Preview: Wildcats (15-3) at Cardinal (10-6)
Date: January 21, 2016 11:00 PM EDT
Parker Jackson-Cartwright helped alleviate the pain of Arizona's disastrous trip to Southern California, and his next assignment comes with a visit to the northern part of the state.
After helping the 12th-ranked Wildcats extend the longest active home winning streak in the nation, the sophomore point guard will try to help them snap their first road skid in nearly two years Thursday night against Stanford.
Arizona (15-3, 3-2 Pac-12) suffered its first two conference losses on its trip to UCLA and USC from Jan. 7-9, falling 87-84 to the Bruins before a 103-101 quadruple-overtime loss to the Trojans - handing the Wildcats their first losing streak away from home since February 2014.
It only got worse when it was announced freshman standout Allonzo Trier broke his hand in the marathon defeat, sidelining him four to six weeks.
Trier had become the Wildcats' top offensive option by averaging 18.3 points on 53.4 percent shooting in eight games before his injury, including 19.3 in his three Pac-12 games.
Left without a hefty chunk of its offense, Arizona turned to another young guard in Jackson-Cartwright. He followed his career-high 11 assists during a 99-67 win over Washington on Jan. 14 with 13 points, one off his career best, and seven assists in Saturday's 90-66 blowout of Washington State - the Wildcats' 49th straight win at home.
'I thought the story of this weekend was Parker,' coach Sean Miller said. 'He played the best basketball of his career in back-to-back games.'
Jackson-Cartwright never finished with more than seven assists in 50 games entering last week, and he had scored in double figures just twice. He turned the ball over three times in 50 minutes between the two games.
The Wildcats shot a season-high 60.3 percent against the Huskies and followed at 54.2 versus the Cougars, and they combined to make 18 of 31 3-pointers - helping soften the blow of their first two road losses. Arizona, 2-2 in true road games, shot 44.8 percent at UCLA and scored only 73 points in regulation at USC.
The Wildcats, though, have won five consecutive games at Stanford as part of 11 in a row in this series dating to March 2009. They can match their longest current winning streak against a Pac-12 opponent, equaling the 12 straight victories they own against Utah.
Stanford (10-6, 3-2) has won four of its last five home games and has taken two of three in conference play. The latest was a 77-71 win over California on Jan. 14, netting coach Johnny Dawkins his 100th win at Maples Pavilion about a week after he picked up his 150th victory overall.
Rosco Allen finished with 22 points and 10 rebounds, while Marcus Allen chipped in 16 points and 10 boards for his first double-double.
Marcus Allen, a junior guard, scored 10 of his points in the final 5 1/2 minutes, all on free throws.
"He's growing right before our eyes," Dawkins said. "I thought during that six-minute stretch, Marcus was outstanding."
Stanford is one of the best teams defensively in the Pac-12 but has shot 39.4 percent in conference play while averaging 67.6 points - exactly what it gives up.
Date: January 21, 2016 11:00 PM EDT
Parker Jackson-Cartwright helped alleviate the pain of Arizona's disastrous trip to Southern California, and his next assignment comes with a visit to the northern part of the state.
After helping the 12th-ranked Wildcats extend the longest active home winning streak in the nation, the sophomore point guard will try to help them snap their first road skid in nearly two years Thursday night against Stanford.
Arizona (15-3, 3-2 Pac-12) suffered its first two conference losses on its trip to UCLA and USC from Jan. 7-9, falling 87-84 to the Bruins before a 103-101 quadruple-overtime loss to the Trojans - handing the Wildcats their first losing streak away from home since February 2014.
It only got worse when it was announced freshman standout Allonzo Trier broke his hand in the marathon defeat, sidelining him four to six weeks.
Trier had become the Wildcats' top offensive option by averaging 18.3 points on 53.4 percent shooting in eight games before his injury, including 19.3 in his three Pac-12 games.
Left without a hefty chunk of its offense, Arizona turned to another young guard in Jackson-Cartwright. He followed his career-high 11 assists during a 99-67 win over Washington on Jan. 14 with 13 points, one off his career best, and seven assists in Saturday's 90-66 blowout of Washington State - the Wildcats' 49th straight win at home.
'I thought the story of this weekend was Parker,' coach Sean Miller said. 'He played the best basketball of his career in back-to-back games.'
Jackson-Cartwright never finished with more than seven assists in 50 games entering last week, and he had scored in double figures just twice. He turned the ball over three times in 50 minutes between the two games.
The Wildcats shot a season-high 60.3 percent against the Huskies and followed at 54.2 versus the Cougars, and they combined to make 18 of 31 3-pointers - helping soften the blow of their first two road losses. Arizona, 2-2 in true road games, shot 44.8 percent at UCLA and scored only 73 points in regulation at USC.
The Wildcats, though, have won five consecutive games at Stanford as part of 11 in a row in this series dating to March 2009. They can match their longest current winning streak against a Pac-12 opponent, equaling the 12 straight victories they own against Utah.
Stanford (10-6, 3-2) has won four of its last five home games and has taken two of three in conference play. The latest was a 77-71 win over California on Jan. 14, netting coach Johnny Dawkins his 100th win at Maples Pavilion about a week after he picked up his 150th victory overall.
Rosco Allen finished with 22 points and 10 rebounds, while Marcus Allen chipped in 16 points and 10 boards for his first double-double.
Marcus Allen, a junior guard, scored 10 of his points in the final 5 1/2 minutes, all on free throws.
"He's growing right before our eyes," Dawkins said. "I thought during that six-minute stretch, Marcus was outstanding."
Stanford is one of the best teams defensively in the Pac-12 but has shot 39.4 percent in conference play while averaging 67.6 points - exactly what it gives up.
