TUCSON, Ariz. – Arizona's non-conference finale on Tuesday night will renew one of the program's longest rivalries. For the first time in over 15 years, the Wildcats will take on the New Mexico Lobos inside McKale Center. It's the first game of a home-and-home series between the two programs, which will see UA visit WisePies Arena aka The Pit in Albuquerque, N.M. next season. Tuesday is also the final game before Christmas break for both teams.

No. 18/18 Arizona vs. New Mexico
Tuesday, December 20 at 7:00 p.m. (MST)
TV: Pac-12 Network (Ted Robinson & Bill Walton)
Radio: Arizona IMG Radio Network (Brian Jeffries & Ryan Hansen)
Stats: www.arizonalivestats.com
Twitter: @APlayersProgram
#BearDown
 

• Arizona and New Mexico will continue its historical rivalry with the first game between the two since the 1999-2000 season. Tuesday's game will be the 126^th all-time meeting between the two programs that first met in 1917. The Lobos are UA's second-oldest rival behind Arizona State who first faced the Wildcats in 1913.
• The Wildcats are coming off a 67-63 victory over Texas A&M in the Toyota Center in Houston on Saturday. UA took a 13-point lead into halftime, grew it to as many as 22 points in the second half, before winning by four points. The combination of Dusan Ristic and Lauri Markkanen combined for 35 of Arizona's 67 points to go with 12 total rebounds. Arizona was an efficient 20 of 24 (.833) at the free throw line for the game.
• UA carries a 12-game home winning streak into the New Mexico game. Arizona has won its last 39 consecutive non-conference home games in McKale Center with an average margin of victory of 22.0 points per victory during the streak. The Wildcats are 114-12 (.905) at home under Sean Miller with an all-time mark of 567-103 (.845) inside McKale Center.
• Junior center Dusan Ristic continues his efficient offensive play entering his team's non-conference finale. The 7-footer from Serbia is shooting 59.6 percent from the field in his last six games while shooting an impressive 19 of 24 (.792) at the free throw line during that stretch. Ristic shot 70.6 percent from the field on 17 attempts and five of six at the free throw line in a pair of UA wins last week. He is averaging 13.5 points per game during this career-best six consecutive games of ten or more points.
• Arizona will look to up its record in non-conference finales on Tuesday. The program is 5-2 in the final game before Pac-12 play under Sean Miller with a mark of 5-1 at home in those games. UA has won 12 of its last 16 final non-conference games going back to the 2000-01 season. The Wildcats have also won 10 of its last 11 non-conference finales inside McKale Center.
• Since Parker Jackson-Cartwright injured his ankle with 12 minutes remaining in the first half of Arizona's win over Texas Southern on Nov. 30, Arizona has played with only seven available scholarship players. The Wildcats are 4-1 in the five games since PJC's injury with impressive length of leads. UA has led in 186 of the 232 minutes (.801) of official game action since Jackson-Cartwright went down while trailing for 40 minutes and being tied for six minutes.
• In addition to owning the nation's fourth-longest, non-conference home winning streak, Arizona has done it in dominating fashion. The team's average margin of victory is 22.0 points during the 39 consecutive wins in McKale Center against non-conference foes. Only six of the 39 wins have been by single digits with 22 of them being by 20 or more points. During the six non-conferences wins at home this season, Arizona's average margin of victory is 18.7 points.
• As the Wildcats enter their final non-conference game of the 2016-17 season, freshman Lauri Markkanen continues to standout in the Pac-12 statistical rankings. Markkanen ranks eighth in scoring (16.3 ppg), 15^th in rebounding (7.2 rpg), sixth free throw percentage (83.9 percent) and fifth in three-point field goal percentage (46.3 percent). He is the only player in the conference to rank in the top 15 in all four of those statistical categories.