Tonight’s marquee matchup at the center of the college basketball world tips off as the 20–0, No. 1–ranked Arizona Wildcats hit the road to take on AJ Dybantsa, a potential future No. 1 overall NBA Draft pick. The game features five of the nation’s top 60 draft prospects per The Athletic and has all the makings of a banger.
Arizona currently sits as a short 1.5-point favorite, with the total set at a blistering 165.5. Both teams rank inside the top 52 in tempo, so expect a full-blown track meet. It’s an interesting spot, as it’s rare to get a top-13-ranked team at home as a dog. Bart Torvik projects this closer to Zona -4.2, making the current line feel a bit short. It’ll be worth watching whether Arizona’s size and top–three–ranked defense can bother Dybantsa, but he’s coming off a massive 43-point performance against Utah on Saturday, so the freshman’s confidence should be at an all-time high. An underrated matchup to watch is BYU point guard Rob Wright (18.0 PPG, 5.2 AST, 48% FG) against one of the nation’s best defensive pests in Jaden Bradley (13.5 PPG, 4.5 AST, 48.9% FG, 1.9 STL/G).
That said, the number may be accounting for a brutal stretch for the Wildcats. Over the last five days, Arizona will be playing its third game as it heads to BYU, where altitude is always a factor. For a team that plays at an extremely fast pace, this could be the type of spot where the gas tank runs low late, potentially leading to Arizona’s first loss of the season. This game should be tight and will likely be decided by the play of AJ Dybantsa, who is debatably the best player in the country.
Both of these teams have been good, but Arizona has really exceeded expectations. With a $100 bet before the season started being valued at $632 today, while BYU currently stands at $81.
