Arizona basketball: Sean Miller likes the Wildcats’ point guard situation, thinks Kadeem Allen is underrated offensively

Sean Miller thinks Kadeem Allen and Parker Jackson-Cartwright complement each other well

Sooner or later, Allonzo Trier will be moved into the Arizona Wildcats’ starting lineup, but that appears to be the only change the team will make to its starting five.

A few weeks ago — before Trier was reinstated from his suspension — it seemed there was a strong possibility that point guard Parker Jackson-Cartwright would return to the team’s starting lineup, too, but UA’s recent success along with some recent struggles from Jackson-Cartwright have likely shelved that idea.

Jackson-Cartwright played just 13 minutes in Arizona’s win over Washington on Sunday, and he finished with zeros in both the scoring and assist columns to go along with three turnovers.

“I think he’s healthy, It just didn’t go his way,” Miller said after the game. “Next game it could.”

Jackson-Cartwright, who hasn’t scored or taken a shot in the last two games, was UA’s starting point guard before he was sidelined for six games with a high ankle sprain, and Kadeem Allen has taken over the starting point guard role since.

And Miller likes how Jackson-Cartwright complements Allen off the bench.

“Parker is a change of pace,” Miller explained. “Parker is a pass-first point guard. His assist-to-turnover ratio has always been really good. This year’s no different. He hasn’t shot the ball as well as he did a year ago, but that can change quickly. But we trust both of those guys, they’re a big part of our success.

“I like our point guard position.”

And that’s even after both Allen and Jackson-Cartwright had trouble taking care of the basketball against Washington.

“We had eight turnovers between the two of them (against Washington) and that really hurt us,” Miller said. “That doesn’t happen often, Parker in particular does a great job taking care of the ball.”

Jackson-Cartwright and Allen are averaging 3.4 and 1.5 assists per turnover, respectively.

Allen is “underrated” offensively

Everybody knows about Allen’s defensive prowess by now, but the senior’s performance against UW’s Markelle Fultz on Sunday served as another reminder.

Allen helped hold the potential No. 1 NBA draft pick to 16 points on 23 shots.

“We were defending one of America’s best players in college basketball...and I thought as a team we did a really good job and I thought Kadeem Allen really took on the challenge and did about as well as you can,” Miller said.

Defense is Allen’s calling card — some even think it could allow him to punch his ticket onto an NBA roster — but Miller thinks Allen is undervalued as an offensive player as well.

“He’s, to me, and underrated offensive player for us because he scores big baskets,” Miller said.

Allen is averaging just north of 10 points per game, and Miller thinks he can contribute even more on that end by taking more 3s. Allen is shooting 45 percent from 3, but is only averaging 2.2 attempts per game.

“He’s still a guy sometimes that passes up the open 3,” Miller said.

Aside from that and Allen’s eight turnovers this week, Miller says his team’s lone senior is playing “great basketball.”

“An all-defensive team player, a potential all-conference player, that’s who he is,” Miller said. “Leadership-wise he’s been there from the Michigan State game on.”

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Arizona basketball roundtable: Who goes to the bench when Allonzo Trier starts?

Basically, Rawle or Kobi?

With each passing game, it seems that Allonzo Trier is closer to starting for the Arizona Wildcats.

In his third game after returning from a PED suspension, Trier led the team in minutes played with 33, and was subbed into the game just two minutes into each half.

So when that day comes, which could be this weekend in Oregon, who should go to the bench? Will it be Kobi Simmons or Rawle Alkins?

Let us know what you think as we give our thoughts on the matter:

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Alec Sills-Trausch: Rawle Alkins. Not because he’s been doing anything bad but because he’s the odd man out. Keeping Simmons on the court allows for another solid ball handler and more quickness, giving the Cats a dynamic three guard lineup that can penetrate and get Lauri Markkanen wide open looks.

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Ryan Kelapire: I think Kobi Simmons will be the one moving to the bench because Miller always praises Alkins’ consistency, plus Simmons proved earlier in the season that he can provide a scoring punch off the bench.

Either way, I don’t think it matters that much as Miller said the player who moves to the bench will play the same minutes as they are now.

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David Potts: Kobi Simmons. I think Miller already tipped his hand: the most popular lineup Arizona has used in the last five games (other than the current starting lineup) is Allonzo Trier, Rawle Alkins, Kadeem Allen, Lauri Markkanen, and Dusan Ristic. This makes sense: Kobi is a better scorer than Rawle, and there’s already plenty of scoring with Trier and Markkanen in the starting lineup. It’s cleaner, in my mind, if Kobi is the guy leading the second unit.

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Jason Bartel: After the Washington game, I said it would be Alkins, but after careful reconsideration, I think it should be Simmons for the reason Ryan said...he’s already proven he can come off the bench and provide a spark.

In reality, the current minutes situation probably won’t change much, but it does give Arizona a slightly different look to start halves, which could be beneficial at this time of year.

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Arizona basketball: Keanu Pinder’s DNP vs. Washington a function of the game

This isn’t the end of the Australian playing for Arizona

A bunch of things were different and eye-catching about the Arizona Wildcats’ 11-point victory over the Washington Huskies on Sunday.

One of those things was the playing time, or lack thereof, for junior college transfer Keanu Pinder.

For the first time all year, Pinder did not see the floor. It also happened to be just the third game of the season that the Wildcats had nine available scholarship players.

“As I said to Keanu, it doesn’t mean he’s never going to play,” head coach Sean Miller said after that game. “We’re trying to figure out what’s the best for Arizona, and with that, we learned a little more today than after the last game.”

Recently, Pinder has seen his minutes drop significantly. He has failed to reach double-digits in that category in each of the last five games, and has only played more than 11 minutes once in the Pac-12 schedule, Stanford being the exception.

In non-conference play, he only got less than 15 minutes of action three times.

But Pinder isn’t down, at least according to his most seasoned teammate.

“He was normal,” Kadeem Allen said about Pinder’s mentality. “With games like that, it’s not personal with coach when he does that. I’ve been in that situation before last year playing like 15 minutes a game and things like that, but it’s just some games where it’s different.”

“They were outrebounding us — 18 offensive rebounds — just certain things like that, where we just need bigger people at the four and five, and he’s kinda undersized, but I don’t think anything was really wrong with him after that.”

Allen has talked to Pinder and others about not letting those lack of minutes impact you. However, Kadeem’s only major drop-off in minutes last year came after he was hit with a severe virus before the Washington trip, and that lower minute load carried through the next two weeks.

“Some things you still have to learn,” Allen explained. “I feel with (Pinder) sitting out, maybe it’ll give him a chip on his shoulder to go hard and do the extra small things that coach really wants other players to do, and he can fill in and do those things. I feel that can help him a lot.”

Pinder’s absence from the lineup wasn’t really something that was discussed before the game either. It just kind of happened.

“With coach, it’s just going off of how you’re performing,” continued Allen. “It doesn’t matter who you are, if you’re not playing well and helping the team, he’s going to sit you. We have enough talent on this team where anyone can get on the court and make a difference, so it really doesn’t matter who you are.”

Another thing that’s played into it is Chance Comanche showing marked improvement in recent weeks and not being a liability on the floor anymore.

Pinder always appeared to be at the bottom of the barrel among scholarship players due to his lack of offensive prowess. His defense is what allowed him to play decent minutes early on, but with Allonzo Trier back and more players contributing at both ends, he’s kind of been cast aside a little bit.

Surely there will be a time when Arizona needs a big defensive play and Pinder is the one that needs to make it. That’s just kind of how basketball goes. Hopefully he’ll be able to step up when his name is called.

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Arizona basketball roundtable: What was the most concerning part of the Washington weekend?

A couple of close games that probably shouldn’t have been, but is it worrisome?

The Arizona Wildcats played a couple of games that were closer than anticipated against the Washington schools this past weekend, which seemed confusing after such a dominating performance against the UCLA Bruins last Saturday.

So what was the most concerning part of the week? Or are we concerned at all? Let’s talk about that in the first of this week’s roundtables:

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Alec Sills-Trausch: Sean Miller harped on it but it’s definitely the effort (on defense). Washington State had no trouble getting the ball inside, and we’ve written about it here, that the interior defense may be the weak link at the moment. I wasn’t able to watch the Washington game, but from what I read, the effort was still an issue. Plus, allowing all five of the Huskies starters to score in double figures is disappointing.

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Ryan Kelapire: That such a small team was able to outscore Arizona by 14 points in the paint and track down 18 offensive rebounds. The latter especially is what will lead you to lose a game or two. Because even if your defense is consistently forcing tough shots (which Arizona’s does), it doesn’t matter if they’re unable to close out possessions.

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David Potts: Is it weird that I’m not that worried? Both games felt close, to be sure, and Arizona had to pull away from both of these teams in the second half. But as Sean Miller pointed out, the Wildcats are going to get the best possible effort from each team they face. That is going to mean that some games are going to feel close early on, even if the odds of losing aren’t that low. Per KenPom, Arizona’s chances of winning that Washington State game never dipped below 95%. And against Washington, Arizona’s chances of winning never fell below 80%. Neither game was in significant doubt, even if it felt that way with 18 minutes to go.

My biggest worry, I guess, is that the team or Sean Miller will read something more into these games than they should. I’d rather not make unnecessary changes to fix problems that are better explained by the randomness of college basketball.

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Jason Bartel: It was a bizarre week around college basketball, so maybe Arizona was just trying to join in on that fun, but I still believe it’s interior defense, like Alec referenced above. Sure, it’s concerning that the effort wasn’t there and that the team kind of played down to the level of its opponents. But moving forward, if the Wildcats run into a team with a solid big man that doesn’t tire out, things are gonna get hairy quick. And nothing from this week convinced me otherwise.

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Arizona basketball: Chance Comanche is giving the Wildcats “quality minutes” every game

Comanche has been instrumental in the Wildcats’ 14-game winning streak

The Arizona Wildcats have won 14 games in a row and while there are many reasons to explain the team’s long-lasting success, one of them is the improved and more consistent play of Chance Comanche.

The 6-foot-11 forward struggled early in the season, but hit his stride toward the end of non-conference play and it has carried over into Arizona’s Pac-12 slate.

Since Pac-12 play started on Dec. 30, Comanche is averaging 6.9 points per game while shooting 74 percent from the field.

“Chance is one of the reasons that we’ve really played well recently,” head coach Sean Miller said Sunday after Comanche had six points in the win over Washington. “His field goal percentage is awesome, and he’s more sure of himself. He’s more confident.”

As a result, Comanche’s playing time has stabilized since the start of conference play. Since UA’s win over Colorado on Jan. 7, Comanche has played between 16 and 18 minutes in every game for the Wildcats.

Good minutes, too.

In the last three games, Comanche is averaging 8 points per game and has added a mid-range jumper to his offensive repertoire (to go along with his penchant for throwing down emphatic dunks).

“Chance is giving us quality minutes every game,” Miller said. “His shooting percentage is off the charts. He’s become a dependable low-post scorer and he did a very good job helping on the ball screens.”

Miller said Comanche’s defensive ability was key in limiting UW star guard Markelle Fultz to 16 points on 23 shots on Sunday.

“A lot times with Fultz, it’s never just one player that defends a very good player on the other team, it’s the team and Chance was a big part of our success when we played some really good defense,” Miller said.

Miller said Comanche has cut back on turnovers that plagued him early in the season, but he’s still looking for the big man to defensive rebound better.

The sophomore ranks fifth on the Wildcats in defensive rebounding percentage (14.8).

“He didn’t defensive rebound in the game yesterday, I think he did have one,” Miller said Monday, referencing the game against UW. “Some of that is a function of wrong place, wrong time, but I think that’s something that we’re going to talk to him about.

“But all of the other areas he did a really good job. He’s taking care of the ball better. He would always have that one illegal screen or that one turnover when we first started the season, but that’s really gone away. He’s an overall much better player and he’s giving us some great minutes for sure.”

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Arizona basketball: Allonzo Trier’s return to the starting lineup appears imminent

It’s a matter of when, not if, Trier will be back in the Wildcats’ starting lineup

Sean Miller is “really, really happy” with the way Allonzo Trier has made the transition into the Arizona Wildcats’ rotation.

In three games, the sophomore is averaging 13.7 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per contest. Meanwhile, Arizona is 3-0.

“Missing 19 games is an odd thing and you come back, especially to a team that’s 17-2, you wonder how this whole thing is going to work, but he’s embraced a number of things that we fully expected him to do as far back as October and that is, he is a much better ball-handler and passer,” Miller said. “He sees the court a lot better. He plays with his teammates much easier. The game comes easier to him.”

Trier has an assist-to-turnover ratio of 14 to 2 this season. And his 14 assists are nearly half of the 31 he posted last season in 27 games.

“He’s also rebounding the ball as a guard as well as anybody,” Miller said. “He has 15 defensive rebounds in the last two games....That’s something we’ve talked a lot about.

“And defensively he’s done a good shot. His shooting, he’s taken a couple bad ones, and it’s not all his fault. A couple 3s he took he had the ball with like two seconds on the clock , but I think his percentage will start showing as well as he settles in and gets good looks from 3. But he’s playing good basketball, and I think the best has yet to come and I think as our team plays together more it’ll be more seamless moving forward.”

Trier played a team-high 33 minutes Sunday in the Arizona Wildcats’ win over the Washington Huskies, and the next step is to move him back into the starting lineup.

“We could, we’re looking at that right now,” Miller said. “In fairness to both Allonzo and our team, he’s playing starters minutes and there’s no reason to not let that happen. But somebody is going to have to get taken out of the lineup and that’s not easy to do when you’re 20-2.”

The two obvious candidates to be removed from the starting lineup are Kobi Simmons and Rawle Alkins. Alkins has started in every game this season, while Simmons did have success as a scoring threat off the bench earlier in the season.

“That’s all part of the sacrifice that we have to be able to make as a team,” Miller said. “And whoever that person is, it’s not like they’re getting benched or Allonzo’s so much better, it’s more along of the lines of they’re still going to be a valuable player, a matter of fact their minutes will remain the same, it’s just that the beginning of both halves they won’t be in there but whoever that person is, I don’t think we’ve decided that. That doesn’t mean they’ve done anything wrong.”

Miller said the decision to put Trier back in the starting lineup is based on his productivity and smoothing out the substitution patterns. Trier checked in within two minutes of the start of both halves Sunday against Washington.

“Substitution patterns are awkward when somebody’s playing 33 minutes and they’re not starting,” he said. “I actually think it could make our team’s chemistry better, our overall play a little more efficient if we make that change. That’s why we do it. We’re not going to do it to hurt anybody’s feelings or make Allonzo feel better, it would be the right thing for our team. And if it’s the right thing for our team, that’s what we have to do.”

Miller said he is not sure he is going to make the change, but it seems Trier’s insertion into the starting lineup is imminent at this point.

“I think we’ll work through these next couple days and then make the determination,” Miller said.

The Wildcats return to action Thursday when they face the Oregon State Beavers in Corvallis. Then, Saturday, they travel to Eugene to face the No. 13 Oregon Ducks.

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Arizona basketball: Wildcats ranked 5th in AP and Coaches Polls

And Gonzaga is the new team at the top of the heap

After a crazy weekend in the world of college basketball, the Arizona Wildcats have moved up to the 5th spot in this week’s AP and Coaches Polls.

Arizona didn’t look particularly impressive hosting the Washington schools this past week. Sean Miller credited that to this team not being able to handle the pressure particularly well.

There will be more pressure now after the Wildcats took over sole control of first place in the conference, and travel to second-place Oregon on Saturday. The Ducks are now 13th in the polls. The UCLA Bruins are 11th in the AP Poll, but 8th in the Coaches poll.

At the top of the rankings is the Gonzaga Bulldogs, who are No. 1 for the second time in program history. The previous instance was in March 2013. The Zags eventually lost to Wichita State in the Round of 32 that year.

“There’s probably not one clear-cut team, there’s probably a dozen, eight, six teams that you could probably say could win it all or should be in the top five,” Sean Miller said on Monday. “They deserve it. Great experience, great size, great coach. We’re very familiar with them and I’m just happy for our non-conference schedule. We played the number one team in the country with what felt like six of our players missing.”

This week, Arizona jumped both Kentucky and Florida State in the AP Poll. Both of those teams each lost two games over the past seven days. FSU was particularly bad, getting blown out by Josh Pastner’s Georgia Tech team, then losing to a struggling Syracuse squad in the Carrier Dome.

Arizona returns to action on Thursday night against Oregon State in Corvallis.

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Arizona basketball: Wildcats struggle with zone defense and defensive rebounding against Washington

These aren’t new problems

All Sean Miller could do his shake his head as a pass along the wing from Parker Jackson-Cartwright was nearly intercepted by a Washington Husky.

The head-scratching play summed up what was a mind-boggling first half performance for the Arizona Wildcats’ offense.

Washington used a 2-3 zone from the opening tip and UA was baffled by it. The Wildcats started 6-16 from the field, missed their first eight 3-pointers, and had seven turnovers to one assist in the early going.

At the end of the first half, the Wildcats trailed by two (they trailed by as many as nine points at one time) and were shooting 42 percent with nine turnovers to just four assists.

“We were very tentative against the zone in the first half. I’m not really sure why, but we were,” Miller said. “And a lot of our nine turnovers at the half were because of our ineffectiveness against their zone.

“We played at UCLA 40 minutes and had seven turnovers, we followed that up against Washington State with single-digit turnovers and I think if you talk to (UW head coach) Lorenzo (Romar) it’s not like he was trying to turn us over, we just had a lot of careless, tough turnovers.”

While Miller wasn’t exactly sure why Arizona struggled against Washington’s zone, he did offer one explanation: the team is still working Allonzo Trier into the rotation.

“We’ve added a player and it affects everybody…it affects virtually every possession of the game,” Miller said. “It affects our substitution pattern, it affects how we attack a zone. Today was really the first time where we played against that type of zone with some of the combinations we had and in my opinion, that’s one of the reasons that made us tentative. I thought Allonzo, he’s come out of the gates and played great, he was as tentative in the first half against the zone as any of our players.

“But if you really think about his path, that was probably the first game this season that he’s played against a 2-3 zone. Usually you have that feeling in November. I really believe he had that feeling today and we’re going to be better because of it. We’re going to talk to him, we’re going to show him some things on film, but I also believe that’s part of what we’re doing. We’re working through some things as a group. And it’s not really chemistry thing, it’s just some of the things we have to be better at.”

The Wildcats’ offense turned things around in the second half, as they shot 48 percent from the field, 5-11 from 3, and had nine assists to four turnovers.

In the end, they outscored the Huskies 46-33 in the final 20 minutes, allowing them to come away with a 77-66 home victory.

“In the second half, we did a much better job of attacking their zone,” Miller said. “We played with four turnovers, and like three of them might have happened in the final minutes so we went about 16 minutes without turning the ball over and doing a much better job against the zone.

“They played a few possessions man-to-man, but we scored 46 points in the second half. A lot of those points were in transition and against their zone. In the first half, we were even reluctant in transition for whatever reason.”

This isn’t the first time Arizona has struggled against a zone (Arizona fans know that by now) and Miller said preventing that in the future starts with him.

“If our team late in January is tentative against a zone, then I have to fix that and we have to go back to work,” he said. “Which we will.”

Small Huskies overpower Wildcats in the paint

The Wildcats were eventually able to figure out the Huskies’ zone, but they weren’t able to keep them off the glass.

Despite being significantly smaller than Arizona’s NBA-sized front court, Washington grabbed 18 offensive rebounds, which led to 18 second chance points. It also had a 42-28 advantage in points in the paint.

The Huskies only shot 39 percent from the field, but their relentlessness under the basket kept them in the game.

“They hurt us badly with 18 second shots,” Miller said. “It’s a little bit deceptive if you look at our defensive numbers, it’s like ‘hey, you did a nice job’ but if you give up 18 second shots, that’s really a problem. And we can’t do that because some teams that we have remaining on our schedule are also good offensive rebounding. You give up 18, they may have some other things that pushes them over the top. We’ve been good defensive rebounding. We can’t lose that.”

Arizona had 30 defensive rebounds in total, but 14 of them came from guards Allonzo Trier and Kadeem Allen — the same number of rebounds UA got from its trio of 7-footers.

“We have to do a better job of blocking out and playing post defense,” Miller said.

“We have to learn from it and get better and hopefully use this as a great learning experience that, in conference play this late in the year, every game is a test and there’s going to be some teams that are going to really come after us because of our ranking, who we are, and what our record is.

“So when you’re taking the other team’s best shot, you have to be at your best or else you’re vulnerable and the only thing you have to do is look around the country. There’s teams losing all the time because of what I just said. It’s very difficult to be good every game.”

Arizona has what is likely its biggest game of the year coming up next weekend in Eugene when the Wildcats visit the Oregon Ducks on Saturday. Arizona is 9-0 in Pac-12 play, but Miller fears his team’s first conference loss is on the way if they play similarly to way they did against Washington and Washington State.

“I’m concerned going to Oregon,” he said. “We have to get some of the things back that we had that we didn’t do as well here in the last two games.”

Arizona’s defensive rebounding percentage fell to 72.8 for the season, dropping them to 77th in the country, per KenPom.com. However, the Wildcats do have the third-best defensive rebounding percentage in the Pac-12 since the start of conference play (73.6).

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Arizona basketball: Kadeem Allen and the Wildcats stymie Markelle Fultz

The potential No. 1 NBA draft pick had a rough day in Tucson thanks to another noteworthy defensive performance by Allen

As Washington’s second-half deficit continued to grow, Markelle Fultz stepped to the free throw line in a hostile McKale Center.

“Over-rated!” chanted the ZonaZoo, as the Washington Huskies guard missed his first free throw.

Cheers ensued and the chants cranked up.

“Over-rated! Over-rated!”

The second free throw clanked off the rim, too.

“Nice shot, buddy!” yelled the pro-Arizona crowd.

The pair of missed free throws capped off what was a day to forget for the freshman. Fultz, averaging 23.7 points on 17 shots this season, finished with 16 points on 23 shots, and missed all four of his 3-point attempts along with all four of his free throw attempts.

“In any single game, he’s capable of putting his team on his back and winning it,” UA head coach Sean Miller said after the game. “He had to shoot 23 times and he had 16 points, which I think anytime you can do that to a leading scorer, that helps you.”

Indeed. Washington led Arizona 33-31 at halftime, but got outscored 46-33 in the second half, and eventually lost to the Wildcats by 11.

Things may have been different had Fultz, UW’s leading scorer and assister, had a better game, but he fell short.

Not because he is overrated as the ZonaZoo loudly declared, rather Fultz, who is projected to be the No. 1 pick in June’s NBA draft, was the latest victim of Kadeem Allen’s defensive prowess.

Allen, along with some help from Allonzo Trier, shadowed Fultz throughout the game, making life difficult for the 6-foot-5 guard who usually scores effortlessly.

“He’s one of the best defensive guards that you guys could ever watch,” Miller said of Allen. “I really mean that. I mean he does it on the ball. He does it against a variety of players. He’s not relegated to just guarding a point guard, or just guarding a two-guard. He can guard a 1, 2, or a 3. Off the ball, he makes plays as well.

“I think we had three charges against Markelle today, Kadeem probably had two of them. ... He did an outstanding job. He makes incredible plays.”

Allen, who is defending better than ever this season, has had a string of noteworthy defensive performances, including when he held Grand Canyon’s DeWayne Russell, who has similar numbers as Fultz, to 19 points on 21 shots.

He then limited Colorado’s Derrick White to seven points on seven shots. A game after that, Allen helped guard a trio of Arizona State’s high-scoring guards.

“He’s not just a guy who guards his man. He makes defensive plays that you don’t see often and I think he’s one of the best defensive players in the country,” Miller said. “I really believe that.”

Fultz might not, though.

“I think [Allen] got a couple calls go his way,” he said after the game. “They gave him a charge when they said I pushed off. He’s a good defender, but I didn’t feel like he bothered me. I still got to the rim and still got to my pull-up.”

Allen and Fultz will meet again on Feb. 18 when the Wildcats head to Seattle, and Fultz doesn’t expect to shoot 8-for-23 for a second time.

“I wish I would have made my layups and free throws, but that’s not going to happen next time, I’m pretty sure,” Fultz said. “This happened to be one of the games where I missed some easy ones.

“He’s a great defender, though. I’m pretty cool with him, so it was pretty cool to go against him.”

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Arizona basketball: Former Wildcat J.P. Prince unable to return to pro team in Iran

Prince is not allowed back in Iran right now

J.P. Prince, who played 31 games for the Arizona Wildcats before transferring to Tennessee, had been playing professionally in Iran this season.

However, Chris Mannix of Yahoo reported Sunday afternoon that Prince is unable to return to his professional team after Iran imposed a ban on U.S. citizens entering their country. The ban is in retaliation to Donald Trump’s executive order that prevents refugees and citizens from seven Muslim-majority countries — including Iran — from entering the U.S.

Prince, along with former Texas A&M player Joseph Jones, are now stranded in Dubai. The two were there on a team-funded break.

“We are waiting for clarity from the team,” Eric Fleisher, the agent for both Prince and Jones, said. “It’s tough. It doesn’t look like they can finish the season in Iran. It’s not good to be out of a job. Secondarily, all their things are in Iran. They can’t go back and get them. It’s been difficult.”

Jones and Prince are teammates on Azad University Tehran, which is part of the Iran Super League. According to Tim Cato, they are both in their first year with the team, and will lose a six figure salary because of this new policy that keeps American citizens out of Iran.

Prince had averaged just 2.1 points per game while at Arizona, but upped that to 9.4 points per contest in his three years at Tennessee. He also averaged 3.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.4 steals per game with the Vols.

Basketball is arguably the most global of the sports in this day and age, so international tensions have great impact on players and franchises in any league. Sports Illustrated’s Michael McCann examined what this means for the NBA, which of course has teams in multiple countries. We’ve also seen the human impact it has on practicing muslims, like former Wildcat Rondae Hollis-Jefferson.

This is not separate from sports. It’s having a profound impact on sports, particularly basketball. And now two American citizens, one of which used to play basketball at The University of Arizona, currently have no job and nowhere to call home because of policies being enacted by the President of the United States.

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Arizona basketball: Sean Miller hopes lackluster performance vs. Washington schools serves as a wake-up call

The Wildcats may have been given too much respect too soon

Sean Miller’s phone didn’t stop ringing all week.

“I could’ve been the guest on every talk show known to college basketball because of what we did in L.A.,” the UA head coach said.

After sweeping the Los Angeles schools, the Arizona Wildcats quickly became the talk of college basketball.

They got their leading returning scorer back from suspension in Allonzo Trier, then dismantled a UCLA Bruins team that many pegged as a national title contender.

Suddenly, it was the Wildcats, not the Bruins or the Oregon Ducks, that were being talked up as potential national champions.

“Through the peaks and valleys of the season, this last seven days has been one accolade after another,” Miller said.

“You have to be able to handle that and it’s so much about the next day. What makes you a good team? You have to be able to do those things game in and game out.”

A young Arizona team went into Los Angeles looking to earn respect, and they certainly earned some.

Maybe even too much.

Because, a week later, the now-hyped Wildcats looked like a lesser team, even if they did manage to beat both Washington schools.

The Wildcats didn’t pull away from Washington State until the final minutes on Thursday, then trailed by as many as nine points to Washington on Sunday before finally taking control in the second half.

“We didn’t play our best in either of these two games,” Miller said. “When you’re trying to do some of the things that we’re trying to do, you have to understand how difficult it is to be ready game in and game out.

“Coming off the heels of our L.A. success, we were given a lot of respect and I think deservedly so. I don’t know how well we’ve handled that.”

The same Arizona team that was once praised for making the most of a dire situation — aka the days when the Wildcats were limited to seven or eight scholarship players — now has the weight of lofty expectations on its shoulders.

“We’ve just been that little engine that could,” Miller said. “Game by game, day by day (it was) ‘Is Trier gonna play? It looks like they’re getting better.’ And we just chopped wood, we didn’t get too far ahead of ourselves.

“All of a sudden we’re a little bit farther ahead of ourselves. A lot of people saying great things, and watching our effort level, our consistency, our togetherness, we weren’t near this week where we were coming in. We have to get that back to have great success in the second half of the Pac-12.”

The hype surrounding the Wildcats may have affected their preparation this week, as Miller said he didn’t think the team had the same level of focus as usual.

“We have to get that back,” he said. “It doesn’t mean we have a bunch of guys that are full of themselves or don’t get along. I’m not saying that. But if you see a crack in the armor, you don’t want it to grow. You want to fix it and move forward because, for a long period of time for this year’s team, we’ve been as consistent everyday as I have had and that’s why we’ve gotten to this point. All of a sudden we don’t want to lose it because things are going well.”

Miller understands the Wildcats are in good spot atop the Pac-12, and two not-so-impressive wins against the Washington schools doesn’t change that. He said they still did some good things in both games and made enough plays to earn the right to win.

Plus, the team is still working Trier into the rotation, which has the team out of sorts to an extent.

Still, Miller hopes the Wildcats’ lackluster performance this week will serve as a wake-up call before they head to the Pacific Northwest.

“I’m not gonna act like all of a sudden death is among us. We’re 20-2,” Miller said. “Nobody has to tell me that, and every game that you play is difficult. Every home game, every away game, but I think there’s always those things you can control as a coach in the effort level and the consistency of your approach has to be the same.”

“You fast forward to next Saturday, it’ll be one of the biggest games of the season, based on how good Oregon is. ...And I hope that what we just went through strengthens us so that we’re more focused and ready because we have to be ready on the road regardless of who we play.”

“Sometimes you need a loss to wake you up and we don’t want that to happen.”

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Cleveland Cavaliers inquired the Philadelphia 76ers about trading for T.J. McConnell

Almost another former Wildcat on the Cavs

T.J. McConnell is quickly becoming one of the hottest names in the NBA thanks to his role in the recent success the Philadelphia 76ers are having.

Well, he appears to have captured the attention of the game’s most powerful player as well.

According to Keith Pompey of Philly.com, the Cleveland Cavaliers showed interest in McConnell several weeks ago. The trade offer included Jordan McRae back to Philly.

"The best thing for me is to just not pay any attention to it," McConnell was quoted Sunday when asked about the trade discussions. "If you go looking for it, you are going to find it. And if you don't, it won't find you."

If this had actually happened, the Cavs would have three former Arizona Wildcats on their roster. Richard Jefferson and Channing Frye are already on the team, and adding McConnell into the mix would have just made them the Cleveland Wildcats in all reality.

Liberty Ballers mentions the lack of cap hit McConnell offers, which Sean Miller called the biggest bargain in the NBA a couple of weeks ago. According to Basketball Reference, McConnell is making $874,636 this year. LB also say that there’s no reason why the Sixers should have pulled the trigger on this particular offer.

T.J. is averaging 5.4 points and 5.9 assists per game this year in what has become 23.4 minutes of action in each contest.

He’s also doing this kind of stuff:

TJ McConnell putting the Bulls in a blender http://pic.twitter.com/4o9T0BzrNA

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 30, 2017

Anyways, a team with three Wildcats in the NBA Finals? That would have been something.

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Washington vs. Arizona final score: Wildcats take down Huskies in second half, stay unbeaten in Pac-12 play

Tucson Roadrunners: Kyle Wood, Christian Fischer head to AHL All-Star Game

A couple of Roadrunners will be representing the team this weekend

The Tucson Roadrunners did not get to the AHL All-Star Break like they had planned. After winning five straight at home, they have now dropped five straight, including three in a row to division rival San Diego.

“We didn’t have a chance to win those games,” head coach Mark Lamb said Saturday night. “We just don’t have enough. Simple as that. Talent-wise and player-wise, we just don’t have enough to generate anything.”

This break comes at a good time obviously, and now both Kyle Wood and Christian Fischer will head to Allentown, PA to represent not only the Roadrunners, but the Pacific Division on Sunday and Monday.

“It’s gonna be a pretty cool experience,” Wood said. “I get to go with my roommate Fischer so it’s gonna be cool to go together. It was a tough weekend here, but we’re just looking forward to that now and try to get a little break in there in between as well.”

“It’s gonna be nice to meet all the guys around the league and stuff,” continued Wood. “You gotta get your mind off this last weekend, and you just go there, meet some new guys, and have some fun with it.”

Sunday night, the Skills Competition takes place at 7:30 PM ET, then the 3-on-3 tournament happens Monday night at 7 PM ET. Locally, both of these things will be broadcast on Fox Sports Arizona.

It’s a quick turnaround for the Tucson duo, as they had to drive to Phoenix Saturday night to catch a flight Sunday morning.

Wood, who is known for his hard shot, wasn’t told prior to leaving Tucson Saturday night if he’d be in the Skills Competition, but it seems like he would be in the hardest shot competition at the very least.

“I’ve never had it clocked in,” he said about what he thinks his chances would be in that contest. “I don’t know how fast it is, but it’s gonna be interesting to see what happens. That’s probably gonna be one of the events I’m in, so I’m just looking forward to that and try to win it obviously.”

For Wood, the 3-on-3 tournament is different because he’s a defenseman, and that kind of game is more tailored for forwards. But he is tied for 5th among all AHL defensemen with 22 assists this year.

“We’ve played it a couple times here, and it’s pretty fun,” Wood explained about how he likes 3-on-3. “There’s a lot of action end to end, and with all the skill that’s there -- it’s obviously an All Star Game with a lot of good players playing -- so yeah, it’s gonna be a lot of fun.”

“It doesn’t mean much, so just try and jump in and make some plays whenever you can,” he continued. “It’s gonna be a fun time for sure.”

---

Other Not So Fun Times

Losers of five straight and now sitting fourth in the Pacific Division, the entire team will need this break to clear their heads and gear up for the stretch run.

“It might help us a bit just to take our minds off the game for a little bit and take a bit of a mental break,” goaltender Adin Hill explained. “Come back rejuvenated and ready to go on Thursday.”

“We’re just not getting our chances and not scoring goals,” center Chris Mueller added. “Sometimes it’s bounces, sometimes it’s effort. I thought the effort was alright, but we have to find ways to score, and guys need to bear down a little bit and play with a purpose; not just to play the game to play it and have another game under the belt.”

“We all need to pick up our games. Every single one of us.”

“It’s definitely a tough pill to swallow,” left winger Michael Bunting added about losing three straight to San Diego. “Especially with a rival, you gotta win some of these games. You can’t go 0-3. That’s going to kill us in our division, but this break is gonna be big for us. We just gotta recoup and come back strong. I think that’s five straight losses for us, so we need to figure something out.”

It should be noted that the Roadrunners have not won since the Arizona Coyotes sent down forward Anthony Duclair to “work on a few things” as general manager John Chayka said. Duclair did not look anything like the player that was in Glendale last year, and is flat-out not playing well or earning time on the ice in Tucson.

If he’s going to remain in Tucson, he’s definitely at the top of the list of guys that need to pick up their games if the Roadrunners are going to make a run at a playoff spot.

---

Shipping Up To Glendale

The Gem Show invades Tucson this week, which means there’s no ice for the team to play on after the All Star break. So the Roadrunners will be taking over the Coyotes’ home arena in Glendale for a couple games this Friday and Saturday before embarking on a six game, two week road trip.

“It’ll be cool to play in an NHL rink,” Hill said of those two upcoming games against Charlotte. “But other than that, it’s just another game, and our goal is to get two points.”

---

Quick Meeps:

• Craig Cunningham was in the locker room after Saturday’s loss, talking to the guys and being part of the team as if he never left. No one else will wear the captain’s C on their sweater this year
• The team is expecting to get at least a couple of injured players back after the break. Conor Garland was injured Friday, and Laurent Dauphin was also out of the lineup each of the last three games. Eric Selleck appears to be close to returning after breaking his foot earlier in the year. Max Domi is also set to return in a couple weeks for the parent club, which could send someone like Brendan Perlini back to Tucson
• So, they did a thing called “Hungry Hungry Humans” during an intermission
• The Hub is releasing a new flavor called Roadrunner Crunch
• The Roadrunners’ next home game in Tucson is not until February 24th against the San Jose Barracuda

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Rondae Hollis-Jefferson says Donald Trump’s immigration ban is “heartbreaking”

The former Wildcat had a lot to say about Trump’s executive order on immigration

On Friday, President Donald Trump signed an executive order that restricts immigration from seven predominantly Muslim countries — Iran, Iraq, Sudan, Somalia, Syria, Yemen, and Libya — in an attempt to improve national security.

In short, the order states that people from those seven countries are banned from entering the United States for 90 days, while refugees are banned for 120 days.

The new policy has already made an impact on roughly 100 to 200 people who were held at American airports this weekend as, according to CNN, “travelers who fit the ban's criteria and were already in the air headed for the US on Friday afternoon when Trump signed the executive order were stopped and detained upon arrival at US airports. Others with valid visas and airline tickets were prevented from boarding planes destined for the US -- some stranded in foreign countries -- as airlines and foreign airport officials scrambled to understand and comply with the new US immigration policy.”

Trump’s executive order is a controversial measure as it’s seen as a policy that targets a particular religion, and protesters sprang up all over the country Saturday to voice their displeasure.

Former Arizona Wildcat and current Brooklyn Nets forward Rondae Hollis-Jefferson — who is Muslim himself — expressed his concern, too.

Here is some of what an emotional Hollis-Jefferson had to say on the matter, via the New York Post:

“I feel like this should definitely be handled differently, and I feel like more people should definitely speak up and act on it just because it’s BS at the end of the day.

“We try to teach people not to point the finger, blame a whole [group]. You can’t judge a whole group by one’s actions at the end of the day. And I feel like that’s not right. That’s definitely not right,. You can’t speak for all Muslims, because all Muslims’ hearts aren’t like that. Most of them are pure, really believe in a different way and a different livelihood.

“I kind of feel like things could be handled differently. Me being Muslim, me knowing a lot of Muslims, it’s definitely, definitely heartbreaking to see,. A lot of my college friends are Muslims, and their families are in some of those countries. Just seeing that, my heart goes out to them, how they feel about it and everything. It’s definitely a tough situation to put people in.

“[Trump] making that decision, it’s just like a big step, you know? Super big. And it definitely affects millions of people, definitely, even ones that aren’t Muslim. People have a heart, people care. It’s just sad to see.”

As Hollis-Jefferson alluded to, the immigration ban affects more than 130 million people.

However, it is worth noting that part of Trump’s executive order was shot down by a federal judge Saturday night.

The judge granted an emergency stay for those that were being detained, preventing them from being deported as was originally called for by the executive order.

“This ruling preserves the status quo and ensures that people who have been granted permission to be in this country are not illegally removed off U.S. soil," said Lee Gelernt, deputy director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s Immigrants’ Rights Project (via The Hill).

The NBA actually reached out to the State Department on Saturday to “understand how this executive order would apply to players” in the league, seeing that some of them are from the seven countries that are included in Trump’s ban.

Hollis-Jefferson, a Philadelphia native, isn’t one of those players, but the ban clearly affects him personally nonetheless, and it takes some courage for him to make a public statement about it.

When professional athletes make public comments about things going on outside the world of sports, they’re often met with criticism (like the old “stick to sports” argument), but obviously that did not deter Hollis-Jefferson from sharing his thoughts on the matter.

Regardless if you agree with Hollis-Jefferson on the matter or not, it’s still important to respect his right to express his opinion.

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Arizona basketball: Rawle Alkins gets his driver’s license

Apparently he’s a good driver in more ways than one.

Rawle Alkins has been driving to the rim all season, and now he can drive away from the basketball court, too.

The Arizona Wildcats guard announced Saturday afternoon that he got his driver’s license.

Thank you to these lovely amazing women for helping me pass my Drivers License Test !! "Streets are safe with me" #SAVAGELIFE http://pic.twitter.com/C6auwHfcpJ

— Rawle Alkins (@Iam_RawleAlkins) January 28, 2017

Earlier in the month, Alkins discussed the differences between Tucson and New York, and — aside from weather — one of the biggest changes is that driving places is much more prevalent in Tucson.

In New York, Alkins took the bus or the train to get places and therefore never really needed to get his license.

Consequently, when he got to Tucson he was having to Uber everywhere, so he started practicing his driving late at night around the UA and evidently it paid off.

And now that Alkins is officially licensed to drive, he once again assured fellow Tucsonans that there’s nothing to worry about with him on the road.

The “streets are safe with me,” Alkins tweeted.

Apparently he’s a good driver in more ways than one.

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Arizona basketball: Wildcats a “work in progress” as they adjust to life with Allonzo Trier

Arizona is better set up in the long run with Trier, but adding him makes things a little tricky in the short term

The Arizona Wildcats went the first 19 games without Allonzo Trier, and now they are adjusting to life with him.

So far, the Wildcats (19-2, 8-0 Pac-12) are 2-0 since Trier’s return, but Thursday’s game against Washington State was Arizona’s first real test at implementing Trier into the rotation.

Last Saturday against UCLA — when Trier made his debut — Rawle Alkins picked up two early fouls in the first half, forcing him to sit for a significant period of time and allowing Trier to take his spot in the rotation.

But Thursday against WSU, there was no foul trouble, so inserting Trier into the rotation “felt funny” for UA head coach Sean Miller.

“Guys were going in and out of the game a little bit more,” Miller said. “We’re trying to develop a rotation and figure things out, but we’re just not there yet.

“You can’t just incorporate a player ... and all of a sudden just be hitting on all cylinders from the first second that he’s able to play until now.”

And it didn’t just “feel funny” for the Wildcats, their performance on the court looked funny, too.

The Cougars, despite having an offense that ranked nearly 200th nationally, were able to shoot 47 percent from the field against Arizona, and had a lot of success attacking the Wildcats in transition.

Without watching the tape, Miller couldn’t say if his team’s defensive struggles were due to its ever-changing rotation, but he wouldn’t be surprised if that played a part in it.

“Sometimes that happens as different combinations of players are in together for the first time,” Miller said. “That’s what it looks like in November. You’re just not used to each other and that’s something we have to work on and correct. That’s all part of what I’m talking about of incorporating a new face with new rotations. You’re looking around and you’ve never been in the game with that combination of players before, so it’ll work itself out.”

Seeing that Arizona is on a 13-game winning streak, it may seem like a hindrance for the Wildcats to have to figure out how to incorporate another player at this stage of the season, but Miller doesn’t see it that way.

“It’s not a negative, it’s a positive,” Miller said. “But I don’t think anybody in here would expect us to be a finely-tuned machine across the board. It’s going to take a few more games, it’s going to take a few more practices and more of us as a staff watching film. It’s going to take a couple games, it’s going to take a few weeks.”

Trier admitted that he is out of rhythm, but his presence has already benefitted the Wildcats in several ways.

For one, he gives Arizona more offensive firepower.

The sophomore guard is averaging 14.5 points per game through two games and is shooting 46 percent from the field. Plus, he has been able to use his penchant to get into the paint to set up shots for teammates as well. Trier has 11 assists in two games, including a career-high seven assist performance against WSU.

Perhaps most importantly, though, Trier’s presence has already made a difference in how Arizona closes games out.

Earlier in the season when the Wildcats had just seven or eight scholarship players, they would wear down at the end of the games. Several times, Arizona nearly squandered double-digit leads in the late goings.

But, for maybe the first time all season, Arizona’s lead actually increased in the final stretch of the game against WSU. The Wildcats pulled away to a 17-point victory despite leading by two with 12 minutes to play.

“One thing I do know is this,” Miller said, “the last eight minutes this season have been very hard for us. We’ve limped to the finish line a number of times. Tonight, from the eight-minute mark to the zero (minute mark), the score went the other direction. I can’t think of many games, if we’ve had any at all, where that’s happened this year. So we have to learn how to take advantage of our depth.”

In the end, having their leading returning scorer from a season ago should only help the Wildcats in the long run, but there are still a few kinks they have to work through in the short term.

When all is said and done, many believe the final product will be an Arizona team that is as good as any in college basketball, one that can contend for a national championship.

The Wildcats aren’t there yet, though.

“We’re a work in progress in a lot of ways ... and (Sunday’s game versus) Washington is another opportunity to grow and improve,” Miller said. “We’re trying to work through some things here that I hope if you watch us a week from now will be that much further along.”

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Arizona baseball: Alfonso Rivas settling into new role at first base

Washington vs. Arizona time, TV, preview: Wildcats welcome Markelle Fultz and the Huskies to McKale Center

The Huskies have had a rough season, but they do have one of the top talents in the country

Winners of 13 straight, the No. 7 Arizona Wildcats welcome the Washington Huskies to McKale Center for a Sunday matinee as they go for a sweep of the Washington schools.

The Wildcats pulled away in the second half against the Washington State Cougars on Thursday night, pushing Arizona’s record to 19-2 overall and 8-0 in Pac-12, tied with the Oregon Ducks atop the conference.

Washington enters Sunday’s game as losers of four of its last five games, and is on the heels of a 86-75 loss to the Arizona State Sun Devils.

The Huskies have had a rough season, as they currently sit with a 9-11 record (2-6 in the Pac-12), but they do have one of the top talents in college basketball in Markelle Fultz.

The 6-foot-4 freshman, projected to be the No. 1 pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, is averaging 23.7 points, 6.2 assists, and 6.0 rebounds per game with the Huskies. He is a dominant scorer, with the ability to put the ball in the basket at all three levels of the floor. Fultz is shooting 49 percent this season, including 43 percent from the 3-point line.

In Fultz’s last four games, he has scored 34, 37, 30, and 28 points. Yet, as it’s been the story of UW’s season, the Huskies are only 1-3 in those four games.

“Markelle Fultz is obviously a terrific player. I’m looking at how many points he’s scoring and the way people talk about him. I’ve just watched them in bits and pieces but we know he’s a great player,” UA head coach Sean Miller said. “We know they’re an offensive rebounding team and they have a talented group. ... We have to be ready to go.

“The thing about the conference season, you have to be ready each and every night. It’s not the name of the other team, it’s the name of our team. We have to hold ourselves to the standards that we’re trying to live up to.”

With Fultz leading the charge, Washington is a respectable offensive team, ranking 61st in the country in offensive efficiency, per KenPom.com, but the Huskies’ defense is another story.

Washington is second to last in defensive efficiency in the Pac-12, only ahead of ASU. The Huskies are allowing 107.8 points per 100 possessions, per sports-reference.com. For reference, Arizona, a top-20 defensive team, is allowing only 93 points per 100 possessions.

“I haven’t watched Washington a ton so any comment I give on Washington is just more of an opinion than anything,” Miller said before giving his thoughts on the Huskies. “I’ve clearly recognized Markelle Fultz, who’s a great, great talented. He’s having a tremendous freshman year and we recruited him so we know a little bit more about him, but them as a team, every team hits their stride at different parts of the year. I’m sure they’re trying to put it together and hit their stride, so we have to be ready. It’s an afternoon game, we have a quick turnaround, and we have to be ready to go.”

As Miller mentioned earlier, Washington is a solid offensive rebounding team. The Huskies have an offensive rebounding percentage of 35.4, which ranks 31st in college basketball. 3-point shooting is another one of UW’s strengths as it shoots 39 percent from 3-point land.

Aside from Fultz who has scored in double figures in all but one game this season, the Huskies have two other double-figure scorers in sophomore guard David Crisp and sophomore forward Noah Dickerson.

Crisp — a 6-foot guard — is averaging 13.8 points per game while shooting 41 percent from 3 on a high volume of attempts (6.5 per game). Dickerson, meanwhile, does most of his damage in the paint, plus he leads the Huskies in rebounding (8.2 RPG).

UW is a small team, as only one of its rotation players is taller than 6-foot-9 (Sam Timmins, but he only plays 12.3 minutes per game).

For that reason, the Huskies push the pace, and could find some success in transition against the Wildcats, who struggled to defend Washington State in transition Thursday.

“We’re a work in progress in a lot of ways ... and Washington is another opportunity to grow and improve,” Miller said. “We’re trying to work through some things here that I hope if you watch us a week from now will be that much further along.”

Of course, the Wildcats are still working to incorporate Allonzo Trier into their rotation. The sophomore has played in two games so far, and while he’s averaging 14.5 points and 5.5 assists, he has admitted that he is out of sync.

“I’m still really far behind,” Trier said after posting 17 points and a career-high seven assists against WSU. “This is my second game in about 10 months, so everybody is a lot farther ahead of me. I’m still not in a lot of rhythm, but as I continue to play more, I’ll find my way and I’ll get back to myself.”

Miller said Trier and the Wildcats will get more and more comfortable as the games go on, but for now, Arizona is a “work in progress.”

“It’s not a negative, it’s a positive,” Miller said. “But I think anybody in here that would expect us to be a finely-tuned machine across the board, it’s going to take a few more games, it’s going to take a few more practices and more of us as a staff watching film.”

Arizona has beaten Washington six straight times, and lead the all-time series 50-28.

The Wildcats have also won 17 home games in a row, and 66 of their last 67 games in Tucson.

---

How to watch Sunday’s game

Time: 1:30 p.m. MST

TV: FOX

Live stream: FOX Sports Go

Announcers: Kevin Burkhardt, Casey Jacobsen, and Kristina Pink

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College GameDay is going to Kentucky/Florida instead of Arizona/Oregon

Of course they are

When the Arizona Wildcats and Oregon Ducks meet next Saturday in Eugene, there’s a solid chance that both teams will be ranked in the top five of the national polls.

You’d think that would make ESPN sending College GameDay a no-brainer, but apparently, that’s wrong.

They announced that the traveling show will be in Gainesville for Florida/Kentucky next weekend.

Gainesville, we're headed your way!@GatorsMBK fans, are you ready? http://pic.twitter.com/Qqzp3ekTpU

— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) January 28, 2017

Depending on how Kentucky fares against Kansas, both Arizona and Oregon could jump them when the rankings come out on Monday.

It also makes less sense since GameDay was at Rupp this week for the Kansas/Kentucky game. So instead of being at the Pac-12 game of the year, they’re going to a UK game for the second week in a row.

Arizona/Oregon is also on ESPN, so it’s not like there’s some kind of TV crossover issue to be worked out.

Just an absolute joke.

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Sonoran Hot Reads: Arizona looks like a potential National Champion

Not sneaking up on anyone at this point

It feels like the Arizona Wildcats can kind of sneak up on people nationally no matter the sport. But this year’s basketball team is different. Mark Titus of The Ringer has Arizona 4th in his latest power rankings, but his section on Arizona is magnificent, which says that “It took a couple of months to get here, but Arizona looks like a potential national champion,” and “There are no role players. Everyone who sees the court is both capable of inflicting serious damage and actively trying to do so.”

But this on Arizona’s lack of depth is the best part:

At one point Arizona’s roster was so depleted that I’m pretty sure head coach Sean Miller sent one of his assistants to Dirtbag’s to offer a scholarship to anyone who came out of the front door without puking all over themselves and stumbling into the 7-Eleven parking lot. (There were no qualifying candidates.)

For the first two months of the season, Arizona was a rowboat that kept springing leaks, and Miller did all he could to keep the damn thing afloat.

Seriously though, read the whole thing

- The Ringer also did an exceptional profile on Lauri Markkanen, who moved up to 6th on their latest NBA Draft Big Board. Miller said after Thursday’s win that Markkanen needs credit nationally, but I’m pretty sure he’s getting it at this point

- If there is a weakness on this team, it’s interior defense for sure

- Lorenzo Romar seems to think that there are many more seniors on this team than Kadeem Allen. Man will he be surprised next year if he still has a job

- T.J. McConnell had MVP chants showered on him Friday night after Joel Embiid called TJM the MVP of the Sixers’ recent hot streak

Football

- Somehow, Arizona was involved in two of the best 100 games in the sport last year. The UW contest was 52nd, and the BYU opener was 78th

- Arizona commit Troy Young is visiting Tulane and UAB this weekend

- Warren Jackson committed to Colorado State shortly after decomitting from Arizona

- Not totally unrelated to those two recruiting things: Rich Rodriguez’s satisfaction rating is somewhere around a 2 out of 5 right now

- Former Arizona pledge Josh Allen is visiting Houston which could be hilarious in week two

- Sonny Dykes almost became the offensive coordinator at ASU, but will stay at TCU due to his father’s failing health

- The Stanford band is back

Baseball

- Baseball America put out there Arizona season preview, and it pretty much nails it

- Steve Selsky was claimed off waivers by the Red Sox, filling out Boston’s 40-man roster

Other sports

- Jennie Finch will work with MLB as the Youth Softball Ambassador

- Swimming and diving was dropped by Texas in Austin

- Track and field will be competing in an indoor meet in Seattle

- Women’s tennis hosts NAU and GCU on Saturday

Tucson news

- Former university president Robert Shelton will be overseeing the Giant Magellan Telescope buildout, a project UA is heavily involved in

- Eastbound I-10 will be closed in Benson Sunday morning

- A local elementary school teacher was fired after allegations that they inappropriately touched some of the children

- PACC is waiving adoption fees for all adult dogs and cats through Saturday

Ski Valley's lower lift is open! Storm damage has the main lift closed, but fun still to be had on Mt. Lemmon >> https://t.co/YN23sBBByz http://pic.twitter.com/71JOCkLw3w

— Mike Christy (@wildcatphotog) January 27, 2017

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T.J. McConnell showered with MVP chants by Philadelphia 76ers fans

The chants are totally justified

Another fanbase has fallen in love with T.J. McConnell.

Philadelphia 76ers fans showered the point guard with “MVP” chants as he stepped to the free throw in the first half of Sixers’ game versus the Houston Rockets on Friday.

T.J. McConnell draws "MVP!" chants in Philadelphia. http://pic.twitter.com/Pjto8dbXTG

— Ryan Kelapire (@RKelapire) January 28, 2017

Like his time at Arizona, McConnell has become a fan favorite in Philly, being especially admired for his effort and passion for the game.

Plus, McConnell, an undrafted free agent in 2015, has been a solid player for the Sixers, too.

The second-year player is averaging 5.2 points and a team-high 5.9 assists, with an assist-to-turnover ratio north of three to one.

Adding to McConnell’s totally legitimate MVP candidacy is the fact that the Sixers, who are 17-27 this season, are 10-3 when the Arizona alum is in the starting lineup.

After all, there’s a reason why Sixers star center Joel Embiid has Michael Jordan and McConnell in his Twitter profile picture. Embiid had to find a way to honor both the greatest basketball player of all-time and Michael Jordan at the same time.

So, sorry James Harden but there was only one MVP candidate on the court on Friday in Philadelphia, and his name is T.J. McConnell.

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Arizona basketball: WSU center Conor Clifford takes advantage of Wildcats’ flaw

Another back to the basket guy getting the job done against the Cats

When the Washington State Cougars are next up on your schedule, the main focus is on Josh Hawkinson.

Coming into Thursday’s game against the Arizona Wildcats, Hawkinson was averaging 15.6 points and 10.3 rebounds per game, putting him on pace to average a double-double for the second consecutive year.

But Arizona was able to hold the senior forward to just nine points and five rebounds.

“We did a good job on Josh overall,” Arizona head coach Sean Miller said after the game. “Some of that’s skewed because his partner there, Conor Clifford, went to work.”

Clifford, a redshirt senior from Huntington Beach, CA, had a game-high 19 points while also finishing tied for the team lead in rebounds with five.

“He had eight two-point field goals against our defense,” Miller continued about Clifford. “It’s something that we have to work on.”

“Tonight we went up against that back to the basket big guy, and we didn’t handle it as well as we needed to, so that’s a challenge for us to fix.”

Arizona’s weakness in this area allowed Clifford to score the second-most points he’s had in a game this year.

“His best game before this was against Creighton where I think he had 29,” WSU head coach Ernie Kent said of his center’s performance against Arizona. “I’m just so proud of him because he’s not the most mobile guy, he doesn’t jump very high, but he has great hands, and he’s just a load down there. He’s very, very smart, and he knows how to score.”

“For him to take the fight to two seven-footers at once and be able to pass out of double teams and go score like that, I didn’t think they had any answers for him,” Kent continued. “That’s why they tried to double-team him. He played terrific. He just ran out of gas.”

“I missed some shots that I should’ve made,” Clifford said of his night in Tucson. “(Dusan Ristic) battled me well and pushed me out of the block, which made things difficult, but I thought I did alright.”

Ristic’s offensive prowess may have helped lead to Clifford getting gassed at the end of the game because of how much more you have to do defensively than against most opponents.

“He has that mid-range jumper so I can’t just sleep and help on (Lauri) Markkanen, and so he’s keeping me active all the time,” explained Clifford. “(Ristic)’s ducking me all the time, and if I lose him for one second, he’s ducking and keeping me honest. He can score both hands, so yeah, I’d have to say he’s one of the better big men that I’ve played against.”

Certainly if Arizona runs into an athletic big man who can control the post on the offensive end, they’re going to have problems. We’ve seen it this year against Gonzaga with Przemek Karnowski, and a couple of other isolated incidents as well. Like Miller said, that’s one of the things that will need to get fixed if this team can be complete enough to make a deep run in March no matter who they’re facing.

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Arizona basketball: Sean Miller says Lauri Markkanen deserves more credit for his play

I mean, the 7-footer is shooting over 60 percent from 3 in Pac-12 play, so it’s hard to disagree

If you’re making a list of college basketball’s top freshmen and you don’t include Lauri Markkanen, consider that list to be a “complete joke,” according to Arizona Wildcats head coach Sean Miller.

“For him not to be considered as one of the best freshmen in college basketball is a complete joke,” Miller said Thursday after Markkanen had 16 points and 13 rebounds in Arizona’s win over Washington State.

“I will put him up against anybody, not just freshmen, toe-to-toe the quality of player he is. I don’t care if you’re from Russia, China, Finland, Japan, North Dakota, Florida, or New York City. If you have eyes and have seen Arizona play, there aren’t many players that play the way he plays. Tonight he had 13 rebounds, 16 points. The three 3s he hit in the first half were 3s that you don’t often see a guy make in college.”

It’s hard to disagree with Miller. The 7th-ranked Wildcats are 19-2 this season (8-0 in Pac-12 play) and Markkanen leads the team in both scoring (17.0) and rebounding (7.7).

You can find several players in college basketball averaging similar numbers, but you’d be hard-pressed to find one that scores at the efficiency that Markkanen does.

The 7-footer is shooting 52-of-103 (51 percent) from behind the arc this season, including an even more absurd 25-of-41 (61 percent) mark from 3 in Arizona’s eight Pac-12 games.

Markkanen is also making 84 percent of his free throws and has the fifth-highest offensive rating — an estimated number of points produced per 100 possessions — in the entire country at 137.4, according to KenPom.com.

“He’s a very good player, he’s a great teammate, and he has other guys that he’s playing with that are very good as well, but once in a while you just pay attention even if you’re not trying to and you take a look at ‘here are the best freshmen in the country’ and I’m looking there and I’m saying ‘are you serious? It’s not even close,’” Miller said.

“And Rawle (Alkins) and Kobi (Simmons) are also outstanding but just watching Lauri play, I think he deserves a little bit more credit than he’s getting.”

Markkanen (finally) did get some credit this past week, as he was the Pac-12 Player of the Week as well as the Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week.

But when all is said and done, Markkanen should be in the running for many more awards than that — and not just those designated for freshmen.

“This spring, no one’s going to limit him to being a freshman,” said Miller, who characterized Markkanen’s future as “extraordinarily bright.”

“The thing about him that stands out is he loves the game, he works as hard at the game as any player that we’ve had. And although he’s very talented, he’s a great teammate and unselfish. Those three things usually don’t accompany somebody you’re talking so glowingly about. He helps team chemistry. He’s a winner and his teammates enjoy being around him and playing. He’s willing to do anything that you ask him to do as a coach.”

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Arizona basketball: Allonzo Trier is excited and relieved to be back, but is “really far behind”

Trier is far from where he wants to be, but is relieved that he is back on the court

A sold-out crowd rose to its feet in a raucous McKale Center during the first half of Arizona’s win over Washington State.

Hands were clapping. Towels were waving. Fans were hollering.

“Now in the game for Arizona,” blared over the loudspeaker, “number 35, Allonzo Trier.”

“It was a great feeling,” Trier said after playing in his first home game since March of 2016. “It felt like it was an eternity for how long I haven’t played in there. But I was really excited, the energy was great.”

It hadn’t quite been an eternity since Trier’s last appearance in McKale Center — it was nearly 10 months — but it’s easy to understand why it felt that way.

Trier was limited to being a spectator in Arizona’s first 19 games of the season, and there was no return in sight.

The sophomore tested positive for a performance-enhancing drug in the fall, and was handed a year-long suspension by the NCAA. Trier appealed the NCAA’s decision — and won — but the drug had to completely clear out of his system before he could suit up for the Wildcats again.

Who knew when that would be? Trier and the Wildcats certainly didn’t.

“Tough. Stressful,” Trier described the situation. “Probably one of the most difficult things in my life. ...I wanted to be out there with teammates and it’s a helpless feeling but I stayed strong through it and God had me right where he wanted me.”

Trier did the only thing he could do — practice hard, encourage his teammates...and wait.

“It was tough, but I love the game of basketball so even though I couldn’t play, I stayed around the game as much as I could,” Trier said. “I was always in the gym, I practiced with my teammates every day and I tried to make an impact in any way I could. So even though I couldn’t play, I tried to be there for my teammates and cheer them on. And in practice I tried to do my part and practicing hard and helping these guys get prepared for the games.”

Which is what he was doing last Friday before he got the news he was desperately waiting for. After helping Arizona prepare for a Saturday showdown against UCLA — a game he did not know he was going to play in — Trier learned his suspension had been lifted.

“Relief. That’s the best thing I can say,” Trier said of his reaction. “I broke down when I got told. It was an emotional moment for me.”

Despite missing three months, it hasn’t taken long for Trier to make his presence felt on the court. In two games since his return — both of which were wins for the 19-2 Wildcats — the 6-foot-5 guard is averaging 14.5 points per game while shooting 45 percent from the field.

He’s added another dimension to his game, too — an ability to find open teammates.

Trier dished out 31 assists in 27 games a season ago, but already has 11 in two games as a sophomore.

“He’s at over one-third of his assist total from a year ago in two games,” head coach Sean Miller said. “He’s a much better player. You see that and he adds a dimension to our team that we’re grateful to have.”

Still, Trier says it “feels funny” when he is on the court and there are moments where he is “out of whack” with the rest of the team.

“I’m still really far behind,” Trier said after posting 17 points and a career-high seven assists against WSU. “This is my second game in about 10 months, so everybody is a lot farther ahead of me. I’m still not in a lot of rhythm, but as I continue to play more, I’ll find my way and I’ll get back to myself.”

Miller, too, said it “felt funny” on Thursday as the Wildcats were continually subbing players in and out against Washington State.

“Everybody else has to learn their role, [Trier] has to learn his and I think that as we keep moving forward, it will even out as it always does,” Miller said.

“Every game that goes by... he’ll eventually settle in. If you look at the start of a season, it usually takes a couple exhibition games — which he didn’t even have that — a few of the regular season games, a game on the road, a game at home, and all of a sudden you start to see that everybody settles.

“And that’s where we are right now — we’re in that settling in process.”

Getting Trier up to speed and working him back into the rotation is Arizona’s biggest challenge at the moment.

Trier said he does not know how long it will take for him to be completely readjusted, though it sure beats the days when he wasn’t sure when or if he was going to play at all.

“It’s definitely something I’m looking forward to moving on from and not looking back on anymore,” Trier said of his suspension.

“I’m really happy for our team and we’re moving in the right direction. I know things are going to feel a little funny implementing me back into the team, but we’re going to continue to get better and we have a ceiling that we can reach.”

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Washington State vs. Arizona final score: Allonzo Trier leads Wildcats to 79-62 win over the Cougars

Arizona basketball: Sean Miller ate reindeer while visiting Lauri Markkanen in Finland

It was worth it

The Arizona Wildcats are 18-2 and in the midst of a 12-game winning streak, and the play of Lauri Markkanen is a big reason why.

The 7-footer from Finland is UA’s leading scorer and rebounder, not to mention that he is shooting 50 percent from 3 — something that players his size shouldn’t be able to do.

The freshman was a highly-touted player in the 2016 recruiting class, and Sean Miller and the Wildcats were fortunate enough to land him as they recruited against schools like Kansas and Utah.

To do that, it required Miller to make trips to Finland to recruit Markkanen, and one of those trips got a little weird.

Miller ate reindeer, which apparently is a delicacy in Finland.

“They like to eat reindeer,” Miller told FOX Sports’ Jody Oehler on Tuesday on 910 AM. “You think of Rudolph, you can’t get your mind around that, but I had some when I was over there visiting him and it tasted almost like you would expect.”

I don’t know what I would expect reindeer to taste like and Miller didn’t expound any further, so we don’t know if he actually liked it or not, but, hey, whatever it took to land Markkanen had to have been worth it.

Sorry, Rudolph.

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Arizona basketball: Three things to watch when the Wildcats welcome Washington State

Arizona looks to make it 13 in a row on Thursday

The Arizona Wildcats (18-2, 7-0), winners of 12 in a row, are coming off their biggest week of the season.

The LA road trip, considered the toughest in this year’s Pac-12, was no match for the red-hot Wildcats as they downed both foes in impressive fashion.

With this winning streak, the return of Allonzo Trier and the marquee victory over the UCLA Bruins, Arizona finds themselves ranked in the top ten and getting a lot more national attention than they have all season long.

How will this young group respond to the attention and the greater expectations? We may find out a little bit on Thursday night when Arizona squares off with the Washington State Cougars (10-9, 3-4). Here are three things to watch:

WELCOME BACK

Allonzo Trier seemed pretty calm in his season debut this past Saturday. About as calm as you can expect from a kid with NBA aspirations who was forced to sit out the first 19 games of an important Sophomore campaign.

We’ll see if that calmness will carry over to his home debut.

Trier has received an outpouring of support from the Arizona faithful since his ordeal began. While many questioned why he was suspended, Trier still got a lot of love from Tucson.

Thursday night will be Trier’s first game on his home floor in nearly 11 months. And you can be sure that he will be looking to deliver in a big way. He’s facing a defense, for the second straight game, that caters to that.

Washington State ranks 229th in the nation in defensive efficiency so if it’s a big offensive show that Trier is looking for, he just might have it.

PAC-12’S BEST KEPT SECRET

It’s been a rough couple of years for Washington State basketball and senior forward, Josh Hawkinson, has gotten to see plenty of it.

His freshman year was head coach Ken Bone’s final season in Pullman. Then came Ernie Kent and with him, came hope for a basketball program that has seen only three NCAA Tournament appearances in over thirty years.

But in Kent’s first two years, Wazzu combined for a record of 22-40. Through those seasons, however, there’s been a silver lining.

While the wins have still come at a premium, in Josh Hawkinson’s three seasons under Ernie Kent, he has proven to be a fantastic player, double-double machine and the best player since Klay Thompson’s days as a Cougar.

Washington State is 10-9 on the season, meaning they already have one more win than they did all of last season and Hawkinson is a big reason why. For the third straight year, he’s averaging a double-double (currently 15.6 points and 10.3 rebounds) while shooting better than 50% on the year.

Hawkinson faces quite a matchup on Thursday night against Dusan Ristic and Lauri Markkanen. Arizona has been a force in both rebounding and interior defense. But Hawkinson, the Cougars senior leader, will be up for the challenge.

ELEVATED EXPECTATIONS

There’s no sense in mincing words. Arizona is expected to throw the Cougars a beatdown on Thursday night. They’re riding the momentum of 12 straight victories and a huge road sweep. Plus they’re coming home at full strength to play a team that recently got pasted by 41 against Utah on their home floor. Arizona is a 23 point favorite on Thursday night and rightfully so.

But these young Wildcats have been, for the most part, ignored this season. Missing as many pieces to the puzzle as they have throughout the year, the Wildcats were discarded as a Pac-12 favorite after losses to Butler and Gonzaga on and shortly after Thanksgiving.

With UCLA on the rise and Oregon back at full strength, Arizona was an afterthought. I believe that played a part in their winning streak.

So what happens when the attention comes back and the disrespect goes away? The Wildcats are impossible to ignore now. Trier is back, Markkanen is projected as a top ten pick in next year’s NBA draft and guys like Kobi Simmons and Kadeem Allen are fresh off a magnificent performance on a national stage.

Wins are wins but when it comes to the NCAA Tournament selection committee, style points do matter. A competitive game against a lesser opponent doesn’t look good.

So what happens next? Do the Wildcats continue their world beating ways? Or does all the national love bring a squad sporting three freshman in the starting lineup back down to Earth?

One thing is certain — all eyes are on the Wildcats now.

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