Arizona is rolling into Saturday’s matchup against West Virginia with a perfect 19-0 record and a shot at making program history. A win would mark their 20th straight to open the 2025-26 season - a feat that’s already put them in elite company, but one that could be just the beginning.
Looming just two days later is a high-stakes Big Monday showdown at 13th-ranked BYU. But head coach Tommy Lloyd isn’t looking ahead.
At least, not publicly.
“You can be doing great - but you still gotta get better,” Lloyd said after Arizona’s dominant win over Cincinnati on Wednesday. That’s been the theme this week in Tucson: stay locked in.
West Virginia is no pushover, and Lloyd knows it. He’s using this weekend’s game as both a test and a tune-up before the Wildcats hit the road for their biggest game of the season so far.
West Virginia Finding Its Identity Under Ross Hodge
The Mountaineers come into McKale Center with a 13-6 overall record and a 4-2 mark in Big 12 play, tied for fifth in the standings alongside Kansas and Iowa State. Arizona, meanwhile, sits alone atop the conference at 6-0.
West Virginia has been trending in the right direction, picking up back-to-back wins over Colorado and Arizona State. Earlier in conference play, they grabbed solid victories over Cincinnati and Kansas. But when they’ve lost, it’s been rough - blowout defeats to Iowa State and Houston by a combined 50 points show this is still a team figuring things out under first-year head coach Ross Hodge.
Hodge is the fourth head coach in four seasons for West Virginia, and he brings a methodical, defense-first approach shaped by his time under Grant McCasland at North Texas. Like McCasland’s Texas Tech squad, Hodge’s Mountaineers play slow and deliberate - they rank 350th nationally in possessions per game at just 66.5. That’s a stark contrast to Arizona’s up-tempo style, which ranks 44th in the country at 74.7 possessions per game.
This clash in pace will be one of the defining dynamics on Saturday. Arizona wants to run.
West Virginia wants to grind it out. Something’s got to give.
Defense, Depth, and Rebounding: West Virginia’s Calling Cards
Despite the coaching carousel and stylistic shift, West Virginia has carved out a defensive identity. They’re sixth in the nation in scoring defense, allowing just 63.1 points per game, and they sit among the top 20 in both field goals made per game and field goal percentage defense. That kind of two-way efficiency makes them a tough out, especially when they control the tempo.
Offensively, the Mountaineers bring balance. Four players average double figures, and two more are putting up over 7 points per game.
Their depth is real - 10 players are logging at least 10 minutes a night, giving Hodge a lot of flexibility with his rotations. That depth also shows up on the glass, where West Virginia is a strong rebounding team.
That’ll be a key stat to watch, especially against an Arizona squad that thrives in transition off defensive boards.
If this sounds familiar, it’s because Arizona just saw a similar blueprint in Cincinnati - another physical, slow-paced team that defends hard. The Wildcats passed that test with flying colors, rolling to a 77-51 win. But West Virginia’s a deeper, more versatile group, and they’ll be looking to dictate terms early.
History on the Line for Arizona
If Arizona takes care of business on Saturday, they’ll head into Monday night’s clash at BYU with a chance to tie the school record for consecutive wins to start a season at 21. That’s the kind of milestone that doesn’t just get fans talking - it gets the attention of the national pollsters and Selection Sunday committee members.
Still, don’t expect Lloyd or his players to get caught looking ahead. They’ve been here before - big expectations, bigger targets on their backs. And so far, they’ve handled it all with the kind of poise and purpose that championship teams are built on.
Saturday’s game isn’t just another step in the schedule. It’s a test of Arizona’s focus, maturity, and ability to execute against a team that wants to slow them down and throw them off rhythm.
If they pass, history awaits in Provo. But first, they’ve got to handle business in Tucson.