How To Watch Arizona's Final Four Game Against UConn Friday

TUCSON, AZ — The Arizona Wildcats have a date with the sport's perennial juggernaut on Friday night.

The third-seeded Wildcats, who are making their debut appearance in the women's Final Four, must tame UConn, who are in the Final Four for the 13th straight season.

The Wildcats are a 13.5-point underdog in the contest, but are coming off wins over Stony Brook, Brigham Young, Texas A&M and Indiana in the 64-team event.

The Wildcats and Huskies feature divergent approaches to the game, with UConn's high-speed offense averaging 82.7 points per game this year.

Arizona, meanwhile, features a slowed-down, half-court offense that has averaged 66.8 points per game this year.

Both are sound defensively, with UConn surrendering 52 points per game, while Arizona gives up 55.2 points per game.

The Huskies are led offensively by National Player of the Year, Paige Bueckers, who's averaged 20.3 points and 6.0 assists per game this season.

The Wildcats feature a top-notch scorer of their own, however, with fifth-year senior Aari McDonald averaging 20.2 points and 4.1 assists per game.

McDonald is coming off back-to-back 30-point performances in the NCAA Tournament, including a school-record 33 points against the Hoosiers on Monday night.

The Wildcats and Huskies share some NCAA Tournament history, with the latter beating the former, 74-57, in the 1998 Sweet 16.

That contest happened to be the final collegiate game for the Wildcats' then-point guard Adia Barnes, who's now the head coach in Tucson.

Here's what you need to know about Friday's Final Four showdown:

How to Watch: The Wildcats and Huskies will play at 6:30 p.m. Arizona time, with ESPN carrying the contest nationally.

Who to Watch on UConn: The Huskies are a virtual who's who of talent, led by the aforementioned Bueckers, who's averaged 20.1 points and 4.8 rebounds this year. Three other Huskies have averaged double-digit scoring, in Christyn Williams (16.1 points per game), Olivia Nelson-Ododa (12.4 points per game) and Aaliyah Edwards (10.8 points per game).

Who to Watch on Arizona: The aforementioned McDonald won the 2021 Pac-12 Player of the Year and is averaging 20.3 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. Other Wildcats to watch include junior Cate Reese, who's averaged 11.2 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. Senior forward Sam Thomas is another veteran presence for the Wildcats, averaging 7.4 points and 3.2 rebounds per game.

Past History: The Wildcats and Huskies have only met once in their history, when UConn beat Barnes and Arizona, 74-57, in the 1998 Sweet 16.

Betting Line: The Huskies are currently a 13.5-point favorite in Friday's Final Four game, according to ESPN.