How Arizona and Long Beach State match up

Probable starters

ARIZONA

• G Kadeem Allen (6-3 junior)
• G Gabe York (6-3 senior)
• F Allonzo Trier (6-6 freshman)
• F Ryan Anderson (6-9 senior)
• C Dusan Ristic (7-0 sophomore)

Long Beach State

G Justin Bibbins (5-8 sophomore)

G Nick Faust (6-6 senior)

F A.J. Spencer (6-3 senior)

F Travis Hammonds (6-6 junior)

C Mason Riggins (6-8 freshman)

HOW THEY MATCH UP

The series: Arizona has been a model of consistent domination against the 49ers. While going 5-0 all time in the series that began in 1987-88, the Wildcats have scored between 91 and 95 points every time, and never allowed more than 72. Arizona has played LBSU twice in the Sean Miller era, winning 94-72 in 2012-13 and 91-57 in 2013-14. The Wildcats held the Beach to just 27-percent shooting in the 2013-14 game.

LBSU overview: Annually playing a rugged nonconference schedule, the 49ers are doing so this time while replacing all five starters from last season. But they actually have a fair amount of experience returning, including three transfers: high scoring wing Nick Faust (Maryland), leading rebounder Gabe Levin (LMU) and former USC forward Roschon Prince. In addition, they actually have a starter back from 2013-14 in guard A.J. Spencer, who missed last season with a knee injury and is now the team’s third-leading scorer. Then there are a few reserves from last season who are handling bigger roles, most notably point guard Justin Bibbins, who has put up the nation’s ninth-best assist-to-turnover ratio (4.4-1) after averaging less than eight minutes last season while playing behind leading scorer Mike Caffey. The Beach’s two most experienced returnees, forward Travis Hammonds and guard Branford Jones, have also been among LBSU’s most productive players.

KEY PLAYERS

Long Beach State

Nick Faust

Already averaging 9.4 points as a junior at Maryland in 2013-14, the explosive wing found a bigger role at Long Beach State after he initially decided to transfer to Oregon State but backed off when Craig Robinson was fired.

Arizona

Parker Jackson-Cartwright

UA coach Sean Miller says the Wildcats’ backup point guard is “in a little bit of a rut right now,” but he’ll have a chance to get back on track in an intriguing matchup against the 5-8 Bibbins.

SIDELINES

Tough competition

While UA forward Ryan Anderson is the Pac-12’s eighth-leading scorer (15.9) and its third-leading rebounder (9.9), he has yet to win the conference’s player of the week award.

Timing may have something to do with it.

While Anderson put up double-doubles against NAU and UNLV last week to earn Arizona’s nomination, it just so happened that Utah’s Jakob Poeltl collected 19 points, 14 rebounds and three blocks in the Utes’ overtime upset of Duke.

Poeltl is the only multiple award winner this season, having also won on Nov. 23, while the single winners so far have been Cal’s Tyrone Wallace, Washington’s Andrew Andrews, UCLA’s Thomas Welsh and Arizona’s Allonzo Trier.

Wildcats rejoin Top 10

Arizona jumped back into the Top 10 Monday for the first time this season after spending all of the past two seasons at that lofty perch.

Placed at No. 8 in both the AP media poll and USA Today coaches poll on Monday, the Wildcats began the year at No. 12, hit No. 11 before losing to Providence on Nov. 27, then dropped to 19 and began climbing back up. They were at No. 13 after beating Gonzaga on Dec. 5, then stayed there last week.

Among UA opponents this season in the AP Top 25, Providence is No. 10 and Utah is 24.

More USA Basketball love

The honors keep flowing in for Miller’s USA Basketball U19 team last summer.

Already, the U19 team was named USA Basketball’s co-team of the year, while Miller was named its co-coach of the year. On Monday, it was Villanova guard Jalen Brunson earning the male player of the year award after he averaged 14.0 points, 5.6 assists and 2.1 steals in the FIBA U19 World Championships.

Brunson was particularly crucial in USA’s 82-76 win over host Greece in the semifinals, with 30 points, four rebounds and four assists.

“Jalen Brunson was spectacular this summer for our gold-medal winning U19 team,” Miller said in a USA Basketball statement. “His performance in our semifinal win over Greece was equally dominant and clutch as we played in front of a passionate, home crowd for our opponent.

“He became a leader both on and off the court for his teammates, and he is very deserving of this prestigious award.

Then-incoming UA freshman Aaron Gordon won the 2013 USA Basketball male player of the year when he led that year’s U19 team to the World Championship gold medal.

Numbers game

5 Teams on Long Beach State’s schedule that have been ranked this season.

8 LBSU’s nonconference strength of schedule as per Kenpom.com (No. 5 in Sagarin)

9.9 Ryan Anderson’s rebounding average, the highest for any UA player in nonconference games since Jordan Hill grabbed 12.3 in 2008-09.

— Compiled by Bruce Pascoe