For the second time in two weeks, the Arizona Wildcats are hitting the road on short rest as they face one of the country’s most hostile basketball environments and a fellow Big 12 championship hopeful in Allen Fieldhouse and the No.14-ranked Kansas Jayhawks.

Arizona passed the test the first time, narrowly escaping a thunderous comeback from then-No. 13 BYU for a three-point win in Provo, Utah, but that was just the beginning. As head coach Tommy Lloyd has cautioned all season, there are no days off in the Big 12, and you have to be prepared for every environment.

“You get these environments night in and night out,” senior guard Anthony Dell’Orso said after Saturday’s win over Oklahoma State. “The Big 12’s been great at that, getting you ready for down the road, playing in these Sweet 16s, Final Fours, and things like that. The atmosphere only gets bigger. Kansas has a great atmosphere, and we’ll be ready for it.”

Previous Experience at Allen Fieldhouse

Dell’Orso is one of a few returning players from last year’s team who had to travel to Kansas for last year’s regular-season finale. The Jayhawks won 83-76, and he only had three points on one shot attempt. However, point guard Jaden Bradley was seemingly unaffected by the environment, leading the Wildcats with 21 points.

That performance and his stellar play this season have him eager to face the Allen Fieldhouse crowd again and confident that it will yield a better result as both teams vie for the Big 12 crown.

“It’s crazy in there,” Bradley said. “It’s hard to hear yourself, and their fans are crazy. Kansas is a great program. They have a great team this year, so it’s going to be a tough atmosphere, but I feel like we’re going to go out there and handle business.”

Lloyd echoed his point guard’s sentiment in anticipation of another epic battle, noting that he believes his squad has been prepared for the circumstances.

“We’re excited,” he told the media. “We’re going in there with nothing but respect for Kansas and Coach Self. We played them last year, and I’ll be honest, I’ve played a lot of places, and I came away from there thinking, ‘Alright, it is different.’ … it’s going to be an honor to compete against them. We know they’re going to give us an incredible game, and it’s going to be an awesome atmosphere. I just have a feeling those Jayhawk fans are going to be out for blood, and we’re here for it.”

Odd Scheduling Quirks

It’s a bit unusual for a college basketball team to play two games with just one day of rest in between, especially multiple times in a season with at least one of those opponents being a top-tier team in the conference. It makes for a difficult month for the Wildcats and other teams in the Big 12, but they could all benefit from the value of their great product.

“One of the ways you create value is you have great games in great viewing windows,” Lloyd said. “They [the Big 12] wanted to get as many marquee games as they could in February. They told us that and … they delivered. I’m excited for the opportunities coming up the pipe. We’re not mad at anybody. If you want to be a great program and you want to be a participant in a great conference, you’ve got to be willing to walk the walk. Our walk is playing a lot of high-level games in the month of February leading into March, so let’s do it.”

Arizona has been up to the challenge of those marquee matchups so far, but just as it was heading into BYU, the team is wary of the dangers these hostile environments will bring, and Kansas will be up there among the most formiddable.

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