Preview: Arizona Hosts BYU in Big 12 Showdown TUCSON, Ariz. (Interstat) — The Arizona Wildcats look to rebound from a rare setback when they host the BYU Cougars in a key Big 12 conference matchup Wednesday night at McKale Center. Arizona (23-2, 10-2 Big 12) saw its national title aspirations jolted in an overtime home loss to Texas Tech on Saturday, its second defeat in three games after a 20-0 start. The Wildcats now face a BYU team (18-6, 7-5) seeking revenge from a narrow loss last month. The Wildcats edged the Cougars 86-83 in Provo on Jan. 26. In that game, Arizona’s Tobe Awaka provided a key interior presence with 9 points off the bench. The forward is coming off a team-high 16 points in the loss to Texas Tech and will be central to Arizona’s efforts to control the paint. BYU arrives in Tucson buoyed by a resilient 90-86 overtime win over Colorado, powered by a spectacular 39-point performance from guard Robert Wright. The sophomore has been on a scoring tear, averaging 26.1 points over his last seven games, including a 30-point outing in a road win at Baylor. His backcourt duel with Arizona’s backcourt, likely featuring Brayden Burries and Ivan Kharchenkov, will be pivotal. The Cougars have struggled on the road in conference play, however, dropping recent contests at Kansas and Oklahoma State. Facing a motivated Arizona team in one of the nation’s most hostile environments presents their toughest road test yet. For Arizona, this begins a brutal closing stretch against five consecutive ranked opponents, making a return to form imperative. Protecting home court is non-negotiable for the Wildcats’ conference title hopes. Wednesday’s tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. MST. The game will be televised on ESPN.