The Big 12 race has seriously tightened up with Kansas beating Houston on Monday night and taking down Arizona a few weeks ago, handing the Wildcats their first loss of the season. Now, Kansas and Arizona will meet for the second time this season, this time on the Wildcats' home court.
In the first matchup, Kansas was without Darryn Peterson, but didn't know that until minutes before tipoff. The Jayhawks were still able to pull off the huge upset win, and now Arizona has the chance to do the same.
Arizona could be in the same position as the Jayhawks in that first matchup, but with more notice. Wildcats star Koa Peat suffered a lower-body injury and has to miss some time in the last four games, but there is hope that he will return against the Jayhawks. Arizona will also hope for the return of bench player Dwayne Aristode, who has missed four games with an illness.
If either Koa Peat or Dwayne Aristode Kansas could be in trouble on the boards
In the absence of Peat and Aristode the cracks have begun to show for the Wildcats, especially on the boards, so potentially having them back could expose Kansas to their troubles of defensive rebounding.
Both Peat and Aristode average 5.4 rebounds and 2.0 rebounds per game, while Kansas averages just 9.4 offensive rebounds, which ranks last in the Big 12. Arizona ranks first in both offensive and defensive rebounds in the conference, with 13.2 and 30.0 on the boards.
Arizona can be one step closer to locking up the Big 12 regular season title with a win over Kansas, but a loss could make things a little messy, putting some pressure on the Wildcats. If Arizona doesn't have Peat or Aristode aren't back, Kansas may have an easier time taking down the Wildcats.