Getting excited about any particular game these days seems like a setup for disappointment given how many are being canceled. That's my way of saying I can't promise you Arizona-Tennessee will go off as planned on Wednesday. But, if it does, it's clearly the game of the night.
Will the Wildcats remain undefeated?
As always, we'll see. But the fact that they're only listed as 1-point underdogs on the road against a top-20 team highlights just how nice of a job coach Tommy Lloyd is doing in his first season after replacing Sean Miller. Lloyd, a longtime Gonzaga assistant, has the Wildcats off to an 11-0 start featuring wins over Illinois, Michigan and Wichita State. They're ranked in the top 15 in both adjusted offensive efficiency and adjusted defensive efficiency, according to KenPom. They look like legitimate Final Four contenders.
As for Tennessee, this will be the Vols' first game in more than a week after their showdown with Memphis was canceled early Saturday when two players in Penny Hardaway's program tested positive for COVID-19, which led to contact tracing that left the Tigers without enough players to play (because they have an unusually high number of unvaccinated student-athletes). So it'll be interesting to see if the layoff took a toll on Tennessee, which enters with an 8-2 record featuring wins over North Carolina and Colorado. The Vols' losses are neutral-court losses to Villanova and Texas Tech.
Arizona is No. 6 in Wednesday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings. Tennessee is No. 14. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET.
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Top 25 And 1 rankings
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua finished with 16 points and nine rebounds in Monday's 94-57 win over Alcorn State. The Bears' next game is Tuesday against Northwestern State. | -- | 9-0 |
| 2 |  | Paolo Banchero finished with 12 points and nine rebounds in Saturday's 87-56 win over Elon. The Blue Devils' next game is Wednesday against Virginia Tech. | -- | 5-3 |
| 3 |  | Jamie Jaquez finished with 24 points and 11 rebounds in a 67-56 win at Marquette on Dec.11. The Bruins are currently on a COVID pause. | -- | 5-2 |
| 4 |  | Zach Edey finished with 13 points and nine rebounds in Monday's 79-59 win over Incarnate Word. The Boilermakers' next game is Dec. 29 against Nicholls State. | -- | 8-1 |
| 5 |  | Chet Holmgren finished with 20 points and nine rebounds in Monday's 95-49 win over Northern Arizona. The Zags' next game is Tuesday against North Alabama. | -- | 7-1 |
| 6 |  | Azuolas Tubelis finished with 19 points, seven rebounds and five assists in Saturday's 84-60 win over California Baptist. The Wildcats' next game is Wednesday at Tennessee. | -- | 7-0 |
| 7 |  | Christian Braun finished with 21 points and six rebounds in Saturday's 80-72 win over Stephen F. Austin. The Jayhawks' next game is Dec. 29 against Harvard. | -- | 8-1 |
| 8 |  | Max Christie finished with 17 points and four rebounds in Tuesday's 90-78 win over Oakland. The Spartans' next game is Dec. 29 against High Point. | -- | 4-4 |
| 9 |  | Walker Kessler finished with 19 points and nine rebounds in Saturday's 74-70 win at Saint Louis. The Tigers' next game is Wednesday against Murray State. | 1 | 5-2 |
| 10 |  | Boogie Ellis finished with 16 points and seven rebounds in Saturday's 67-53 win over Georgia Tech. The Trojans' next game is Dec. 30 against Arizona State. | 1 | 5-3 |
| 11 |  | Izaiah Brockington finished with 20 points and 13 rebounds in Tuesday's 79-48 win over Chicago State. The Cyclones' next game is Jan. 1 against Baylor. | 1 | 7-2 |
| 12 |  | Jamal Shead finished with 18 points and eight assists in Saturday's 72-61 win over Oklahoma State. The Cougars' next game is Wednesday against Texas State. | 1 | 9-0 |
| 13 |  | Texas Tech finished with three more turnovers than assists in Saturday's 69-55 loss to Gonzaga. The Red Raiders' next game is Wednesday against Eastern Washington. | 1 | 6-2 |
| 14 |  | Kennedy Chandler finished with 15 points, 10 assists and five rebounds in Tuesday's 96-52 win over South Carolina Upstate. The Vols' next game is Wednesday against Arizona. | 1 | 5-3 |
| 15 |  | E.J. Liddell finished with 28 points and nine rebounds in a 73-55 win over Wisconsin on Dec 11. The Buckeyes are currently on a COVID pause. | 1 | 8-1 |
| 16 |  | Bryce Aiken finished with 22 points and three assists in Sunday's 77-63 win over Rutgers. The Pirates are currently on a COVID pause. | 1 | 5-3 |
| 17 |  | Tari Eason finished with 21 points and eight rebounds in Saturday's 66-57 win over Louisiana Tech. The Tigers' next game is Wednesday against Lipscomb. | 1 | 5-3 |
| 18 |  | Andrew Jones finished with 13 points and four rebounds in Sunday's 60-53 win over Stanford. The Longhorns' next game is Wednesday against Alabama State. | 1 | 6-2 |
| 19 |  | David Roddy finished with 19 points and seven rebounds in a 66-63 win over Mississippi State on Dec. 11. The Rams are currently on a COVID pause. | 2 | 9-0 |
| 20 |  | Justin Moore finished with 17 points and three rebounds in Tuesday's 71-58 win over Xavier. The Wildcats' next game is Dec. 29 against Temple. | 4 | 6-4 |
| 21 |  | Xavier missed 17 of the 23 3-pointers it attempted in Tuesday's 71-58 loss at Villanova. The Musketeers' next game is Tuesday against UConn. | 1 | 4-5 |
| 22 |  | Sahvir Wheeler finished with 26 points and eight assists in Saturday's 98-69 win over North Carolina. The Wildcats' next game is Wednesday against Western Kentucky. | -- | 6-2 |
| 23 |  | A.J. Reeves finished with 16 points and three rebounds in Saturday's 57-53 win at UConn. The Friars' next game is Wednesday against Georgetown. | -- | 7-2 |
| 24 |  | Alabama missed 24 of the 36 3-pointers it attempted in Tuesday's 79-78 loss to Davidson. The Crimson Tide's next game is Dec. 29 against Tennessee. | 15 | 6-2 |
| 25 |  | Brad Davison finished with 19 points and two assists in a 71-68 win over Nicholls on Dec. 15. The Badgers' next game is Thursday against George Mason. | -- | 7-2 |
| 26 |  | Braden Norris finished with 18 points and nine assists in a 69-58 victory at Vanderbilt on Dec. 10. The Ramblers are currently on a COVID pause. | -- | 5-4 |
