Arizona 争う for tournament redemption, starting vs. Princeton
Azuolas Tubelis has been Arizona's best player all season, but the junior big man has some unfinished 商売／仕事 in the NCAA Tournament as the second-seeded Wildcats take on No. 15 seed Princeton in the South 地域's first 一連の会議、交渉／完成する Thursday in Sacramento, Calif.
Tubelis is on pace to become the seventh player to lead the Pac-12 in 得点する／非難する／２０ing (19.8) and 回復するing (9.3), and he is coming off a 二塁打-二塁打 in a 勝利，勝つ against UCLA that gave Arizona (28-6) its second 連続した 会議／協議会 tournament 肩書を与える.
What he is sure to hear plenty of this week is how he 成し遂げるd in last season's NCAA tourney, which ended for Arizona in the 甘い 16.
In the final two games -- against a pair of rugged 防御の teams in TCU and Houston -- Tubelis had as many turnovers as points (seven) and 発射 2-of-15 from the field. He was 0-for-8 in the loss to Houston.
"I know last year he had some bad games," Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd said. "I know he's playing 井戸／弁護士席 権利 now. I know he's had a 広大な／多数の／重要な year, and I know he's a really good player. And the look he has in his 注目する，もくろむ 権利 now, I would assume he's going to stay 焦点（を合わせる）d and keep playing at a high level."
Tubelis and the 残り／休憩（する） of Arizona's high-得点する／非難する／２０ing cast -- the Wildcats 普通の／平均（する） 82.7 points, fifth 国家的に -- will try to keep the 勢い going against Princeton (21-8), which earned an (a)自動的な／(n)自動拳銃 企て，努力，提案 into the NCAAs by 敗北・負かすing Yale 74-65 in the 肩書を与える game of the Ivy League tournament. This is the Tigers' first 外見 in the Big Dance since 2017.
Arizona will have the 辛勝する／優位 up 前線 with Tubelis and burly 7-footer Oumar Ballo (14.2 points, 8.5 回復するs per game), but Princeton 回復するs 井戸／弁護士席 for its size. The 6-foot-8 Tosan Evbuomwan 普通の／平均（する）s a team-high 15.0 points per game and is second in 回復するing at 6 .2. Caden Pierce pulls 負かす／撃墜する 7.1 回復するs per game and has 二塁打-（テニスなどの）ダブルス in three 連続した games.
"We can match up with a very physical group," Princeton coach Mitch Henderson said. "The way we play, we're putting a lot of 狙撃 on the 床に打ち倒す, and it's an unusual thing."
Princeton has four players who have 試みる／企てるd more than 100 3-pointers, 含むing Matt Allocco at 40.7 パーセント (44 of 108). The Tigers 発射 34.4 パーセント as a team. Arizona can match and then some, hitting at 38.2 パーセント behind the arc.
A couple of 傷害s to watch for Arizona: Point guard Kerr Kriisa subluxed his 権利 shoulder in the Pac-12 準々決勝, and Ballo said he broke his left 手渡す in Friday night's semifinal. Kriisa's 狙撃 seemed 影響する／感情d at times, but he played the next two games with only two turnovers. Ballo had 13 points and eight 回復するs in the 肩書を与える game against UCLA.
"So we're just going to keep riding that out. I'm sure everybody has nagging 傷害s. I mean, it's just that time of year," Lloyd said. "We have a 堅い, resilient group. I think our guys love each other and love playing for each other, and if they have to 耐える a little bit of 苦痛 to do that, I think they're willing to do that."
Arizona and Princeton have played only once, on Dec. 27, 1985, in Tucson, Ariz. The Wildcats won 54-41.
--Field Level マスコミ
