Saturday, December 31, 2016

Arizona vs. Stanford time, TV, and preview: Wildcats go for Bay Area sweep against the Cardinal

Arizona has beaten Stanford 13 straight times

The Arizona Wildcats began Pac-12 conference play with a 67-62 road win over the California Golden Bears on Friday, and now they’ll go for the Bay Area sweep Sunday afternoon against the Stanford Cardinal in Palo Alto — a New Year’s Day battle.

The Wildcats (12-2, 1-0 Pac-12) started off slow against the Bears, trailing 19-6 midway through the first half, but used a strong second half to escape Berkeley with the victory.

Dusan Ristic led Arizona with 16 points, while Kobi Simmons scored 14 points and Lauri Markkanen had a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds.

For Ristic, it was the seventh time in the last eight games he scored in double figures. During that span, the 7-footer is averaging 13.8 points per game while shooting 64 percent from the field.

The Wildcats also welcomed back Parker Jackson-Cartwright, who had missed the team’s last six games with a high ankle sprain. The point guard played 20 minutes off the bench and dished out four assists without committing a turnover.

Jackson-Cartwright now has an assist-to-turnover ratio of 41 to 11 this season. Arizona as a team only committed eight turnovers against Cal, which was its lowest output since Nov. 21’s win over Northern Colorado.

Jackson-Cartwright’s impact was immediate and his mobility, which Sean Miller was primarily worried about, didn’t look hindered.

Meanwhile, Allonzo Trier missed his 14th game Friday, and his return date remains unknown.

The Stanford Cardinal (8-5, 0-1 Pac-12) enter Sunday’s game coming off a 98-93 loss to ASU in their Pac-12 opener.

Marcus Sheffield scored 35 points on 11-15 shooting for the Cardinal and Reid Travis added 21 points and eight rebounds, but it wasn’t enough to prevent a home loss.

The Sun Devils shot 51 percent from the field and 52 percent from 3 against the Cardinal.

KenPom rates Stanford as the No. 87 team in the country, with the 133rd-best offense and the 66th-best defense.

Travis and Dorian Pickens are Stanford’s two leading scorers. Travis — who also leads the Cardinal in rebounding — averages 18.0 points and 9.7 rebounds per game. The 6-foot-8 forward does all of his damage inside the arc, and is shooting 58.2 percent from the field this season, plus 69 percent from the free throw line where he takes an average of 8.7 attempts per game.

Travis has had some monster games this season, including a 29-point, eight-rebound outing against the Kansas Jayhawks.

Unlike Travis, Pickens thrives on the perimeter. The 6-foot-5 guard from Phoenix is averaging 13.5 points per game this season, while shooting 44.1 percent from 3. As a team, the Cardinal only shoot 31 percent from behind the arc, but Pickens is the team’s most lethal shooter.

Sheffield did sink four 3s against ASU though, and anytime a player is capable is scoring 35 points in a game, he should be on a defense’s radar as well.

The Cardinal rebound the ball well, particularly on the defensive end on the floor. Stanford has the 15th-best defensive rebounding percentage of the country, allowing opponents to grab only 23.6 percent of their misses.

Generating quality looks might be an issue for Stanford against Arizona, as the Wildcats are equipped with the nation’s 17th-best defense, while the Cardinal offense has scuffled this season.

In general, the Cardinal have struggled against the Wildcats in recent years. Arizona has won 13 straight games against Stanford, with the Cardinal’s last win transpiring in January 2009 (Chase Budinger and Jordan Hill were on Arizona’s roster. So, yeah, that’s kind of a long time).

How to watch

Time: 6 p.m. MST

TV: Pac-12 Network

Live stream: Pac-12 Live

Announcers: Guy Haberman & Don MacLean

You can follow this author on Twitter at @RKelapire



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posted by Unknown @ 4:08 PM   0 Comments

Arizona basketball: Three things we learned about the Wildcats vs. Cal

The Wildcats’ toughness showed as they were able to overcome a halftime deficit on the road in the first Pac-12 game of the year

The Arizona Wildcats opened Pac-12 conference play Friday night at the California Golden Bears. Cuonzo Martin’s team has been a tough match up for the Cats in recent meetings and Friday night was no different. Along the way, in the final Arizona game of 2016, we learned some things.

THIS TEAM HAS SOME GRIT

Like in the Michigan State game to start the year, Arizona got punched in the mouth early and had a chance to fold up shop. After leading 6-4, the Wildcats saw Cal go on a 15-0 run which got the crowd frothy. Arizona responded with a 9-0 run to maintain contact.

But Cal continued to make things tough and led by six at the half. Finally, Arizona tied the contest a few minutes into the second half. And once they took the lead midway through the second half they never relinquished the cushion.

Arizona lost a tough one point game last season in Haas Pavilion (not to mention the loss at Cal in 2014 when Arizona was ranked no. 1) so it was nice to see a tough-minded performance to the final buzzer. Minus-6 in the first half and plus-11 in the second. That’s the adjustment you want to see, especially on the road.

PARKER JACKSON-CARTWRIGHT IS CRUCIAL FOR THE CATS

Yes, part of this is having any warm body available with the Cats as short handed as they find themselves. And two points, three rebounds, and four assists isn’t going to jump out of the box score. But when PJC is on the floor, good things seem to happen.

His steady hand running the point is key, especially in working the pick and roll game with Dusan Ristic and Lauri Markkanen. With a plethora of scoring wings who look to get buckets, PJC provides Arizona a reliable ball handler who looks to facilitate.

The Cats doesn’t necessarily have a true alpha with Allonzo Trier out, but there are a bunch of guys who can score some (four of five starters were in double digits and the fifth, Kadeem Allen had nine), so as long as PJC can contribute as a playmaker, everything else will run better.

THE TWIN TOWERS WILL BE A PROBLEM ALL YEAR

Ristic and Markkanen are both highly skilled 7-footers as Arizona fans know. Both are adept in the pick and roll/pop game and can effectively finish at the rim with either hand. And when both are on the floor simultaneously they create a very difficult matchup for opposing defenses.

These are smooth and athletic bigs, not the slow and clunky variety, and Markkanen adds the dimension of the 3-point shot. Both came out firing in this game and if not for the two big men, the Cats may not have scored for the first 10-plus disjointed minutes of the game.

Ristic and Markannen combined for 29 points and 14 rebounds on 13-of-22 shooting (including a sizzling 8-of-10 shooting for Ristic). If they can consistently deliver those types of numbers, these twin towers will keep a lot of league coaches up at night.

Follow me on Twitter @BHillAZDS



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posted by Unknown @ 10:40 AM   0 Comments

Friday, December 30, 2016

Arizona vs. Cal final score: Wildcats knock off Golden Bears 67-62 in Pac-12 opener

Arizona trailed by 13 midway through the first half, but got it together

Dusan Ristic scored 16 points and Kobi Simmons added 14 as the Arizona Wildcats opened Pac-12 play with a 67-62 win over the California Golden Bears on Friday in Berkeley, Calif.

Arizona (12-2, 1-0, Pac-12) started off slow, trailing Cal 19-6 midway through the first half, but got things together and shot 53 percent in the second half to escape Haas Pavilion with a win.

The Wildcats missed 15 of their first 18 shots — several of which were at the rim — but used a 9-0 run to trim Cal’s lead to 19-15 with 7:21 left in the first half.

Parker Jackson-Cartwright, returning from a high ankle sprain after a six-game absence, made his impact felt, dishing out two assists during the run, including this one to Lauri Markkanen on a pick-and-roll.

Jabari Bird and Ivan Rabb, each finishing the game with 16 points, helped Cal extend its led to 30-20 later in the half, but the Wildcats ended it well, cutting the Bears’ lead to 32-26 at the break.

Ristic led Arizona with ten first half points, shooting 5-6 from the field. The rest of the Wildcats were 7-27 from the field, though. The two teams were a combined 2-17 from behind the arc in the first 20 minutes, despite the Golden Bears having several open looks.

The Wildcats came out of the gate strong in the second half, thanks in part to Simmons who scored eight quick points, and took a 40-36 lead (it certainly didn’t hurt that Rabb picked up his third foul) with 15 minutes to play.

Simmons attacked the rim at will and the results followed.

Rabb returned to the game, though, and helped Cal re-take a 43-42 lead with roughly 11 minutes left in regulation.

Rabb’s stay on the court was brief — and so was Cal’s lead — as Chance Comanche used a drop-step to score on Rabb to give Arizona a 46-43 lead with ten minutes left and hand Rabb his fourth foul.

Rabb came back in with Arizona leading 56-50 with six minutes to go, but it was too late for Cal. Behind a 3 from Markkanen and a nice play between Simmons and Rawle Alkins, Arizona took a 62-55 lead with two minutes left.

Markkanen finished with 13 points on 5-12 shooting, while Alkins had 10 points on 4-12 shooting.

Ristic then iced the game with a mid-range dagger at the elbow to put Arizona up 64-56 with less than a minute left.

Arizona held Cal to 33 percent shooting in the second half, outscoring the Golden Bears 41-30 over the final 20 minutes.

Neither team shot well from 3 as Arizona was 2-11 and Cal was 3-15 from that range.

Jackson-Cartwright returns

The junior played for the first time since Nov. 30 when he suffered a high ankle sprain, and he looked as good as one could realistically expect. Sean Miller was mostly concerned about Jackson-Cartwright’s mobility, but he wasn’t noticeably slower than usual.

His chemistry on the pick-and-roll with Markkanen and Ristic looked like it hadn’t missed a beat, either.

In total, Jackson-Cartwright finished with four assists and zero turnovers in 20 minutes. He provided more than just depth. Jackson-Cartwright now has 41 assists to 11 turnovers for the season. That’s....pretty good.

Relatedly, Arizona only had eight turnovers against the Golden Bears. Having their best distributor back certainly helped the Wildcats.

Dangerous Dusan

Ristic has quietly put together a dominant stretch in the last month or so.

He had ten first half points against the Golden Bears and finished with 16 points for the game on an efficient 8-10 shooting. He hit a couple mid-range jumpers and scored several times in the low post, looking as comfortable as he has all season.

The 7-footer has now scored in double figures in seven of Arizona’s last eight games.

Comanche has rough game, but makes a key play

Comanche had his best game of his career when Arizona wrapped on non-conference play ten days ago, but he couldn’t follow it up with another solid performance against Cal.

In fact, it was quite the opposite. He fouled a 3-point shooter, picked up a turnover on a travel, missed a dunk, and didn’t have much of an impact on defense or the glass.

But he did make a key play.

With the game tied at 43-43, Comanche used a quick drop-step to get a bucket — and the foul — against Rabb. Not only did it give Arizona a three-point lead with 10:33 left in regulation, but it tacked on Rabb’s fourth foul. Rabb would have to sit for the next four minutes or so, and that’s when Arizona started to take control of the game.

Comanche finished with three points, two rebounds, two blocks, and two turnovers.

Up next

Arizona returns to action Sunday when it travels to Palo Alto to face the Stanford Cardinal. That game is set for 6 p.m. MST and it will be televised on the Pac-12 Network.

Stanford dropped its Pac-12 opener to ASU on Friday.

You can follow this author on Twitter at @RKelapire



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posted by Unknown @ 10:53 PM   0 Comments

Arizona basketball recruiting: 2018 targets begin to emerge

The 2017 class still has a few more pieces left, but the 2018 targets are taking shape

Don’t fret Arizona Wildcats fans, the 2017 class isn’t done. With four signings in already and two likely still coming, Sean Miller’s current class is still in the building process.

However, I wanted to take a moment to update the Wildcats’ big board for the 2018 season.

The team will have at least three scholarship openings with Parker Jackson-Cartwright, Dusan Ristic, and Keanu Pinder running out of eligibility and a possibility of a fourth with DeAndre Ayton heading to the NBA after the 2017-18 season. So, other than those four, I won’t even begin to guess what the team’s makeup will be like.

The Arizona Big Board

Marvin Bagley III

Bagley has been the nation’s top-ranked player since, well, whenever Rome was a world power. At 6-foot-10, he’s as versatile as they come with an inside and outside game. He also has the ability to attack off the dribble. He’s a unique talent that can lead a team to a National Championship.

He’s also already down to six schools: Arizona, Arizona State, Duke, Kentucky, Oregon, and UCLA. He’s for sure a one-and-done. He recently talked to Scout about his list and said that there’s no leader right now and he’ll take his visits to determine where he fits best. Also, he won’t be committing anytime soon — not that anyone was expecting it.

Brandon Williams

Williams, who visited for the most recent Red-Blue Game, has been to campus multiple times and the coaches have made him a high priority thus far. Ranked as a five-star point guard and 19th overall, he’d be an ideal fit in a long line of successful point guards at Arizona.

He hurt his knee last month and will miss the rest of his junior season for surgery. He should be good to go for his senior year. The staff continued to recruit Ray Smith after his torn ACL, so this injury shouldn’t interrupt Williams’ recruitment.

Miles Norris

Norris was also at the Red-Blue Game and is a five-star power forward out of Mater Dei Catholic in California. At 6-foot-10, he’s ranked 17th overall and is a dynamic figure on the court. Though he’ll need to bulk up considerably, his athleticism and potential make him a top target for coaches around the country. Arizona appears to have an inside track on him right now.

Emmanuel Akot

Akot narrowed his list to four schools at the beginning of October, but his recruitment has been mostly quiet overall. He’s long, athletic, and can defend multiple positions, something that Sean Miller loves. He recently moved from Canada to Utah to play ball so we’ll have more as the recruitment ramps up. I’d figure this comes down to Utah or Arizona. The staff visited with him in late October.

Jaylen Hoard

Ranked eighth overall on Scout, Hoard (6-foot-8, 195 lbs) will begin his first year of basketball in the U.S. this season after making a name for himself at the FIBA U17 World Championships in Spain. He grew up following the Wildcats, which should put them in good shape going forward.

Taeshon Cherry

The 6-foot-8, 210 pound forward out of San Diego was also at the Red-Blue Game. Rated as a four-star right now, Cherry brings a versatility that will make him a high target among top tier coaches. With a good shot out to the three-point line and an ability to rebound and bring the ball up the court, his all-around talents would fit nicely in Miller’s motion offense.

Look for a decision mid to late summer of 2017.

Jahvon Quinerly

Arizona offered the four-star point guard out of New Jersey in October. He told ZagsBlog that U of A is “highly interested in me” and “told me that they want me to be their next point guard.” The 2018 point guard class may be the deepest it has been in years with eight of the top 31 players playing the position.

Shareef O’Neal

The son of Shaquille O’Neal, Shareef has offers from nearly every top program in the country. He and his dad took an unofficial visit to Tucson on November 18 and had a great time. Papa O’Neal has said he wants him to go to Kentucky so we’ll see how much that influences the decision.

Jarius Hamilton

The young man’s recruitment is blowing up. At 6-foot-8, 210 pounds, he’s the ideal size for a SF/PF combo that Miller likes to put out on the court, amplifying his team’s versatility.

According to a recent Scout article, “Hamilton said he hears a lot from Kansas, North Carolina State and Wake Forest. California and Arizona have also gotten in the mix, with Louisville the latest to offer. “

Jordan Brown

One of the top centers in the country, Brown is an athletic big who will make defenders pay with his mobility and footwork. The Cats will likely get an official visit from him and are currently one of the schools recruiting him the hardest.

Gerald Liddell

Liddell was on campus for the Red-Blue Game so he knows all about the Wildcat fanbase. He also has a tight relationship with the U of A coaches, a key part of what he values in the recruiting process. He’s someone I could see making an official visit.

Zion Williamson

The second-ranked player overall on 247’s Composite (they have him No. 1 on their site), Williamson is a dynamic scorer who is tough, versatile, and will never back down on either end of the court. He reminds me of a Rawle Alkins type, with a somewhat suspect jump shot that will eventually get better.

He’s also been throwing down windmills from all over the court which is pretty ridiculous.

Quentin Grimes

The talented shooting guard from Texas was in attendance for the Red-Blue Game in October and the staff made its way out to visit him the week after.

Tre Jones

The brother of former Duke guard Tyus Jones, Tre is a Duke favorite, but the staff has made it a point to reach out to him. Last May, he said, “Arizona and Duke are pretty much the only two that are recruiting me hard right now.” He added to 247 Sports, “I like them a lot, both of them. I’ve been to Duke a couple more times because obviously my brother. But I took a visit to Arizona in February and I got to see that game against UCLA, and it was a great atmosphere, a great campus. I loved that a lot.”

It’s unlikely U of A and Duke are the only ones coming after him hard seven months later, but Arizona should stay in the race the entire way.

Jalen Smith

It’s not evident that Arizona has officially offered Smith yet, but one would think it would happen at some point.

Moses Brown

The top center in the country, Brown told Scout Arizona is one of the schools prioritizing him along with California, Maryland, Florida, Kansas, and Louisville. The seven-footer would make it two straight seasons that Miller landed the best center. He's looking to push his jump shot out to at least 15 feet as well.

Cam Reddish

A top-five player in the nation, Reddish is a natural talent that has the size to be dominant on both sides of the ball. He owns a seven-foot wingspan, giving him the ability to shut down passing lanes and derail a team's offensive possession.

Jaedon LeDee

Ranked in the top-60, LeDee is another long, talented wing who would make an impact on both ends of the court.

Louis King

Arizona only recently began recruiting King, who is the ideal size for a small forward in both college and the NBA. It appears as if Sean Miller (or really Book Richardson) is one of the first West Coast programs to reach out to the New Jersey prospect. As we’ve seen in the past, Miller has made it a mission to take players from all over the country.

Tevian Jones

He doesn’t have an offer from U of A yet, but has taken an unofficial to Tucson and liked it. The four-star wing currently has offers from Grand Canyon, SDSU, and USC.

You can follow Alec on Twitter, @UofAlec, for the latest in basketball recruiting coverage.



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posted by Unknown @ 2:43 PM   0 Comments

Arizona basketball: Parker Jackson-Cartwright to return vs. Cal per ESPN

The Wildcats’ point guard seems to be good to go for the Pac-12 opener

After an initial timetable of an eight week recovery, it appears the Arizona Wildcats will get Parker Jackson-Cartwright back for their Pac-12 opener against the California Golden Bears.

Sean Farnham, who is calling the game on ESPN2 Friday night, tweeted this out after Arizona’s shootaround:

“It's a green-light for Parker Jackson-Cartwright's return tonight at Cal.”

Earlier this week, Sean Miller said that there was a possibility PJC would return on this road trip, but likely in a very limited role.

“If he can contribute and allow somebody like Kadeem (Allen) to take a four-minute break to rotate our three guards to give us a fourth guard for the first time, that would be a big shot in the arm for us,” Miller said. “So we’re hopeful that we can get that out of him, but we’re not there yet. If I had that answer I would surely tell you.”

In Miller’s words, this will give Arizona 7 1⁄4 or 7 1⁄2 players available as opposed to the seven scholarship guys the Wildcats have been working with in recent weeks. It’s been less about the seven total available, and more about the fact that only three of those seven are guards.

This will at least give Arizona a fourth guy to rotate in.

Before suffering the high ankle sprain, Jackson-Cartwright was averaging eight points and 5.3 assists per game. His turnover:assist ratio was 3.4:1, which was sorely missed in recent weeks as Arizona struggled to hang on to the ball.

Arizona and Cal are scheduled to tip-off at 9 PM MT on ESPN2.



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posted by Unknown @ 12:43 PM   0 Comments

Arizona basketball: Lack of depth forcing Wildcats to play at a slow pace

The lack of depth has turned Arizona into a halfcourt team

When Sean Miller sat down in August and September to map out his plans for this current Arizona Wildcats team, he envisioned them to be an uptempo group, one that uses its depth and athleticism to score at a dizzying pace in transition.

But, through 13 games, Arizona is playing at its slowest pace (relatively speaking, given the change to a 30-second shot clock) in Miller’s tenure with the Wildcats.

Arizona is currently 289th (out of 351 teams) in college basketball in KenPom.com’s adjusted tempo stat.

“We’re not playing as fast as we have been or would have wanted to,” Miller said. “For that matter, in our planning, when you plan out what you’re going to do, usually in the month August and September into the fall, kinda how you envision your team, it’s been the furthest thing from how we envisioned it because of the losses we’ve had in terms of players.”

And there’s the reasoning: the Wildcats have been notoriously short-handed this season, going through most of the non-conference season with just seven active scholarship players.

Playing at a faster pace simply wouldn’t be in Arizona’s best interest, given that it would mean more possessions in a game — aka more opportunities to foul and more wear and tear on Arizona’s players.

“We walk the ball up at times, we’re patient,” Miller said. “When you play with seven players, each game is different because most of the time you’re not playing with seven. One of the seven is in foul trouble, one of the seven potentially fouled out, so you’re really dealing with six. You don’t want to ever put your team in a position where you’re playing with less than five scholarship players, so we’ve made many decisions throughout the course of the last month to slow the ball down.”

And that won’t change unless Arizona gets a player or two back from injury or suspension.

“You can sense sometimes our team runs out of gas, so even if wanted to push it, that wouldn’t be in our best interest because the results won’t be good for us,” Miller said.

To Arizona’s credit, the team has adjusted well to the slow pace it’s being forced to play at. The Wildcats are 11-2 and the No. 20 team in college basketball, according to KenPom.

“I like that we’ve played smart, we’ve played to win, we’ve played the best we can be with the team we have, and really I think that’s the responsibility you have as a coach and it’s the responsibility that the team needs to share,” Miller said.

“But we’ve learned how to play at different tempos. One of the things we’ve done a great job of is not fouling…and I hope to keep that even if we’re fortunate enough to return our team at some point.”

You can follow this author on Twitter at @RKelapire



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posted by Unknown @ 11:43 AM   0 Comments

Arizona basketball: Lauri Markkanen has become the go-to guy in Tucson

The 7-footer from Finland had some skeptics prior to the season, but Lauri Markkanen has been a standout player for the Wildcats

Basketball is technically a team sport, but with only five players a side, star players can easily change a game. For the 11-2 Arizona Wildcats, Lauri Markkanen has become that player.

The 7-foot forward currently leads the Wildcats in scoring (16.1 PPG), rebounding (7.3 RPG), free throw success rate (83.3%), and three point percentage (a whopping 43.5%). His combination of skill and size had made Markkanen the focal point of Arizona's offense and has some NBA scouts and executives comparing him to Kristaps Porzingis.

It hasn't been a surprise to anyone familiar with his play in Europe's youth leagues. Arizona entered this season expecting a lot from Markkanen, and he has delivered for them in almost every way possible. He also comes from a family full of athletes, with both parents and all of his siblings having played competitive basketball or soccer at some point. Markkanen is one of seven Finnish players playing in Division-I this season.

With all the praise and success around Markkanen, it's no surprise that the Wildcats passed him the ball with a slim lead late in the Texas A&M game, despite Markkanen himself admitting his defensive mistakes helped slim down that lead. Although he ended up passing the ball, this proves that coach Sean Miller trusts Markkanen’s skills with the ball as much as his Arizona teammates do.

However, it hasn't all gone perfect. He's still adjusting to the college game, and has had to grow through the season so far to reach this point. For starters, he usually plays as a small forward despite having the size of a power forward. In the second game of the season, Markkanen actually had to learn his new position on the fly with a few players unavailable.

Markkanen also fouled out of a game against Missouri. FIBA doesn't reward players for attacking the basket as much as the NCAA does, so Markkanen has taken blocking fouls that U.S. born players might not have. It has not been a consistent issue, as he usually finishes with only a couple of fouls, but it's an issue to watch in case it turns into a larger problem later on.

One thing is for sure: Markkanen has managed to adapt so far, and should have an impact on every Wildcats game this season. Texas A&M won't be the last time Markkanen gets the ball with the game potentially on the line, and it definitely won't be the most important moment he is a part of this year. The real question is what he's going to do in March.



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posted by Unknown @ 9:33 AM   0 Comments

Sonoran Hot Reads: LSU dismisses former Arizona forward Craig Victor

The former Wildcat has been kicked off LSU’s squad

Craig Victor played in eight games for the Arizona Wildcats before he transferred in the middle of the 2014-15 season to join the LSU Tigers in search of more minutes. Well, if he’s going to keep playing college basketball, it’ll be somewhere that’s not Baton Rouge. He was dismissed from LSU on Thursday after playing eight games this year. He was also suspended for the first three games of their season

“We are obviously disappointed that we had to take this action,” LSU head coach Johnny Jones said. “It’s a privilege and an honor to wear the LSU uniform. When you commit to being part of our basketball program, there are expectations and standards that we demand from our players. Those expectations go beyond the basketball court.”

- Arizona returns to the court Friday night. Here’s our full preview of the Cal matchup

- You’re going to want to watch Ira Lee jump over not one, not two, not three, but four dudes

- Could the Wildcats add a player midseason? Sean Miller’s not totally sold on it, but could still welcome it if it’s the right situation

- Rob Dauster counted down the best 12 games from the past year. No Arizona games made the cut

- In case you were curious, Arizona has the 8th-most fouls committed in NCAA Tournament play since 2010

- An Auburn player had no problem infiltrating the Georgia huddle

Football

- Would you want to see a separate playoff for the Group of Five schools?

- Bowl executives make tons of money because this is college football and people still get mad at players for skipping these meaningless games anyway

- An Arkansas tight end was suspended from the Belk Bowl because he tried to shoplift from Belk while on a Belk shopping spree as part of the Belk Bowl. Belk Belk Belk. Oh, and Arkansas completely fell apart in the second half of that game

- Colorado struggled the entire time against Oklahoma State in the Alamo Bowl

- A couple of Arizona commits earned some big-time honors in Orange County

Baseball

- Not a ton of Arizona in here, but D1Baseball remembers the biggest storylines from last year’s postseason

Other sports

- Women’s basketball lost to Cal 74-64 to start conference play

Tucson news

- Laurent Dauphin’s presence in Tucson the last few weeks has put the Roadrunners right back to the top of the Pacific Division

- Some details have been released about a recent officer-involved shooting

- A man barricaded himself inside a southside apartment, but eventually gave himself up peacefully



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posted by Unknown @ 7:13 AM   0 Comments

Thursday, December 29, 2016

Arizona vs. Cal time, TV, and preview: Wildcats open Pac-12 play against the Golden Bears

The Bears feature one of the nation’s top defenses and a high-scoring trio

After a ten-day break, the Arizona Wildcats will return to action Friday when they open up Pac-12 play against the California Golden Bears in Berkeley, Calif.

The Wildcats made it through non-conference play with an 11-2 record, and capped it off with a 77-46 blowout win over New Mexico on Dec. 20.

Considering Arizona went through much of non-conference play with just seven scholarship players, head coach Sean Miller is happy with where his team at the moment.

Still, he will gladly add another scholarship player to the mix, and it could happen as soon as Friday. Miller said point guard Parker Jackson-Cartwright, who returned to practice Tuesday, could play in a limited capacity against the Golden Bears. Jackson-Cartwright suffered a high ankle sprain on Nov. 30 in a win versus Texas Southern and has not played since, missing Arizona’s last six games.

There is still no update on Allonzo Trier’s status, as the sophomore has missed Arizona’s first 13 games for unspecified reasons.

The Wildcats had a four-day Christmas break from Dec. 21 to Dec. 24 to recover and, for some, to see their family back home. The latter was especially true for Kadeem Allen, who got to spend time with his 3-month-old daughter for the first time.

But that break quickly came to an end and the Wildcats returned to practice on the evening of Christmas Day, returning their focus completely back to the hardwood as Pac-12 play draws near.

Arizona has won its last five games, and ranks as the No. 34 offensive team and No. 18 defensive team in the country, according to KenPom.com. Meanwhile, the Wildcats are ranked 18th overall in the latest AP and Coaches Polls.

Cal enters Friday’s game with a 9-3 record, as it dropped its non-conference finale at home to No. 12 Virginia on Dec. 21. That loss snapped the Golden Bears’ 27-game home winning streak at Haas Pavilion.

They’ll look to start a new winning streak Friday against an Arizona team they have beaten twice in the last three years in Berkeley.

Cal has a talented trio in freshman point guard Charlie Moore, sophomore forward Ivan Rabb, and junior guard Jabari Bird.

Moore has been an explosive scorer out of the gate, averaging 16.1 points per game, while shooting 43.3 percent from the field and 42.9 percent from 3. His distributing skills haven’t been as impressive, though, as the 6-foot point guard has the same amount of assists as turnovers (39).

Second on Cal in scoring is Rabb, a former Arizona recruit. The 6-9 forward surprisingly returned to school for a second season, and is averaging 14.6 points and 9.2 rebounds per game. He has hit a bit of a rough patch recently, however, as he’s scored in double figures in just one of Cal’s last six games. Still, he’s a dangerous player that Miller said is particularly tough to guard and game plan for because he is ambidextrous.

Meanwhile, Bird averages 15.7 points per game, plus the Golden Bears have sharpshooter Grant Mullins, who is sinking 41 percent of his 3s this season.

“Offensively, I think they really run things through Ivan Rabb, obviously Moore at the point, they’ve added firepower,” Miller said. “Jabari Bird is an excellent shooter. When he gets going they take on a whole new upside, so I think being aware of his 3-point shooting and his scoring, every team that plays Cal worry about them.”

That being said, the most impressive thing about this Cal team is its defense. The Golden Bears have the sixth-best defense in college basketball, per KenPom.com, as they are holding teams to a 40.4 field goal percentage inside the arc, and a 28.9 percentage outside the arc. They also have a defensive rebounding percentage of 78.3 — the fourth-best rate in college basketball.

“With Cal it starts with defense, they’re a physical, tough-minded, well-coached, disciplined team,” Miller said. “They take great pride in defense, they take great pride in rebounding, getting stops. They play a very rugged, physical man-to-man defense. If you look at their defensive numbers, you can make the case that they’re our conference’s best defensive team at the moment and I think that’s anchored by the size of Kingsley Okoroh and Rabb and Jabari Bird is a big guy….They’re hard to score on.”

Okoroh is a 7-foot-2 big man from England who is averaging 6.8 rebounds and 2.5 blocks in just 23.4 minutes. He and Rabb are make up one of the few frontcourts that can match the size of Arizona’s Dusan Ristic and Lauri Markkanen.

How to watch

Time: 9 p.m. MST

TV: ESPN2

Live stream: WatchESPN

You can follow this author on Twitter at @RKelapire



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posted by Unknown @ 7:09 PM   0 Comments

Roadrunner Roundup: Laurent Dauphin blends right in after stint with Arizona Coyotes

A much-needed offensive threat has helped push the Roadrunners back on top of the division

After leading the Pacific Division for much of the early going, the Tucson Roadrunners have found their way back to the top after picking up four more points on a two-game post-Christmas road trip.

The offense is continuing to click on all cylinders, scoring 4+ goals in six of the team’s last seven games, and a large part of that has been the presence of Laurent Dauphin.

Dauphin, a 21-year-old from Quebec, tallied two goals and an assist in 20 games with the Arizona Coyotes this year before being sent down to Tucson for the past seven games.

Now he has ten points (5G, 5A) in those seven games. For comparison’s sake, Dauphin had 24 points in 66 games at the AHL level last year.

“I’m more comfortable and more patient with the puck,” Dauphin explained of his success. “I feel pretty good. It’s a great group of guys, and it’s fun to win some games.”

“I’m doing more offense than I do up there,” Dauphin added about his different role with the Roadrunners as compared to when he’s with the Coyotes. “I just play my game here and try to help us get a win.”

Tucson is 6-1-0 in its last seven games.

Though he was kind of the new guy on the block, it didn’t take much for Dauphin to get acclimated with his linemates and begin to thrive at the AHL level.

“We spend maybe a week or two (getting the flow), and that’s really all it takes,” Christian Fischer said about trying to incorporate guys that come down from the NHL level. “I think it comes down to if you can play the game, it doesn’t take much more than that, as long as everyone’s thinking the right way.”

“It’s just finding guys on the ice and knowing where he’s at,” Dauphin said of what he had to learn with Fischer. “It’s been pretty good so far.”

The reality is that Dauphin is obviously down in Tucson to work on some things, and some of his production is dependent on his teammates being able to help ease his transition into the lineup.

“When he comes down here, he knows how to play,” said Fischer. “He knows how to compete, so it’s really easy playing with him. He knows everything to know.”

“You just want him to keep pushing and keep playing good hockey so he can get back up there,” Roadrunner head coach Mark Lamb added. “He’s created a lot of offense since he’s been down here, and it was something that we were missing.”

“He’s probably disappointed to be down,” Chris Mueller said about his new teammate. “He’s trying to work his way back up there just like (Tyler Gaudet) is now, so you just stay positive with them and working hard, and they’re going to get their chance again. You gotta play well down here to get back up, and those guys know that, and they come with the right attitude and in due time they’ll be back up there in a hurry.”

There was one goal in particular that showed the instant chemistry Dauphin is having with his teammates. On December 21st, there was this play where Mueller spins around and gets the puck across to the other corner, finding Dauphin for the easy goal.

“I was pretty happy to see that puck coming to me,” Dauphin joked. “It was a pretty good pass, yep.”

“Our line’s starting to get a little bit of chemistry,” added Mueller. “There’s a reason he made the team out of camp; he’s a smart player, good on draws, and good penalty killer, and his offense is coming around too, which is just another positive under his belt.”

“If he can continue that I’m sure he’ll be up in no time.”

The thing that really stands out when watching Dauphin on the ice is how much faster he is than most other players in the AHL, which also caught the eye of Coach Lamb.

“His speed,” Lamb responded when asked about Dauphin’s biggest strength. “I’m just getting to know him too, but he’s a smart hockey player, and he could be a 200-foot hockey player. That’s how he’s going to have to play to get back to the NHL.”

The Coyotes sent Dauphin to work on one thing in particular, and that was to be more patient with the puck.

“Just trying to make plays instead of chipping it in every time,” he explained. “If I go back up there, I need to bring that back.”

Quick Meeps

  • There are several extended point streaks going on with this team right now. Fischer and Kyle Wood have recorded points in seven-straight games, and Mueller is at four-straight. Only four players have had point streaks longer than seven games this year, and only one of those streaks is active
  • Wood’s 28 points have him tied for second among all AHL rookies. Jake Guentzel has 32. Wood’s 21 assists are tied for fourth-most in the league by any player, and lead all defensemen
  • Even with some struggles, the Roadrunners are still second in the league in power play percentage, converting on 31 of their 115 man-advantage opportunities (27.0%). Only the Grand Rapids Griffins at 27.9% are better
  • The team returns to Tucson for two games this weekend. Friday’s game is Star Wars Night, and Saturday’s is a dollar dog New Year’s Eve special. Friday starts at 7:05 PM MT, and Saturday commences at 6:05 PM MT.


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posted by Unknown @ 4:44 PM   0 Comments

Arizona football recruiting: Wildcat commits Colin Schooler and Austin Faoliu earn All-Orange County accolades

Arizona recruits had big seasons in Orange County.

The Arizona Wildcats needed some good news on the recruiting trail and got some this week. Arizona received a commitment from Colin Schooler, who was recently named Orange County defensive player of the year.

Teams were constantly game planning around him, but he still ended up with 77 tackles. Schooler didn’t leave the field much as he was quite the offensive player as well for Mission Viejo. He averaged a whopping 11.5 yards per carry, racking up 1,161 yards and 19 touchdowns on the ground to go with 21 receptions for 464 yards and six touchdowns in the air.

Some of you may know his brother Brenden Schooler. He started ten games for the Oregon Ducks and had a big year for a true freshman, but he was a late addition and didn’t get offered until June, four months after National Signing Day.

Watching his brother go through the recruiting process and not get an offer until that late may have rattled some kids, but Colin wasn’t fazed.

When asked if he was worried if he would ever have a BCS school offer he said, “Not worried, I was going some place for school, just didn’t know where.”

Schooler is coming in as a part of a pretty big linebacker class for the Wildcats. Kylan Wilborn, Tony Fields, Jose Ramirez, Joshua Brown, and Jalen Harris are all currently committed.

But Schooler is ready to help out in any way possible.

“I can play either inside or outside, so wherever they need me,” he explained. “I just want to help the team, so I will play wherever they tell me to.”

No matter what position Colin ends up playing at Arizona, the Wildcats got a steal and he might be able to come in right away to help out a depleted linebacker corps.

Austin Faoliu was named first team All-County defense as well. Arizona got a commitment from him back in September. Faoliu was once an offensive line prospect, but after a big year on defense, he is looking to provide an immediate impact for the Wildcats.

Coming out of powerhouse Mater Dei, Faoliu’s coach had some kind words to say about him.

“He’s one of the best nose tackles we’ve had in my 28 years as head coach at Mater Dei,” Monarchs coach Bruce Rollinson said. “He was a dominating force week in and week out.”

Mater Dei has a constant stream of talent coming in and out of the program and is a powerhouse in California. So being called one of the best nose tackles in the last 28 years is definitely saying something.



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posted by Unknown @ 11:39 AM   0 Comments

Arizona basketball: Sean Miller open to adding a player midseason

The Wildcats have been linked to Hamidou Diallo, a 2017 recruit who could play in the spring semester

The Arizona Wildcats have been severely short-handed nearly the entire season, and there is a unique way to solve that problem: add a player midseason that can play right away.

Players like that are hard to come by, but the Wildcats have been linked to one of them in Hamidou Diallo, a 2017 five-star recruit who has been cleared by the NCAA to play in the spring semester of this season.

Arizona head coach Sean Miller has said he is not a huge fan of adding a player during the season — presumably because of the adjustment period the player would need — but he didn’t quite rule it out when asked about it on Wednesday.

“I wouldn’t say never, it just has to be a special situation,” Miller said. “It has to be the right situation. If you add somebody and they’re not able to play that makes a lot more sense because…if you judge us we’ve played 13 non-conference games, we’ve practiced 50 times. We’ve gone through a Christmas, now have practiced three or four times getting ready for our conference season. I think just to add somebody for the first time who could play, that’s really hard on the current team. But to add somebody at the break who a year from now could be eligible, I think you have to look at each situation separately.”

If there ever is such a thing as a special situation, this is probably it. Arizona is without four scholarship players in Ray Smith (torn ACL), Talbott Denny (torn ACL), Parker Jackson-Cartwright (high ankle sprain), and Allonzo Trier (unspecified).

Jackson-Cartwright’s return is inevitable, but Smith and Denny are out for the season and Trier’s status continues to be unknown.

A midseason addition for the Wildcats could possibly mean the difference between having nine scholarship players instead of eight down the stretch. Not to mention that, in Diallo’s case, he’s more than a depth piece. He’s the No. 1 shooting guard in the 2017 recruiting class and could make a major impact on the court once he gets up to speed with his new team.

Diallo wouldn’t be the first to do that this season, either. Auburn center Austin Wiley is averaging 7.3 points and 3.0 rebounds since joining the Tigers in mid-December.

It does seem like Arizona is a longshot to land Diallo, though, looking at 247Sports’ Crystal Ball, but the prospect of adding a scholarship player — one that can play immediately — to the team’s short bench certainly is intriguing.

“I wouldn’t know, we’ve never really done it,” Miller said of adding an eligible player midseason. “I’m sure, like everything, it’s all about speed now and how quickly you can kind of get in the system, how quickly you can get into the next phase of a professional career, so I don’t see that stopping anytime soon. That process starts around ninth or tenth grade. It doesn’t begin as a freshman in college, so that way of thinking, if you’re one of the elites — whether a parent, high school coach, travel team — I think that way of thinking is just part of college basketball right now.

“So if that happens, it happens.”

You can follow this author on Twitter at @RKelapire



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posted by Unknown @ 9:39 AM   0 Comments

Sonoran Hot Reads: Arizona offers Hillcrest guard Josh Green

Will the Wildcats get another prospect from the Phoenix area?

*There are some old things in here because it’s been a while since we’ve had an SHR.

Hillcrest Prep is an interesting place in the basketball recruiting world, but that doesn’t seem to faze the Arizona Wildcats and Sean Miller. The 2017 class already has DeAndre Ayton from that school, despite questions of whether or not he’ll actually make it to campus. Well, Miller’s already looking to add a 2019 player from that school. On Monday, Arizona offered four-star shooting guard Josh Green. According to 247, Green is the 72nd-best player in the class overall, and tops the Arizona list

- Oregon gave UCLA its first loss of the year on Wednesday in buzzer-beating fashion. Dana Altman was not enthused that Duck fans rushed the court twice

- The top teams in this conference are a ton of fun. USC is still undefeated after beating Oregon State by seven

- ASU fans are hoping that success is coming in the long-term with Bobby Hurley

- Kadeem Allen’s Christmas break was probably a lot more emotional than yours

- It seems likely that Parker Jackson-Cartwright will see the floor in some capacity within the next two weeks

- We gave our thoughts on what the biggest takeaway from the season so far has been, and what we think this team can do moving into conference play

- If you missed Richard Jefferson’s dunk-a-thon on Christmas, change that now

Football

- Jeff Tedford finished off naming his assistant staff at Fresno State, and it does not include Jim Michalczik

- Potential landing spots for Anu Solomon shrunk by one when Mike Leach announced that Luke Falk is coming back. WSU went on to lose the Holiday Bowl to Minnesota. Utah beat Indiana on Wednesday with all the cliche Ute things that could have happened

- Here’s a look back at how Arizona players did in the NFL last week. Also, Cayleb Jones is now on the Vikings practice squad

- 2017 opponent Houston hired Mississippi State QB coach Brian Johnson to be the Cougars’ offensive coordinator. They are expected to have Texas A&M transfer Kyle Allen starting at quarterback next year

- The UA coaching staff added another linebacker commit in Colin Schooler on Tuesday

- Is the Arizona Bowl worthwhile if they’re struggling to sell tickets the way they are right now?

Baseball

- Kevin Newman got engaged to former Arizona tennis player Shayne Austin

Other sports

- Women’s basketball crushed Portland State on Tuesday, and will now host Cal on Thursday

- The hockey team will add Jason Zaleski for second semester. He is a transfer from NCAA D-III SUNY-Buffalo State

Tucson news

- U of A was named the best theater school in the state by people that would know such things

- Take a minute to think about how lucky Tucson is to have a place like UMC in its community

- The Roadrunners have taken over first place in the Pacific Division with a big win over Stockton Wednesday night. Also, line brawl!

- An elderly man died after being run over in the parking lot of a southwest side Circle K

- There have been several bike thefts at Tucson Hop Shop, which is a cool place that shouldn’t have to deal with this

- Pedestrian deaths in Tucson have gone up again this year

- There was a cabin fire on Mount Lemmon

- Living downtown seems like a pretty great life choice if you can do it

- The Navy will commission the USS Gabrielle Giffords sometime in mid-2017



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posted by Unknown @ 7:14 AM   0 Comments

Wednesday, December 28, 2016

Arizona basketball: Kadeem Allen’s three-month-old daughter adding fuel to the fire

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posted by Unknown @ 5:59 PM   0 Comments

Arizona Wildcats in the NFL: Will Parks has career day

Former Wildcats made some noise this past weekend

Week 16 saw many former Arizona Wildcats in action. One rookie had a career day while another recorded his first career tackle. Meanwhile, three veterans continued to make their mark.

Will Parks, S (#34), Denver Broncos

2016 Stats: 21 tackles, 1.0 TFL, 1 INT, 1 PBU

The rookie safety had a career game statistically. He did have some issues with Kansas City tight end Travis Kelce, but overall had a decent game. Parks had five tackles, including a TFL, in Denver’s dismal 33-10 loss.

Brooks Reed, LB/DE (#50), Atlanta Falcons

2016 Stats: 25 tackles, 3.0 TFL, 2.0 sacks, 1 PBU, 1 forced fumble

Reed continues to be a problem for offenses at the line of scrimmage. He had three tackles, including 0.5 TFL and a half sack, in Saturday’s 33-16 beating of the Carolina Panthers.

Trevin Wade, DB (#31), New York Giants

2016 Stats: 22 tackles and 3 PBU

For as much negativity that has been thrown Wade’s way, he has really played well the last few games. He had three tackles, including two huge third down stops, in New York’s 24-19 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.

Earl Mitchell, DT (#90), Miami Dolphins

2016 Stats: 17 tackles and 4.0 TFL

Mitchell had another solid game on Saturday against the Buffalo Bills. He continued to disrupt plays at the line of scrimmage and finished Miami’s 34-31 overtime win with two tackles and 0.5 TFL.

He also got blood all over his shoes:

Scooby Wright III, LB (#58), Arizona Cardinals

2016 Stats: 1 tackle

Scooby continues to see the field as he learns Arizona’s defense and works his way up the depth chart. He recorded his first career tackle Saturday against the Seattle Seahawks as the Cardinals won 34-31 on a last second field goal.

Nick Folk, K (#2), New York Jets

2016 Stats: FG: 24-for-28 with a long of 51 yards; PAT: 21-for-23

The Jets had a rough go of it on Saturday against the New England Patriots, losing 41-3. Those struggles actually made it over to the kicking game as well. Folk was only 1-for-2 in field goal attempts. He knocked a 29-yarder through but missed a 34-yarder in the second quarter.

Robert Golden, S (#21), Pittsburgh Steelers

2016 Stats: 34 tackles, 1.0 TFL, 1 PBU

Golden did play in Pittsburgh’s thrilling 31-27 win over the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, however, he had to leave the game early with an ankle injury. He is listed as questionable for this week and may be limited.

Marquis Flowers, LB (#53), Cincinnati Bengals

2016 Stats: 7 tackles

Flowers did not record any stats in Cincy’s 12-10 loss to the Houston Texans.

Ka’Deem Carey, RB (#25), Chicago Bears

2016 Stats: 32 car, 126 yds, 0 TD; 5 rec, 55 yds, 0 TD

Carey was inactive for the Bears’ 41-21 loss to the Washington Redskins.

Nick Foles, QB (#4), Kansas City Chiefs

2016 Stats: 36-for-55 410 yds, 3 TD, 0 INT

Foles did not see the field against the Broncos. And Andy Reid let a 340-pounder throw a TD pass to end that game instead of putting Foles in.

Rob Gronkowski, TE (#87), New England Patriots

2016 Stats: 25 rec, 540 yds, 3 TD

Gronk is on IR after season-ending back surgery.

Cayleb Jones, WR (#16), Minnesota Vikings

Early Wednesday morning, the Vikings announced that they signed Cayleb Jones to their practice squad. Jones confirmed it via his Twitter.



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posted by Unknown @ 3:34 PM   0 Comments

Arizona basketball: Parker Jackson-Cartwright returns to practice, could play in Friday’s game at Cal

Jackson-Cartwright could have a small role as the Wildcats make the trek to the Bay Area

The Arizona Wildcats might be getting a key player back for the start of Pac-12 play.

Head coach Sean Miller said Wednesday that Parker Jackson-Cartwright returned to practice Tuesday (though in a limited capacity) and could play Friday when Arizona faces the California Golden Bears in Berkeley.

“If he can contribute and allow somebody like Kadeem (Allen) to take a four-minute break to rotate our three guards to give us a fourth guard for the first time, that would be a big shot in the arm for us,” Miller said. “So we’re hopeful that we can get that out of him, but we’re not there yet. If I had that answer I would surely tell you.”

Miller joked that Jackson-Cartwright could be counted as 1⁄4 or 1⁄2 of a player.

“We could use him as depth,” Miller said. “...But as long as we’re not putting Parker out there to further risk an injury, I think all of us have a peace of mind and we’ll be on the same page as him about what his role will be — if he has a role.”

Jackson-Cartwright is at the point in his recovery where he is not at risk of further injuring his ankle, but his mobility is hindered.

“His ankle gets sore, he’s not able to stop and start and cut like he will be able to,” Miller said. “That’s the good news — four weeks is behind and he’s strong, he’s stable, he’s not at further risk, but you don’t go from not doing anything in the four weeks to all of a sudden ‘I’m ready to go’ so we’re very much in a progression.”

Jackson-Cartwright is able to run and jump, however.

“He’s strong enough to support himself,” Miller said. “I think the pain is reduced enough to where he’s not out there hopping. You’ll see that he can run and he can jump, but we’re talking about playing in a five-on-five opening weekend of conference play. There’s a big difference between being able to do that 100 miles an hour and maybe 75 miles an hour. And when he’s out there at 75 miles an hour, he wants to play well. He doesn’t want to go out there and not play well and we need whoever plays in the game to be able to do their job.

“So we’ll be smart. If we’re able to incorporate him in what we’re doing to give him a role that brings out the best in him, obviously Parker will grow that role because as every day that goes by, I think that he’ll be further and further along towards 100 percent.”

Jackson-Cartwright was originally deemed to be out for eight weeks after he suffered the high ankle sprain on Nov. 30, but Miller made it clear that the junior is ahead of schedule.

“I don’t think it’s going to take towards the third week of January for him to be 100 percent, but we’re still very much in a wait-and-see (situation),” Miller said. “I’m anxious to watch him [Wednesday] and [Thursday], to see how he can continue to develop whether we’ll play him at all, what role he’ll have, and then how quickly he can come back.”

Jackson-Cartwright has missed Arizona’s last six games, in which the Wildcats have a 5-1 record. He is averaging 8.0 points and a team-high 5.3 assists per game.

You can follow this author on Twitter at @RKelapire



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posted by Unknown @ 2:09 PM   0 Comments

Tuesday, December 27, 2016

Arizona football recruiting: 3-star linebacker Colin Schooler commits to Wildcats

This is a very nice pickup for the Wildcats

The Arizona Wildcats landed a very nice addition on Tuesday, securing a commitment from high 3-star linebacker Colin Schooler from Mission Viejo High School (Mission Viejo, CA).

Schooler is a talented and smart football player, but for whatever reason, flew under the radar.

He was offered by Arizona on December 14 and also held offers to Fresno State, New Mexico, and Nevada amongst others.

I spoke with him shortly after he announced his commitment. He had this to say about pulling the trigger:

“Well I love Coach (Marcel) Yates, Coach (Scott) Boone, and Coach (Rich) Rodriguez. I really love what they are building there. I want to be a part of bringing the program to the top of the Pac-12. They also have four majors that I am interested in. They offer business, communications, criminal justice, and political science.”

When asked if he is still taking an official visit to UNLV:

“No. I have made my decision. There is no need.”

He is still taking his official visit to Tucson on January 13.

Schooler made All-County Defense for Orange County following the 2016 season. He finished his senior year with 77 tackles, 4.0 TFL, 2.0 sacks, 2 INT, 2 PBU, and a forced fumble.



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posted by Unknown @ 1:59 PM   0 Comments

Monday, December 26, 2016

College basketball rankings: Arizona remains 18th in AP and Coaches polls

No movement this week

In a not-shocking-at-all development, the Arizona Wildcats did not move anywhere in the two major college basketball polls this week.

Most teams played one game at most this week, and Arizona’s was a shellacking of an underwhelming New Mexico Lobos squad.

So, the Wildcats remain 18th in both the AP and Coaches Polls. Here’s a look at the full AP poll:

The top five remain unchanged, with the Louisville Cardinals taking a jump up thanks to a win over Kentucky. It’s still the Villanova Wildcats on top, with Pac-12 foe UCLA Bruins in the No. 2 slot.

As for the rest of the conference, the Oregon Ducks drop one spot to 21st, while the USC Trojans are up a spot to 22nd. USC is still undefeated, and open Pac-12 play at Oregon on Friday. That’s a big-time weekend right away with the L.A. schools going to Oregon to celebrate the New Year.

There are no Pac-12 teams in the “others receiving votes” category for the AP Poll, but Arizona’s Friday opponent, the California Golden Bears, are essentially 32nd in the Coaches poll. Colorado is also receiving votes.

Arizona’s non-conference schedule ends with two ranked teams, and both of those games were losses for the Wildcats. No real resume-boosting wins at this point, which is unfortunate. Luckily, the top third of the Pac-12 appears to be really good, so those wins could mean just as much come March when seeding is at stake.



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posted by Unknown @ 10:55 AM   0 Comments

Arizona basketball roundtable: Non-conference takeaways and Pac-12 expectations

What did we glean from the Wildcats’ first 13 games, and where do we see them finishing in the Pac-12?

The calendar has moved past Christmas, which means the college basketball world turns its eyes to conference play.

After putting up an 11-2 non-conference record, the Arizona Wildcats seemed to be hitting their stride just before the Christmas break. It was a 13 games that were filled with ups and downs, mass uncertainty, and pretty much every emotion possible for fans.

So what did we make of the non-conference? We discuss that here, and then go into Pac-12 expectations at the bottom:

Brandon Hill: My biggest takeaway is how important recruiting is. When you lack depth due to injuries or mysterious suspensions, it’s vital to have really, really good players on the floor. The “Big Three” freshmen -- Lauri Markkanen, Rawle Alkins, and Kobi Simmons -- have been as good as advertised, particularly crucial because of the necessity of each playing more minutes and in larger roles than perhaps originally expected. I think Alkins in particular will be a key player going forward with his versatility. Also, because of roster uncertainty I think this team is still searching for its identity, which is somewhat unusual after 13 games.

David Potts: The freshman are very, very good. Arizona’s lack of depth has thrust Lauri, Rawle, and Kobi into the spotlight very quickly (those three actually lead the Wildcats in minutes), and all three have been tremendous. The biggest surprise, to me, is Kobi Simmons. Simmons is obviously a top recruit, but I viewed him as a guy who would take more time to develop than Lauri or Rawle. Instead, he’s averaging more than 12 points per game right off the bat and showing significant defensive potential, too. That all three, though, have contributed so heavily bodes well for the Wildcats going forward.

Ryan Kelapire: Sean Miller is a good coach. It would have been very easy for this team to come unglued with the injuries and suspensions, but this Wildcats team has held it together. Say what you want about Miller as an offensive tactician, but his ability to get a team in order and ready to play, plus get results defensively (Arizona is 18th in defensive efficiency), has been impressive this season. If this team remains short-handed then, yes, the team’s ceiling is limited in terms of how far they can go in the NCAA Tournament but, at minimum, they’ll be competitive.

2. New predictions for this team’s record in Pac-12 play:

BH: I’m operating under the assumption that there will be no Allonzo Trier all year. As such, this team lacks a go-to scorer. Luckily there are a number of guys who have picked up the scoring slack so far (four players averaging double-digits and two others above 8 points per game). Arizona is currently top 30 in both adjusted offensive and defensive efficiency, per KenPom. The league is interesting in that UCLA -- not Oregon or even Arizona -- enters conference play as the team to beat. The L.A. schools in fact are a combined 26-0, making that January road swing perilous. The Cats only face Oregon once, but it’s in Eugene. I think the Cats are a good team still finding their way. I could see a 13-5 league season.

DP: 13-5 in conference play. The Pac-12 is loaded with games that Arizona should win and will probably win, but can’t be taken for granted. For example: the Wildcats open up conference play on the road against Cal and Stanford. Neither team has lost a bad game all year — the worst loss between the two is Cal’s loss to San Diego State in Sacramento, which isn’t that bad — and both have the potential to knock off the Wildcats. As Brandon mentioned, the trip to the Los Angeles schools in mid-January is treacherous, too. I expect the Wildcats to split most of their road trips, win almost all of their home games, and finish right about that 13-5 mark.

RK: If there is no Allonzo Trier, I think Arizona finishes third in the conference (exact record, I don’t know). If he returns, though, I could see the Wildcats finishing anywhere in the top 3. I know UCLA has been an offensive juggernaut, but its defense is still a measly 66th in the country in efficiency. Pac-12 games — especially on the road — are typically close, and if you struggle to get stops on a consistent basis, it can be easy to drop a game that you probably shouldn’t have. Plus, Oregon and UCLA have to play each other twice, while Arizona only has to play Oregon once, so Arizona does have an easier schedule than those two teams.



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posted by Unknown @ 10:05 AM   0 Comments

Sunday, December 25, 2016

Richard Jefferson throws down nasty dunks as Cavaliers beat Warriors

The old man showing the youngins how it’s done

Richard Jefferson is quite old.

But he’s apparently not old enough to stop throwing down nasty jams on people.

The Cleveland Cavaliers took down the Golden State Warriors on Christmas, but the highlights came in the fourth quarter when the ex-Wildcat made some posters.

This first one he got a technical afterward for winking at Kevin Durant, but that’s so worth it.

And just a couple minutes later, Jefferson went over Klay Thompson to get to the rim.

Just a reminder. Richard Jefferson is 36 years old and went to Arizona from 1998-2001 and is still doing this.

By the way, RJ also tripped KD on the final play of the game, giving the Cavs the win. Long live RJ.



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posted by Unknown @ 3:35 PM   0 Comments

Christmas Day means reporting back to Tucson for city’s two biggest teams

The Tucson Airport will certainly have some big names coming through it on Christmas

In the sports world, many holidays are like any other day for the athletes, coaches, trainers, and everyone else involved in the whole production. Christmas is certainly no exception.

The NBA uses the holiday as its unofficial coming out party for the year, and this particular season, the NFL will have a couple of night games as well to supplement its full slate of Christmas Eve. games.

But for the two biggest teams in Tucson right now, Christmas means leaving family and starting that second half grind.

Both the Arizona Wildcats men’s basketball team and the Tucson Roadrunners are due back in town by Christmas afternoon, meaning players and coaches on both of those teams will be traveling throughout the day.

Several players on the basketball team are from the East Coast. like Rawle Alkins, Kobi Simmons, and Tyler Trillo, so they either leave for Tucson early Christmas morning, or even the night of Christmas Eve. as the team practices on Christmas night.

“That first practice is hard, but I think that gives them four true days off, and we’ll build towards Friday where we’re at Cal,” Miller said.

Practicing Sunday night puts Arizona right on track for a normal travel week for them, where they’ll likely head to Berkeley Thursday for a Friday date with the Golden Bears.

Lauri Markkanen, who stayed in Tucson because why travel to Finland for just four days, had family in town for a while and it gave him a sense of home while staying in the desert.

“They got here a couple days ago,” Markkanen said about his family after the New Mexico game. “It’s a little bit weird to have someone here who talks Finnish.”

On the hockey end of the spectrum, the Roadrunners have not been on the ice together since Wednesday’s win over Bakersfield, and won’t be until they are all in San Diego on Monday.

No one on that roster is a Tucson native, so there were a lot of people going a lot of different directions. For instance, head coach Mark Lamb said he was going to Saskatchewan for the holiday. Christian Fischer said he was going to Chicago, and then there’s a guy like Chris Mueller who was staying in Tucson.

Wherever the players ended up, they were all scheduled to report back to Tucson Sunday night, then fly out to San Diego Monday morning for a game against the Gulls later that night.

“I didn’t talk about the game at all,” Lamb said of his message to the team before the break. “I just said enjoy yourself right now, and we’ll deal with the game the morning of the 26th.”

“Come Christmas night I’ll start to reel it in a little bit, but the 26th is always a tough day,” Mueller explained. “It seems like everybody plays the day after Christmas, whether you travel or not, and it’s going to be hard on San Diego too, and it’s going to be no excuses.”

Two pretty different approaches to Christmas, but both with the same result: traveling back to Tucson the day of. Even though Tucson Airport probably won’t be jampacked with people on Christmas Day, the ones that do pass through will likely be the more famous of the community.



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posted by Unknown @ 12:40 PM   0 Comments