Full Arizona State-Arizona Preview and Prediction
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TEMPE -- The Arizona State Sun Devils (10-6, 1-2 Big 12) are seeking to secure a signature win early in their second season in the league, as they take to the road to face bitter rival Arizona (16-0, 3-0) on Wednesday night.
The Sun Devils are coming off of an 87-84 triumph over the Kansas State Wildcats, while Arizona earned a dominant 86-73 win over TCU - both on Saturday.
Arizona State on SI previews the game that is set to be played this afternoon below - with broadcast details, the official injury report, an Arizona State x-factor, and game prediction.
Game Details
WHO: Arizona State @ #1 Arizona
WHERE: McKale Memorial Center, Tucson
WHEN: 8:30 P.M. MST
BROADCAST NETWORK: FS1
The Skinny: Very few - if any - programs have been more impressive than Arizona during the 2025-26 season. The Wildcats are one of five teams that remain undefeated in division one.
Tommy Lloyd's squad has defeated Florida, UCLA, UConn, Auburn, and Alabama - among others - to get to this point.
Meanwhile, Arizona State has lost four of their last five, including tight losses to UCLA, Oregon State, and Colorado. One area to watch for the Sun Devils is the availability of key players going into Wednesday night, as head coach Bobby Hurley was forced to run a seven-man rotation on Saturday.
Perhaps the most intirguing topic heading into the game is Arizona freshman Koa Peat facing off against the Sun Devils for the first time in his career - this follows the back-and-forth recruiting saga that reportedly came down to the two rivals as the destination for the 2025 McDonald's All American. Peat also reportedly built up a strong rapport with Hurley over the years, which should add tensity to the matchup.
Arizona Brings Balanced Scoring Effort Into Game
The Wildcats come into the game ranked fourth in the nation in offensive efficiency according to the KenPom model - placing them ahead of competition such as Gonzaga, Michigan, and Duke.
Peat paces the team in scoring at 14.8 PPG, with fellow freshman in guard Brayden Burries in compliment at 14.6 points per contest. Guard Jaden Bradley, center Motiejus Krivas, guard Anthony
Dell'Orso, and forward Tobe Awaka all average at least 9.9 points a night as well. Forwards Ivan Kharchenkov and Dwayne Aristode are key contributors as well, both averaging over five points per game.
This is a manifestation of an expertly-crafted roster from head coach Tommy Lloyd. The Wildcats are deep, are balanced offensively (strong shooters, playmakers, etc. lace the lineup), while Lloyd's positional distribution on this season's roster is nearly sportless. It's challenging to find a fatal flaw on this roster.
X-Factor: Arizona State Frontcourt
The Arizona front line is extremely complete and versatile as mentioned above - this makes it all the more vital that the Sun Devils step up in unison.
Massamba Diop has quietly been one of the best freshman this season, as he has scored at least 20 points in three straight contests, while also blocking a total of 12 shots over the last three. Santiago Trouet has been praised heavily by Hurley in recent weeks, particularly after the junior scored 10 points and grabbed seven offensive boards in Saturday's win over Kansas State. Senior Allen Mukeba has been a bolt of energy, stepping up on both sides of the ball as of late in his own right.
Perhaps the most crucial member of the frontcourt is Andrija Grbovic, who has come off the bench the last three games after dealing with an illness ahead of the Big 12 opener against Colorado on January 3. If the Montenegro native rebounds - particularly as a floor-spacer, there is a distinct possibility that the Arizona State offense can keep them in the game.
Prediction: Arizona Win
While the Sun Devils will be intrinsically motivated to both take down their bitter rival and earn a marquee victory - history is stacked against them.
Arizona State has won just five games in Tucson since 2000 - the Wildcats' dominant season to this stage makes the feat even more of an uphill climb for the Sun Devils.
Read more on why the Arizona State men's basketball team will exceed expectations in the 2025-26 season here, and on why the bright future of the football program isn’t dimmed by the loss to Arizona here.
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Kevin Hicks is an Arizona State alumni and now serves as the Arizona State Beat Writer On SI.