What to watch for when Arizona men’s basketball hosts Oklahoma State

There are no bye weeks in college basketball, but Arizona has had the closest thing to it. The Wildcats haven’t played since lasts month, technically, with the win Jan. 31 at ASU setting the school record for best start to a season, and when they tip off Saturday at home against Oklahoma State it will be after six days off.

From playing. Not anything else.

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“We practiced, we’ve been practicing pretty much every day,” UA coach Tommy Lloyd said Thursday. “And we want to keep building and getting better. We understand we have a lot of challenges coming up. We want to rest and recover, but you have to have a mindset to continue to improve.”

While Oklahoma State (16-6, 4-5 Big 12) will present some challenges to Arizona, particularly if it plays like it did in knocking off No. 16 BYU on Wednesday, the gauntlet starts Monday. That’s when the Wildcats visit No. 11 Kansas, the first of four consecutive games against ranked opponents and seven straight contests that currently count as Quad 1 opportunities.

That makes Saturday’s game one with “trap” potential if the UA is looking too much ahead.

“Well, I’m sure they’re really excited,” Lloyd said about the upcoming slate. “I think they love the challenge. They love competing. But I also think our guys are mature enough to know that Oklahoma State’s going to come in here, and we’re going to have to be ready to play a really good game to find a way to get a W.”

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Here’s what to watch for when the Wildcats and Cowboys tussle in Tucson:

A frenetic foe on the rise

Oklahoma State has already surpassed its regular season win total from 2024-25, coach Steve Lutz’s first year. It’s almost an entirely new roster for the Cowboys, who in addition to scoring 99 against BYU on Wednesday have an early-season win over SEC co-leader Texas A&M.

“I think they’re much improved from last year,” Lloyd said. “Coach Lutz has found a way to win everywhere he’s been. When I was watching that…

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Publish date : 2026-02-06 18:00:00

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