Overview
- Arizona is 8-0 with four wins over ranked opponents after a 97-68 rout of Auburn, reported as its largest margin over a ranked foe in more than two decades.
- The Wildcats face No. 12 Alabama on Saturday at Birmingham’s Legacy Arena in the C.M. Newton Classic, a neutral court described as neutral in name only.
- Tipoff is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. on ESPN.
- Alabama enters at 7-2 with wins over St. John’s and Illinois and losses to Purdue and Gonzaga, and the Crimson Tide hold a No. 12 AP ranking.
- The AP poll places Arizona at No. 1 while the NCAA’s NET metric lists the Wildcats at No. 6, highlighting an early gap between human and analytic evaluations.