Arizona basketball roundtable: What stands out about the Red-Blue game?

Basketball season is just about back.

The unofficial start to the Arizona Wildcats basketball season is upon us, with the Red-Blue Game going down on Friday night at 7 PM.

So what stands out to this year’s contest to our writers? Well...

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Ryan Kelapire: I think what stands out about it is how little we really know about the team. Of the team’s 10 rotation players, we don’t really know what six of them — Ray Smith, Lauri Markkanen, Kobi Simmons, Rawle Alkins, Chance Comanche, and Keanu Pinder — will contribute or what their roles will be. We have a pretty good idea, like the notion Markkanen will likely start at the four, but a lot is up in the air.

It’s pretty common in college basketball nowadays for teams to have question marks heading into a season, and this Arizona squad is no exception. And even though the Red-Blue game isn’t necessarily indicative of things we’ll see in the regular season, it at least gives us a better feel as to what to expect when that time comes.

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David Potts: I think Ryan is spot-on: the Red-Blue game will provide some clarity about how the pieces fit together for this team. The player I’m most interested in seeing, though, is Ray Smith. Smith was a five-star recruit who tore his ACL before last season, and he is arguably more talented than any of the recruits Arizona brought in this year (well, maybe not Markkanen). He’s a huge unknown at this point, but if he’s as good as advertised, Smith will be a very valuable addition to the Wildcats’ lineup this season.

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Steve Apter: The Red-Blue game is all about fun and celebrating the championship environment and legacy of Arizona basketball. As long as everyone stays healthy I don't think there is a whole lot that can be accomplished as far as real progress with x’s and o’s.

For me the best part is always the new faces. You don't really get to see much of the personality of an incoming player in the recruiting process. Arizona always seems to reel in highly-touted players, and just seeing them walk around for the first time is exciting. I'm sure those freshmen are equally as excited to put on the uniform in front of fans for the first time.

Lastly, I think the dunk contest is always fun. I can remember Fendi Onobun coming out with the “Fendi Cent” bulletproof vest or Chase Budinger fresh off the 2006 Powerade Jam Fest where he threw down a windmill from damn near the free throw line. A couple weeks ago Kobi Simmons recorded a 45 inch vertical...he needs to be careful he doesn't hit his chin on the rim.

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Matt Sheeley: Steve is right, the Red-Blue game is all about a fun introduction for the season. But while you can't really expect to learn a lot from what happens in the actual game, I can barely wait another second to see Lauri Markkanen as an Arizona Wildcat.

Fun exhibition or not, I find myself getting more and more excited for the Finnish export making his Arizona debut. You all know by now that he's a seven-foot power forward who can shoot the lights out. But I'm extra excited to see a kid who's proven to be extremely mobile put to use in Sean Miller’s defensive schemes. Markkanen averaged 3.5 steals per 40 minutes in the FIBA U20 Tournament. That could be a very underrated aspect of his game.

It'll be interesting to see how his international game translates to the madness of McKale. I say, have fun, enjoy the fanfare and what I expect to be Lauri’s only Red-Blue game.

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Brandon Hill: I think the 20th anniversary of the National Championship will play well all year, so the Red-Blue Game is the first opportunity to celebrate that. Also it’s an opportunity to see off-season improvement from returning players (Kadeem Allen for one, transitioning to more of a scoring role) and to see the new heralded recruits in action. Given that Arizona again suffered a pro defection in Terrance Ferguson, it’s important to see what the recruits actually matriculating can do on the floor. And I agree with David on Ray Smith. He will be one to watch, and given that he’s finally/hopefully back to full health, it’s like adding a 5-star recruit for this year -- but one who has a year in the program as a mental head start.

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Alec Sills-Trausch: How much people absolutely love Arizona basketball. This is a friggin’ intrasquad scrimmage and it’s been sold out for four months or so. That’s both insane and amazing. Plus, Sean Miller has turned the event into a must-see spectacle that rivals anything Kansas or Kentucky does which is important for recruiting. Arizona is going to have plenty of recruits on campus and Miller will hope the event leaves a lasting impression.

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Drake Horner: Like Alec said it shows how much people care about the program. It’s a great recruiting event every year and it gives the kids an idea what it’s like at home games. While it may not be a great indicator of the players (remember when Sidiki Johnson went off), but it is still very entertaining.

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Gabe Encinas: Welp. It’s officially basketball season in Tucson. Now there will be all the hype surrounding the team and Sean Miller’s quest to his first Final Four. This will be the year, especially since the Final Four is in Phoenix. But if it’s not this year, it’s next year. It’s also the 20th anniversary of Arizona’s National Championship, so that’ll be fun.

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