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Who: 1 Arizona (30-4) vs. 16 Weber State (19-11)
When: Friday 11:10 AM PT
Channel: TNT
Where: West Region, San Diego
Why watch?
The Wildcats are a thing of beauty to watch when they are rolling and this will likely be your best chance to see them roll in the tournament.
Who are the stars?
G Nick Johnson 6'3 200 Jr. Arizona
The Pac-12 Player of the Year is one of the best all-around players to compete in the conference in a long time. He is a leader that can defend, scored, shoot from the outside, distribute defend and grab rebounds.
G Davion Berry 6'4 185 Sr. Weber State
A long guard, the Big Sky Player of the Year has a lot in common with Johnson in that he can do everything well and is the rock for his team. If Weber State has a shot at making it a game, it will likely be because Berry is making an impact on offense and defense.
F Aaron Gordon 6‘8 220 Fr. Arizona
College basketball's Blake Griffin is one of the most entertaining players to watch in the entire country this year with his out of this world athleticism, jaw-dropping dunks and explosion. He is a force down low and can change the momentum of the game in a second with a ridiculous dunk or block.
Key matchups
Can Arizona focus on Weber State?
Arizona has pretty much every advantage known to man over Weber State. There is a reason a 16 seed has never beaten a one seed and I don't see that changing with this game. The biggest key will be if Arizona can focus on Weber State, not look ahead to a potentially highly challenging game against Oklahoma State or Gonzaga and not let Weber State hang around with the chance to steal the game late.
You're a Pac-12 fan, why do you want Arizona to win?
This year's Arizona team has the best chance of a Pac-12 team to win a national championship since the 2008 UCLA squad and they are going to want to comfortably win this game so they can save their energy for that perilous Sunday game against Oklahoma State or Gonzaga.
Prediction
With no offense to Weber State, I think Arizona absolutely rolls here, focused and ready to make a run at the national championship. Led by Sean Miller and Johnson, I don't see this team coming out unprepared in the first round and I think they start rolling early and end up with a lopsided victory.
Arizona 82 Weber State 57