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Coming off a 19-point win over the Washington State Cougars on Thursday, the Arizona Wildcats return to the floor Saturday when they will face the Washington Huskies in Seattle.
The fifth-ranked Wildcats (24-3, 13-1 Pac-12) find themselves back in a familiar spot, as they could be down to just seven healthy scholarship players against the Huskies.
Starters Kadeem Allen (dislocated pinky) and Dusan Ristic (ankle sprain) are both questionable for Saturday’s game.
Allen missed Thursday’s game vs. WSU, while Ristic exited in the first half and did not return in the second half.
Their backups stepped up, however, as Parker Jackson-Cartwright dropped a career-high 20 points while Chance Comanche had eight points and five rebounds in 23 minutes.
Arizona has won three games in a row since its 27-point loss to Oregon, with the victory over WSU being the first by double digits.
The Wildcats have reverted back to being a dominant rebounding team in the last two games, outrebounding their opponents 74-65.
Meanwhile, Lauri Markkanen has reverted back to his usual self, as he broke out of a four-game slump Thursday, dropping 19 points and grabbing 11 rebounds in the win over WSU.
It was Markkanen’s first double-figure scoring game since Jan. 29.
The opponent on that day? None other than the Washington Huskies.
The Huskies (9-17, 2-12 Pac-12) have lost eight games in a row, putting them second to last in the Pac-12 standings.
However, they did compete admirably in McKale Center in late January, keeping the game within single digits for 35 minutes and even taking a lead at halftime before losing 77-66.
Washington did most of its damage on the offensive glass, tracking down 18 offensive rebounds against the Wildcats.
Of course, the Huskies are led by potential No. 1 pick Markelle Fultz. The star freshman point guard is 23.0 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 5.9 assists per game this season.
Arizona had success keeping him in check, though, limiting Fultz to just 16 points on 23 shots.
But things could be different this time around, especially if Allen does not suit up. Allen — along with Allonzo Trier — made things difficult for Fultz all game long.
Fultz downplayed Allen’s effectiveness on him, though.
“I think [Allen] got a couple calls go his way,” he said after the game. “They gave him a charge when they said I pushed off. He’s a good defender, but I didn’t feel like he bothered me. I still got to the rim and still got to my pull-up.
“I wish I would have made my layups and free throws, but that’s not going to happen next time, I’m pretty sure. This happened to be one of the games where I missed some easy ones.”
Arizona has won seven games in a row against Washington.
How to watch Saturday’s game
Time: 6 p.m. MST
TV: ESPN2
Live stream: WatchESPN
Announcers: Dave Pasch and Bill Walton (!)
How they match up
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