No. 1-seed Duke men's basketball travels to Newark, N.J., for its Sweet 16 game against Arizona. The Blue Zone is here with a preview of the Wildcats, whom the Blue Devils will face for the second time this season:

Overview

2023-24 record: 27-9, 15-5 in Pac-12

2024-25 record:  24-12, 14-6 in Big 12

Head coach: Tommy Lloyd

Series history: Arizona leads 6-5

Last meeting: 69-55, Duke, Nov. 22, 2024

The last time the Blue Devils faced Arizona was not too long ago. On the road back in November, Duke took on this team at McKale Memorial Center in Tucson, Ariz. The Wildcats, led by head coach Tommy Lloyd, took advantage of Duke's messy mistakes to capitalize on turnovers. Arizona's ability to strategically gain possession of the ball and open windows for scoring allowed it to enter the second half with just a seven-point deficit. Although the Wildcats never caught up to the Blue Devils, they executed threes and interrupted Duke's passing flow to remain contenders. 

Like Jon Scheyer, Lloyd recently became Arizona's head coach in 2021. This preceded his assistant coaching position at Gonzaga for the past 22 years. Lloyd has led the Wildcats to an impressive 88-20 record in just his first three seasons. Arizona won the Pac-12 regular-season title in 2022 and 2024 while also clinching Pac-12 Tournament championships in 2022 and 2023. 

Since the Wildcats’ last matchup with Duke, Arizona has notched some impressive mid-season wins against Iowa State and BYU. However, it fell to both teams in late-season games. A familiar face for the Blue Devils currently sits on the Wildcats’ bench: Caleb Love. The former North Carolina guard has been a key contributor to the team's performance. Averaging 16.8 points per game, Love will face the Blue Devils for the 10th time in his collegiate career this week. Another key player for the Wildcats is the 6-foot-8 junior Tobe Awaka, who averages eight rebounds per game and will primarily look to capitalize on any opportunities to gain possessions for Arizona. -Ava Guglielmo

Key Stat

Though Caleb Love has been a force for the Wildcats, he failed to deliver in Duke’s previous game against Arizona. The 6-foot-4 graduate student had just 8 points and an 11.1% 3-point clip when he faced the Blue Devils, well below his season average of 16.8 points and 33.6% from behind the arc. Limiting his production again will be key for Durham’s squad if it hopes to slip away from this game with a victory. -Guglielmo

X-Factor

Duke: Tyrese Proctor

It’s hard to believe that November and March Proctor are the same person. It wasn’t too long ago that he struggled to hit anything from behind the arc. Shots bounced awkwardly off the rim and he struggled to protect the ball. Proctor just could not deliver — he had not reached his full potential. Now, heading into Thursday’s matchup with the Wildcats, Tyrese Proctor does not miss. 

In the Duke win against Baylor, the guard set career-highs in scoring and 3-pointers made. The Australian dropped 25 points, on 9-for-10 shooting from the field and a 7-of-8 clip from deep. With this performance, Proctor became the first Blue Devil to make five or more 3-pointers in consecutive NCAA Tournament games since now-head coach Jon Scheyer did so in 2010. Heading into the Sweet 16 in Newark, N.J., Proctor can be expected to make the same contribution. 

Arizona: Caleb Love

It comes to no surprise that Love will be the biggest threat for the Blue Devils Thursday. The guard, formerly of North Carolina, not only has something to prove but a title to win. Having been a pivotal part of the Tar Heels’ most recent run to the Final Four, the 6-foot-4 guard brings with him a wealth of experience under immense pressure. Although Love faced severe shooting struggles against the Blue Devils earlier this season — going 3-of-13 from the field and 1-of-9 from deep — March brings a different story. Shots will sink and points will fall into place — Duke must be prepared for a different version of Love in the postseason.

Beyond his recent scoring abilities, he has an emotional edge. With the championship aspirations he carries, expect him to give everything he has to make an impact on the court when it matters the most. That will only be doubly true against a program Love has long hated. -Callan Perchinsky

3 Keys

Stay hot: Duke shot better than 50% from beyond the arc against Baylor, with Tyrese Proctor going 7-of-8 from deep. Against Arizona, Proctor and the Blue Devils will look to build on their offensive rhythm, creating mismatches with their ball movement and opening the door for scoring opportunities. When the two teams faced earlier this season in Tucson, Ariz., Cooper Flagg put on a clinic, dropping 24 points en route to a 69-55 victory. Now, other scorers such as Proctor and Kon Knueppel are firing on all cylinders, giving Arizona a different test in the form of a much more mature offense that is riding a serious hot streak into Newark, N.J.

Remain focused: Coming into this game after routing Mount St. Mary’s and dominating Baylor is a good thing on paper, but it could lend itself to the dangerous possibility of growing comfortable. Coupled with the fact that Duke has already defeated Arizona on the road, all the signs point to this being another win in the books — or so one might think. 

The reality is that this is a completely different Wildcats team than the one the Blue Devils played back in November. After going through a rough patch where it lost four in a stretch of five games, Arizona turned on the gas, going on to finish fourth in the Big 12. Now, Scheyer’s squad must remain focused and avoid comfortability heading into one of the biggest games of the season with a spot in the Elite Eight on the line.

Perimeter defense: Duke is not the only sharp shooting team entering the Prudential Center. Arizona shot an even 50% from downtown in their win against Oregon, led by Caleb Love, who went 5-of-7. As the saying goes, the best offense is a good defense. By shutting down the Wildcats from 3-point range, it would take some pressure off of the Duke offense to excel and allow the Blue Devils to take control of the game early on, paving the way for another postseason victory in the 2024-25 campaign. -Ben Curtis