-scoring holdover from last season’s Bulldogs, and his efficiency is through the roof (51.0% FG, 53.0% 3PT) now that he has Williams-Goss to relinquish ball-handling duties to. Perkins went 5-for-7 from three on Thursday night against Mississippi Valley State but struggled mightily against Arizona last season, fouling out with five turnovers. Transfers, F Johnathan Williams (10.9 PPG, 5.9 RPG) and G Jordan Mathews (9 PPG, 2.1 3PM) from Missouri and California, respectively, have cooled off after hot starts. Keep an eye on Mathews, who torched Arizona last season for a career-high 28 points (6-for-12 3PM) as a member of Cal. Freshman F Zach Collins (11.6 PPG, 5.4 RPG in 17 minutes) is one of Few’s most decorated recruits. The seven-footer from Las Vegas is the player most drooled-over on Gonzaga’s roster by NBA scouts and is shooting 71% FG this season.

Without Jackson-Cartwright (and presumably Trier), Coach Miller will be essentially stuck playing his five starters very heavy minutes on Saturday night. Three of those starters – who happen to be Arizona’s three leading scorers – are freshmen, and where would the Wildcats be without them? Finnish F Lauri Markkanen (18.3 PPG, 7.6 RPG) has been a revelation for Miller. While there were rumblings that the foreign 7-footer would be an sleeper to be a key contributor this season, there wasn’t much indication that he was going to be the “the man”, although Trier’s situation and the injuries to Smith and now Jackson-Cartwright have put more on everyone else’s plate. Markkanen is still a big work-in-progress on defense, but he provides a skill set on offense that makes him similar to a college version of Kristaps Porzingis (and in no way are we saying that he’ll be as good a professional as Porzingis). It’s hard to argue with 54.0% FG, 47.0% 3PT, 89.0% FT, however, in your first taste of college basketball in a new country. Supporting Markkanen are the freshman guard duo of Kobi Simmons (13.0 PPG) and Rawle Alkins (10.9 PPG). Simmons is smooth and looks like a future star but is rail-thin and now thrust into a starting role. Simmons did bust out for 15 points on 7-for-11 FG once Jackson-Cartwright went down in the win over Texas Southern. Alkins, conversely, already has an NBA build but seems to be pressing to live up to the hype (as Arizona’s top-ranked recruit), with the ball in his hands - instead of Trier’s - too often (2.9 turnovers/game). Miller needs to coax more out of his two upperclassmen, G Kadeem Allen (8.2 PPG) and C Dusan Ristic (8.1 PPG, 5.7 RPG) if the Wildcats are to compete in this game. Ristic hasn’t made any progress after a promising sophomore season, and Allen hasn’t delivered the way a #1 JuCo recruit two years ago would project to. Both Allen and Ristic have seen their efficiency and production decline with more opportunity.