Indiana vs. Arizona set for huge college hoops showdown on FOX
By John Fanta
FOX Sports College Basketball Writer
A history-making game is coming to FOX this winter.
The Las Vegas Clash will tip off at 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, Dec. 10 at MGM Grand Sports Arena, it was announced Tuesday, and will be broadcast on FOX. This will be the first time that a regular-season college basketball game will be broadcast on FOX in the East Coast, prime-time window.
In addition, it will be a top-25 matchup of two of the best teams in the Big Ten and Pac-12, as Indiana will battle Arizona.
The other matchup of the event — Washington State vs. UNLV — will tip off at 4:30 p.m ET and air on FS1.
"Our program is thrilled to have the opportunity to play Arizona in Las Vegas," said Hoosiers head coach Mike Woodson, whose team could be tabbed the preseason favorite in the Big Ten. "We have fans throughout the country who are looking forward to making this trip between Thanksgiving and Christmas and I love the fact that two programs that have won a national championship will meet for the very first time. It should be one of the top non-conference matchups prior to conference play starting."
"Playing a high-level opponent like Indiana in Las Vegas will be a great opportunity for us and our fans," Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd said. "It will be a strong test against one of the preseason favorites from the Big Ten in an outstanding atmosphere. It's one of those games that will have a special feeling around it and we are looking forward to it."
About Indiana:
After averaging 18.3 points and 8.1 rebounds per game for the Hoosiers last season, Trayce Jackson-Davis returns to IU as the program’s all-time leading offensive rebounder. He's trending toward becoming one of the program’s top-five scorers, rebounders and shot-blockers of all time, and has plans to win the Big Ten and compete for a national title, as he told FOX Sports earlier this summer.
With Race Thompson (11.1 points and 7.5 rebounds per game) back for a sixth season to play alongside Jackson-Davis in the frontcourt, Indiana will have plenty of experience in the paint. That’s a trend for the Hoosiers, who will return four starters from an NCAA Tournament team, including senior guard Xavier Johnson (12.1 points and 5.1 assists per game).
There’s a great mix of talent for Woodson, as he and his staff have assembled a top-10 recruiting class. The Hoosiers will welcome five-star guard Jalen Hood-Schifino, one of the best backcourt players in the 2022 freshman class. He is joined by a fellow five-star recruit in 6-foot-8 forward Malik Reneau.
With the Big Ten going through some roster overhaul and Indiana having stability — plus the most efficient defense in the conference last season — the Hoosiers have major March potential.
About Arizona:
What a season it was for Arizona. In Tommy Lloyd's first year at the helm, the Wildcats went 33-4, won the Pac-12 regular-season and tournament titles and were a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. While a Sweet 16 loss to Houston was a disappointing end for a potential Final Four team, the Cats could contend for another conference championship this season.
With Bennedict Mathurin (sixth overall), Dalen Terry (18th) and Christian Koloko (33rd) all going in the NBA Draft, there's no question the Wildcats have lost some major talent. But Arizona still has two of its top four scorers back in Azuolas Tubelis and Kerr Kriisa. It will be key for Kriisa, the rising junior point guard, to coexist with Texas grad transfer Courtney Ramey.
Kriisa is an interesting talent who will provide several "wow" plays for his team throughout the course of a game, but he needs to work on staying under control. The 6-foot-3 guard from Estonia averaged 9.7 points and 4.7 assists this past season, but he also ran into turnover issues, with 72 giveaways in 33 games.
It will be on Ramey to serve as a calming presence in the backcourt. The 6-foot-3 guard averaged 9.4 points and 1.6 assists for Chris Beard at Texas in a season that he has said he would like to forget. Now, he has a fresh start and brings 128 games of college experience with him. Ramey did not even need to visit Arizona before making his decision. He was convinced by Terry over the spring that it would be the right choice, a testament to what the Wildcats have going on in Tucson.
A player in the backcourt who will need to take another leap is 6-foot-5 junior Pelle Larsson, who averaged 7.2 points. He was a key reserve but should jump into the starting rotation in the upcoming campaign. In terms of the rest of the roster, the 6-foot-11 Tubelis will anchor the Wildcats' frontcourt after he averaged 13.9 points and 6.2 boards last season. One of the big keys will be how redshirt junior Oumar Ballo replaces a fellow 7-footer in Koloko. Arizona should still have a pretty steady frontcourt.
Depth is going to be a storyline to watch for the Wildcats. It will be interesting to see how Lloyd manages a bench with some questions to answer.
There are certain things for Arizona to figure out, and the loss of several NBA talents means there will be roles opening up, but this team could still be a top-20 squad.
John Fanta is a national college basketball broadcaster and writer for FOX Sports. He covers the sport in a variety of capacities, from calling games on FS1 to serving as lead host on the BIG EAST Digital Network to providing commentary on The Field of 68 Media Network. Follow him on Twitter @John_Fanta.