#12 Arizona @ #18 Baylor

Who will WIN this matchup?

#12 Arizona Wildcats (9-0)

@ #18 Baylor Bears (6-1)

Current odds:

#12 Arizona Wildcats: (+180)

#18 Baylor Bears: (-225)

• The line for this game is Baylor by 5 points.

• Arizona coach Sean Miller leaned heavily on his squad’s depth and resiliency in order to come away with the Wooden Legacy title last week – two aspects of his team that figure to get tested again as it faces its most daunting challenge of the season to this point. The 11th-ranked Wildcats attempt to overcome the absences of as many as three key players Saturday when they pay a visit to No. 16 Baylor. Nico Mannion (back) and Josh Green (strep throat) – two of Arizona’s top three scorers – have already missed a pair of practices this week and could miss the team’s first true road game of the season, while reserve forward Stone Gettings is out indefinitely after suffering a facial fracture Nov. 29 against Penn. The Wildcats were able to survive an off-night from their freshmen guards (5-for-19, 17 points) in last Saturday’s title-game win over Wake Forest as fellow starters Chase Jeter and Dylan Smith combined for 37 points on 13-for-19 shooting.

• The Bears already have one impressive win on their resume, knocking off No. 22 Villanova in the championship game of the Myrtle Beach Invitational on Nov. 24. Baylor, which is in the midst of playing three ranked opponents during a four-game stretch, showed little rust despite not playing in eight days on Tuesday in a 78-46 victory over winless Maryland-Eastern Shore.

• Leading scorer and rebounder Zeke Nnaji (17.1 points, 6.8 boards) had easily the worst performance of his nine-game collegiate career against the Demon Deacons, failing to reach double figures for the first time with only five points while committing five turnovers before fouling out in 24 minutes. Smith (9.2 points) was named to the all-tournament team after scoring a season-high 20 points in the title game and reaching double figures in all three tournament contests, draining four 3-pointers in two of them. Jeter (8.2 points, 5.9 boards) also earned an all-tournament nod for his offensive contributions during the four-day event, averaging 15.3 points while shooting 76.9 percent from the field after totaling 28 points on 9-of-19 from the floor over the team’s first six contests.

• Jared Butler (19.4 points – second in the Big 12), who leads the conference in 3-pointers (26) and ranks second in 3-point accuracy (52 percent), has led the Bears in scoring in six of seven games after topping the 20-point mark for the second straight time Tuesday. Freddie Gillespie (8.3 points, 2.3 blocks) ranks second in the Big 12 in rebounds (8.6) after recording a career-high 13 in 23 minutes of action against Maryland-Eastern Shore. Preseason All-Big 12 junior forward Tristan Clark sat out Tuesday after playing all three games in Myrtle Beach but told reporters after the Villanova game he estimates he’s “between 85 and 90 percent” after undergoing two knee surgeries – including a minor one last month.

• In the first-ever meeting between the programs last season, the Bears enjoyed a plus-32 rebounding advantage (51-19) and ended Arizona’s 52-game non-conference home winning streak with a 58-49 victory.

• The Wildcats are unbeaten after nine games for the first time since the 2014-15 team started 12-0.

• Due in part to the football team’s participation in the Big 12 championship game at the same time Saturday, Baylor’s athletic department is offering free admission to all fans for this game.