Monday, April 30, 2018

Brandon Williams to announce college decision on May 5

Will he pick Arizona again?

Five-star point guard Brandon Williams will announce his college commitment on Saturday, May 5 at 3:30 p.m. PT at the Ballislife All-American Game at Cerritos College in Norwalk, California.

His announcement will be live streamed here.

The Crespi High School product will be choosing between the Arizona Wildcats, Oregon Ducks, and Gonzaga Bulldogs.

Williams took an official visit to Gonzaga this past weekend, and he officially visited Oregon two weeks ago. He has visited Arizona several times and, of course, was committed to the UA until March 2 when the ESPN Sean Miller wiretap report broke.

Williams is the No. 31 player in the 2018 class. It is not clear who the frontrunner is for him, though some believe Arizona is, based on a cryptic video he posted on April 16.

Either way, it won’t be long before we actually know where he is headed.


Follow Ryan Kelapire on Twitter at @RKelapire



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Jason Terry intends to return for 20th NBA season, hopes to remain with Milwaukee Bucks

Only seven players have spent two decades in the league

Only seven players have spent 20 or more seasons in the NBA. Jason Terry wants to become the eighth.

The 40-year-old told reporters Sunday at his Milwaukee Bucks exit interview that he intends to play in 2018-19, and ideally would like to return to the Bucks.

“I want to play another year,” Terry said. “I can honestly stand here before you and tell you all my efforts will be to come back with this organization.”

The former Arizona Wildcat appeared in 51 games for the Bucks this season, averaging a career-low 3.3 points per game in a career-low 16.0 minutes per game.

Milwaukee went 44-38, capturing the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference. The Bucks fell to the Celtics in seven games in the first round of the playoffs, but their win total was their best since 2009-10.

They boast one of the league’s best players in Giannis Antetokounmpo. Terry brought a veteran presence to Milwaukee, which has a starting five that consists of players 28 years old or younger

”Obviously, I know my impact,” Terry said. “I’ve been here two years now. I want to see the finished product. Because I know the potential. I know where this organization is headed. And this year was another step, though we didn’t get the result we wanted. It was another step in the right direction.

”I know management, I’ve already had my discussions with them and we will continue to talk throughout the summer. But my intentions are to come back here and finish it out here. I’m not saying it will be my final season. But I want to do 20 and then re-evaluate.”

The only other players to spend 20 seasons or more in the NBA are Dirk Nowitzki, Kobe Bryant, Vince Carter, Kevin Garnett, Kevin Willis, Robert Parish, and Kareem Abdul-Jabaar.

That would be some elite company if Terry can convince a team to bring him on board for another year.

Lute Olson, his coach at Arizona, joked a couple weeks ago that Terry needs to play another season so he can financially support his five daughters, but he’d probably be OK.

Terry has made roughly $107 million during his NBA career, per Spotrac.com.


Follow Ryan Kelapire on Twitter at @RKelapire



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No, Brandon Williams has not committed to Gonzaga

At least not yet

Reading comprehension is very important.

Here’s an example: TheScore.com reported late Sunday night that five-star point guard Brandon Williams had committed to the Gonzaga Bulldogs.

Their source?

A tweet from Williams that showed a picture of him wearing a Gonzaga uniform in front of the program’s Final Four trophy with a caption that said “Gonzaga University! I’m going to need to get me one of these!”

But nowhere in that tweet does it say Williams committed, and him donning a Gonzaga uniform hardly means anything since he wore an Oregon uniform when he visited that school earlier in the month.

ESPN’s Paul Biancardi made the same error as TheScore, but he quickly deleted his tweet.

Lesson learned here: reading is important.

On a serious note, now that Williams has completed his official visits to Gonzaga and Oregon, he should be picking a school fairly soon. Those two schools — and Arizona — are his finalists.

He is the No. 31 player in the 2018 class, per 247Sports.



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Sunday, April 29, 2018

Arizona baseball scores 18 runs, avoids sweep at Utah

It’s Jay Johnson’s first win against Utah as UA’s head coach

The Arizona Wildcats‘ were in high gear Sunday, as they routed the Utah Utes 18-12 in Salt Lake City.

Arizona snapped its five-game losing streak and avoided its second straight sweep. Arizona is now 24-17 on the season and 7-11 in the Pac-12.

This was Jay Johnson’s first victory over the Utes in nine tries since becoming UA’s manager.

Both teams had traffic on the bases seemingly every inning. Arizona had three big innings, scoring eight runs in the seventh, four runs in the fourth, and three runs in the sixth. Utah also scored plenty with four runs in the bottom of the ninth, and three two run innings.

Nine of the 10 batters for the Wildcats in the game had an RBI.

Left fielder Alfonzo Rivas led Arizona offensively with two home runs and five RBI. He also scored three times, walked, and hit a sacrifice fly.

Rivas hit a solo home run as the second batter of the game. It was a 420-foot bomb to center field. He homered again in the fourth, this time a three-run shot to make the score 6-1 at the time.

Third baseman Nick Quintana seemed to get out of his hitting slump by reaching base four times. He hit a solo home run, a two RBI double, a single, and walked.

Matt Fraizer went 4-for-5 to lead the team in hits. He added two RBI. Seve Romo and Jacob Blas each had three hits while three others had two hits.

Arizona’s pitching was not nearly as good as its offense. Starter Juan Aguilera got roughed up for the second straight game, going 3 2/3 innings, giving up five hits and three runs while walking two.

The next pitcher, Avery Weems, gave up two runs in his inning of work. Later, reliever Zach Stone hit two batters.

The Arizona pitcher to struggle the most was Robby Medel. He was hammered for eight hits, seven runs, and one walk in 2 2/3 innings.

Every pitcher Utah used gave up three runs. Starter Brett Brocoff gave up four runs on four hits with four walks in two innings.

Jacob Rebar and Riley Pierce gave up three runs in two and one innings respectively. The following pitcher, Spencer Johnson, gave up five runs in 1/3 of one inning to begin the seventh. Austin Moore finished the game with 2 2/3 innings while giving up three runs.

Deshawn Kirsey Jr. continued his incredibly hot hitting. He had four hits in six at bats. He was a hom erun short of the cycle and led off in the first with a triple. Outfielder Chandler Anderson had three hits and three RBIs. Rykker Tom also had three hits.

Arizona plays Utah Valley on Monday before coming home for a three-game series against UCLA at Hi Corbett Field on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.

The Wildcats’ RPI sits at 60. It was 31 heading into the series, but two losses to Utah, which has an RPI of 197, were extremely detrimental.

Arizona will have to fight down the stretch to secure a spot in the postseason.



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Ivy Davis hits grand slam, Arizona run-rules Oregon State to complete sweep

The Wildcats have won six straight to move above .500 in the Pac-12

Arizona could not get a timely hit all day, but Ivy Davis ended those struggles with one swing of the bat.

And the game.

The freshman smacked an 0-2 pitch for a walk-off grand slam to cap a 9-1 run-rule victory over Oregon State, as Arizona completed the sweep of the visiting Beavers.

“We had a ton of baserunners on all game, so I was just trying to get base-hits, trying to keep that rhythm going,” Davis said. “I wasn’t trying to hit one out, but it worked.”

The Wildcats left 10 runners on base and had been 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position before Davis’s sixth-inning homer.

Yet, UA coach Mike Candrea liked the Wildcats’ approach at the plate. They tallied nine hits and walked eight times.

And even though Davis’s grand slam and Jessie Harper’s homer earlier in that inning were the only base hits to knock in a run, Arizona drew two bases-loaded walks and Davis hit a sacrifice fly.

“It was a good weekend,” Candrea said. “I thought we came out and did some good things, especially at the plate. I thought we had some good discipline at the plate, made some good adjustments, didn’t panic with two strikes. … But just overall we’re playing the game with some energy and some confidence and it makes a big difference.

“We had good pitching, played decent defense, so nothing to complain about but I’ll find something,” he joked.

It’s the sixth straight win for the Wildcats, who improve to 35-13 overall and 11-10 in the Pac-12.

UA left-hander Taylor McQuillin (21-9, 1.72 ERA) turned in another strong outing, allowing just one run on five hits over six innings. Oregon State’s only run came via a solo homer in the fourth.

McQuillin struck out eight and walked two.

Both those walks came in the fifth inning, which put the tying run at the plate for the Beavers with one out. But McQuillin snared a comebacker for the second out, then punched out Shelby Weeks for the third out.

The Beavers threatened in the sixth, too, using a leadoff single and an error by UA third baseman Malia Martinez to put the tying run at the plate with one out once again.

McQuillin fell behind 1-0 on the next batter, which led pitching coach Taryne Mowatt to trot out the circle to give her a chance to regroup.

It worked. The left-hander promptly struck out Missy Nunes for the second out, then induced a lazy flyout to right to escape another jam.

“Towards the end I started to fall behind in the count a lot,” McQuillin said. “... (Mowatt) just called timeout to let us know that everything was OK. ... It was a just a breather, take a moment to recoup, and let’s attack this batter and get her out.”

Alyssa Denham was warming up in the bullpen, but a pitching change would not be necessary. Arizona scored five in the sixth to complete the run-rule.

Harper homered to lead off the inning, then Dejah Mulipola walked, Martinez reached on an error, and Joelle Krist singled to load the bases for Davis, who immediately unloaded them.

It was Davis’s fourth homer since becoming the team’s full-time designated player on April 15. Her five RBIs on Sunday were a career-high.

“Ivy stepped in at a really good time for us and starting having some good at-bats,” Candrea said. “I’m really pleased with her. She’s a kid that works hard and I think has got good skills and understands the game.

“She’s been around the game for a long time. The biggest thing she had to do is learn how to slow it down. And most freshmen do. They get out here and they’re making decisions when the ball leaves the pitcher’s hands instead of seeing the ball at the plate. So she’s going to get better, better, and better. She’s stepped in big for us.”

Candrea has been tinkering with Arizona’s lineup all season, so Davis’s approach has been to take things “day by day.”

“Everyone’s on their toes a lot, everyone’s ready to go all the time, so I think it’s really good because everyone’s in the game,” she said. “You never know for sure who’s going to be in the lineup so I’m glad to be a part of it. It’s fun to get out there and get to play.”

Krist had a blast, too. The junior was told early Sunday morning that she would be filling in for first baseman Alyssa Palomino, who sat out with a left knee strain.

Krist went 1-for-3 and drove in a run by drawing an eight-pitch, bases-loaded walk in the fourth to put UA up 4-1.

It was Krist’s first start since March 24 and just her eighth all season.

“I was surprised because I know Alyssa powers through her pain and plays really well, but I was also excited,” she said. “I got to get back in there and directly make an impact and help the team, so it was cool.”

As for Palomino, Candrea said she was out for “precautionary measures.” The redshirt sophomore, who is UA’s best hitter, has had two ACL tears since arriving at Arizona, and she wore a brace on her left leg Sunday.

“We decided to not play her today and give her some rest,” Candrea said. “So she’ll get a good four days rest. But that’s all it is.”

Arizona returns to action Saturday when it hosts a doubleheader against Grand Canyon. Candrea’s team has won eight of nine since snapping a six-game losing streak, so he was asked Sunday if they have righted the ship.

“Well, we had a buzzsaw right in the middle (of our schedule) and weren’t playing well during that time when those are the teams you really have to play well (against),” he said.

“I think after ASU, it kinda turned things around a little bit. I think the kids understand where they need to be to play at high level and we’re starting to grow up a little bit. It’s a young team, but it’s not an excuse. We’re learning how to prepare better and play better, and play with some confidence and not have so much worry.

“And I think the big thing is … I don’t really care win, lose, or draw. What I care about is how we’re playing. And so that’s kind of our bar and I think the ASU series allowed them to see what that looked like, what that felt like, and that’s something you can’t teach in practice. You have to go through it and I think that helped them understand how they need to play to play their best softball, so things are good.”


Follow Ryan Kelapire on Twitter at @RKelapire



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Arizona RB Nick Wilson signs with Chicago Bears as undrafted free agent

A good landing spot

Another undrafted Arizona Wildcat has landed a chance to make an NFL roster, as Nick Wilson announced via Twitter that he has signed with the Chicago Bears.

Wilson entered the program as a consensus four-star prospect, ranked inside the top 250 from Fresno, California. He turned down programs like Arkansas, Cal, Tennessee, Washington, and Wisconsin for Arizona.

Wilson broke onto the scene as a true freshman and helped lead Arizona to the 2014 Fiesta Bowl after contributing 1,375 rushing yards on 236 carries, including 16 touchdowns. He set Arizona’s freshman rushing record, proving to be a star in the making.

Wilson picked up his sophomore season where he left off, but injuries started to slow him down and hurt his production. He ended up leaving multiple games early, and missed four games in 2015, rushing for 725 yards on 133 carries, including eight touchdowns.

A combination of ankle, foot, knee and shoulder injuries slowed him down once again during his junior campaign when he missed seven games, rushing for only 320 yards on 55 carries. He found the end zone three times.

During his senior season, Wilson bounced back, largely due to the trio of backs in the rotation. J.J. Taylor and Zach Green helped take the workload off and allowed Wilson to maximize his carries while limiting the damage to his body. He finished with 614 yards and six touchdowns.

Overall, Wilson is sprinkled through Arizona’s rushing record book. He is seventh all-time in rushing yards (3,034), his freshman campaign ranks him fifth in single season rushing yards (1,375) and tied fourth for single season rushing touchdowns (16). In total, he ranks third for career rushing touchdowns (33).

Wilson was an ultra-productive running back, when healthy. The NFL regime will serve him well, having an NFL medical staff and a limited role in the backfield where he doesn’t have to carry the ball 20-plus times.

The Bears have two workhorse backs already with Jordan Howard and Tarik Cohen, but the depth chart seems to be wide open after that.



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Saturday, April 28, 2018

Arizona offense struggles, Wildcats drop Game 2 and series to Utah

Jay Johnson falls to 0-8 vs. Utah as Arizona’s head coach

The Utah Utes defeated the Arizona Wildcats on a windy Saturday afternoon in Salt Lake City by the score of 3-2 to clinch a series victory over UA. Arizona has dropped the last two series, and its offense has stalled over that time.

The Wildcats found themselves down 1-0 after the first inning on Saturday. RHP Michael Flynn (L, 5-3) walked leadoff batter and junior centerfielder DaShawn Keirsey Jr. Flynn then allowed two more hits, allowing Keirsey to score the game’s first run.

Flynn allowed his second of three runs the following inning after Blake Paugh misread a deep triple hit by Keirsey.

Arizona’s pitcher then settled down after that second run until the seventh inning. He finished with 6 1/3 innings, five hits, three earned runs, and four strikeouts. Second baseman Oliver Dunn doubled in the seventh off relief pitcher Avery Weems in the seventh inning. The run was charged to Flynn.

The Arizona offense struggled on Saturday too. Seve Romo, the designated hitter, singled in the second inning, but the Wildcats did not record another hit until Matt Fraizer bunted his way on in the sixth.

Arizona did finally score in the top of the seventh when Romo scored from a Paugh single. A second run was added in the eighth on a home run from second baseman Cameron Cannon, his sixth of the season.

Romo led the Arizona offense with two hits and he reached base three times.

Utah’s offensive leaders were second baseman Oliver Dunn and left fielder Chandler Anderson. Anderson also reached base three times.

Ute starter Josh Tedeschi pitched spectacularly through his 7 2/3 innings of work. He only threw 95 pitches while allowing six hits and two earned runs and struck out four. Trenton Stoltz recorded his sixth save of the season and second in two nights. Tedeschi earned his second win of the season.

Of note, Arizona is still missing centerfielder Cal Stevenson, who suffered a hand injury when he was hit by a pitch a couple of weeks ago.

After Satuday’s loss, the Wildcats fell to 23-17 overall and a damaging 6-11 in the Pac-12. After having an RPI around 30 at one point, the Wildcats have dropped five in-conference games in a row, putting Arizona at risk of missing the post-season.

The Wildcats play one more in Salt Lake Sunday at noon before one game at Utah Valley on Monday.



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Arizona OL Gerhard de Beer signs with Buffalo Bills as undrafted free agent

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Jacob Alsadek signs with Packers as undrafted free agent

The Arizona lineman quickly found a landing spot

Arizona Wildcats offensive lineman Jacob Alsadek did not hear his name called in the 2018 NFL Draft, but he quickly found a landing spot once it ended.

Alsadek has agreed to terms with the Green Bay Packers, becoming the team’s first undrafted free agent signing.

After redshirting as a freshman, Alsadek started in 46 games at Arizona, steadying the Wildcats’ offensive line.

The San Diego native was USA Today Freshman All-American and then an All-Pac-12 honorable mention as a senior.

In 2017, Alsadek started in all 13 games at right guard and helped lead an Arizona rushing attack that was the best in the Pac-12 and ranked third nationally.

Alsadek was also highly-regarded for his character and leadership skills. He was one of four season team captains as voted by teammates at the end of regular season.

The 6-foot-7, 325-pound Alsadek only played guard at Arizona, but many believe he is capable of playing all across the offensive line.

His contract terms with the Packers are unknown.



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Rawle Alkins invited to NBA Draft Combine

He participated in it last year

Arizona Wildcats guard Rawle Alkins has been invited to the 2018 NBA Draft Combine, according to Adam Zagoria of the New York Times.

This isn’t surprising since Alkins is considered by some to be a first-round prospect, and roughly 60 players usually get invited to the combine.

Plus, Alkins was invited last year where he received feedback from NBA personnel before deciding to return to Arizona for his sophomore season. (Alkins will be staying in the NBA Draft for good this time around.)

Sports Illustrated recently pegged him as the No. 25 player in the draft.

The 6-foot-5 Brooklyn native averaged 13.1 points and 4.8 rebounds per game as a sophomore, though all his shooting percentages dipped from the previous year.

Deandre Ayton will be invited to the NBA Draft Combine too, though he might not attend since it would only do him more harm than good.

It will be interesting to see if Allonzo Trier gets an invite. Sports Illustrated listed him as the No. 89 prospect in the draft, which might not be enough to earn a trip to the combine. However, that’s just one publication’s opinion of him. Several others believe he will be a second-round selection.

The combine runs from May 16-20 in Chicago. The NBA Draft is on June 21 in New York.



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Titans select Dane Cruikshank in 5th round of NFL Draft

The Arizona Wildcat has a new home

With the 152nd pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, the Tennessee Titans selected Arizona Wildcats defensive back Dane Cruikshank.

Cruikshank, who wound up spending three years at Arizona, was slated to go anywhere from the fourth to seventh round in most mock drafts.

He met with a handful of teams including the Titans, Los Angeles Rams, Los Angeles Chargers, Oakland Raiders, Denver Broncos, New Orleans Saints, Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers and Cincinnati Bengals in the pre-draft process.

Entering the Arizona program as a corner from Citrus College (Glendora, California), Cruikshank decided it was best to redshirt given the learning curve and his spot on the depth chart.

He spent a year as the full-time starting corner and held his own ground well. But as a redshirt senior, the staff suddenly moved him to the spur safety position in fall camp, where he excelled as a tackler and improved his coverage skills.

The 6-foot-2, 206 pound safety ended his career at Arizona with 135 tackles (seven for loss), 12 pass break ups and five interceptions as a two-year starter.

Cruikshank’s athleticism at the NFL Combine started to shine some light on his name, and he began to rise up draft boards ever since.

He is an extremely versatile prospect that can fit into any scheme, and should do well developing with the Titans.

The last Wildcat to be drafted in the fifth round or higher was Ka’Deem Carey in 2014. Cruikshank is also the first Arizona player to be draft as a whole since 2016.



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Q&A about new Arizona commit Justin Coleman

Let’s get some background info on the newest Wildcat

The Arizona Wildcats landed Samford graduate transfer point guard Justin Coleman on Friday (our commitment story can be found here).

Eligible to play immediately, the 5-foot-10 point guard averaged 13.5 points and 6.6 assists with the Bulldogs this season, shooting 44 percent from the field, 37 percent from 3, and 81 percent from the free-throw line.

The Birmingham, Alabama native adds much-needed talent to the point guard position. Arizona’s only returner at that spot is rising sophomore Alex Barcello, who hardly played in 2017-18.

Coleman, a former Top-100 recruit, actually spent the first two years of his collegiate career with the Alabama Crimson Tide before transferring to Samford. As a sophomore in Tuscaloosa, Coleman averaged 7.8 points and 3.3 assists per game with a rough shooting line of .300/.272/.890.

We wanted to know more about Coleman, and finding someone who’s knowledgeable about Samford basketball was difficult, so we asked our friends at Bama Roundball for some background info on the former Alabama point guard.

Here’s our Q&A.

What were Coleman’s strengths and weaknesses at Alabama?

Strengths: Quickness, passing ability, free throw shooting

Weaknesses: Shooting/scoring consistency, finishing around the rim

Why did he transfer from Alabama?

I can’t speak for him, but the short answer is that it was potentially due to uncertainty surrounding his future playing time.

The context is that Coleman was an Anthony Grant recruit and played one season under Grant, starting off and on. Avery Johnson arrived and true freshman Dazon Ingram was named the starter at point guard. Ingram has size and length, which Johnson tends to favor.

A few games into the season, Ingram suffered a season-ending injury, and Coleman returned to the starting lineup for a few games, but the team performed better with Retin Obasohan playing on the ball and Coleman came off the bench (though he still played good minutes).

If Coleman had returned to Bama the following season, he would’ve likely played behind Ingram while also competing with Avery Johnson Jr. for minutes.

Coleman is obviously short, but what type of athlete is he?

Quick. Adept at beating defenders off the dribble.

Coleman averaged 13.5 points and 6.6 assists at Samford, and shot a high percentage from 3 and the free-throw line. Do those numbers surprise you given that he struggled at Alabama?

He’s been pretty consistent with his free throw shooting at Alabama. Watching him in high school and AAU, it was surprising to see him struggle shooting the ball from the outside while at Alabama.

He had a few games where he would get into a rhythm, but overall he struggled to maintain consistency from the outside. I wouldn’t hold his assist numbers at Alabama against him, as he wasn’t surrounded with a lot of offensive firepower and those teams ranked toward the bottom end in tempo.

Arizona plays at Alabama on Dec. 9. How do you feel about having to face Coleman?

Indifferent. Overall I’m hoping he will have a successful season at Arizona. You tend to pull for the Alabama high school kids regardless of where they end up playing. But it would not hurt my feelings if he had an off night against Alabama.

Since we’re here, what type of team is Alabama supposed to have next season?

Tough to predict. Defensively, there shouldn’t be a dropoff, as Alabama’s length will likely still give a lot of teams problems. The expectation is that Tevin Mack will be able to come in and offset some of the scoring void left by Collin Sexton’s departure.

I think Ingram will begin next season back on the ball. Where it goes from there will depend on if the younger guys continue to develop and expand their roles.



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Arizona baseball falls to Utah in series opener, as woes against Utes continue

The Wildcats are 0-7 against Utah in the Jay Johnson era now

Arizona’s woes against Utah continue.

The Utes scored three runs in the sixth to beat the Wildcats 5-4 in Friday’s series-opener in Salt Lake City.

Arizona (23-16, 6-10 Pac-12) is now 0-7 against Utah in the Jay Johnson Era.

The Wildcats led 4-2 in the sixth, before Cody Deason walked in a run and Erick Migueles hit a go-ahead two-run single up the middle.

Arizona put the tying run on base in each of the last three innings, but couldn’t string together enough offense to make a comeback.

The Wildcats outhit the Utes 9-8, and led 4-0 lead in the third. Matt Fraizer hit a two-run triple in the second, then Alfonso Rivas singled through the left side to bring him in.

Both those hits came with two outs.

Catcher Cesar Salazar, who returned to the lineup after missing a game with a concussion, singled through the right side to score Cameron Cannon in the fourth.

But Arizona’s offense would quiet from there, and Utah scored two in the fourth then three in the fifth to continue its dominance over the Wildcats.

Deason went six innings and gave up the five runs on six hits, while walking three and striking out five.

Gil Luna and Juan Aguilera pitched scoreless innings in relief.

Fraizer, Rivas, Cannon, Salazar, and Donte Williams each had two hits. Williams and Jacob Blas, who was hit by a pitch, scored on Fraizer’s triple.

Rivas also had two stolen bases, including one in the ninth that put him on second with two outs. Salazar struck out to end the ballgame.

Losing to Utah (11-28, 5-11) hurts Arizona considerably since the Utes’ RPI is 200. The Wildcats’ RPI dropped eight spots from 42 to 50 because of Friday’s defeat. One projection pegged Arizona as a No. 3 seed in the Lubbock Regional, so its margin for error is shrinking.

Game two of the series is Saturday at 12 p.m. PT. It will be live streamed here.


Follow Ryan Kelapire on Twitter at @RKelapire



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Friday, April 27, 2018

Justin Coleman’s commitment won’t affect Brandon Williams’ decision

Arizona always planned to bring in two point guards

The Arizona Wildcats always planned to recruit two point guards in 2018, so Justin Coleman’s commitment won’t change the calculus of Brandon Williams’ decision.

At least that’s what Williams’ stepfather, Chris Wright, recently told Bruce Pascoe of the Arizona Daily Star.

After all, Williams — who decommitted from Arizona on March 2 after ESPN’s Sean Miller wiretap report broke — was once part of a UA recruiting class that also featured five-star point guard Jahvon Quinerly, who’s now a Villanova commit.

“In our recruiting, we’ve made a change where I think the days of just pigeon-holing someone as a point guard, playing with a wing or two wings and that’s all they can do, that has ended,” Miller said in July in Phoenix. “I think we’re looking to put our best players on the court, but also having multiple ball-handlers.

“So maybe you don’t have your traditional old-school, pass-first guard .... but moving forward I think we might not have that prototypical point guard but have two, maybe three, guys that you can say play like a point guard. So the cleverness and ability to pass at more than one position will make up for that.”

Besides, Williams and Coleman have complementary skill-sets.

Coleman, a Samford graduate transfer who committed to Arizona on Friday, is more of a pass-first point guard. He averaged 6.6 assists per game this season, and was 12th in the country in assist percentage.

Williams is a dynamic scoring point guard. The five-star prospect averaged 24.7 points and 2.7 assists at Crespi High School.

“I’m known for my facilitating,” Coleman told azcentral. “I can score when I need to score, but I’m very good at running my team and getting guys shots.”

Williams can be a beneficiary of that, not a hindrance. Not to mention Arizona could stagger their minutes so they both get ample time running the offense.

But obviously Arizona has to land Williams before those ideas can come to fruition. He is choosing between Arizona, Oregon, and Gonzaga, and is officially visiting the Bulldogs this weekend. Williams already took an official visit to Oregon, which reportedly went well.

That said, he might have hinted that Arizona is in the lead, and adding Coleman won’t hurt its chances.


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Samford grad transfer Justin Coleman commits to Arizona

The Wildcats get a much-needed point guard

The Arizona Wildcats needed a point guard, and they got one Friday.

Samford graduate transfer Justin Coleman has committed to the UA. He has one year of eligibility left and can play immediately.

The 5-foot-10 point guard averaged 13.5 points and 6.6 assists this season with the Bulldogs. The Birmingham, Alabama native shot 44 percent from the field, 37 percent from 3, and 81 percent from the free-throw line.

Coleman will compete with seldomly-used freshman Alex Barcello for the starting point guard job at Arizona. That race may get even more competitive if the Wildcats land five-star point guard Brandon Williams, who is expected to choose between Arizona, Oregon, and Gonzaga fairly soon.

Coleman posted 2.4 assists for every turnover this season, and was 11th in the entire country in assist rate.

He was a top-100 recruit out of high school and signed with Alabama where he spent two seasons before transferring to Samford.

“Even going back to his time in high school, you could definitely see that he’s an explosive playmaker and that he can get downhill, get in the paint and either create for himself, or set up an easy basket for others,” Samford coach Scott Padgett said. “He has a great work-ethic and love for the game. He also competes on every play and wants to win. Those are the things that definitely draw your attention as a coach.”

Samford ranked 346th (of 351) in defensive rating this season, and Coleman had a defensive box plus/minus of -5.0, which was the second-worst among Bulldog rotation players. The redshirt junior swiped 1.2 steals per game.

Like most small point guards, Coleman does not shoot a high percentage at the rim. He converted just 53 percent of his attempts from that range this season, per hoop-math.com. For reference, Parker Jackson-Cartwright converted 48 percent.

So Coleman does have his limitations, but Arizona needed to add a proven, experienced point guard and he brings that to the table.

Coleman joins a class of newcomers that includes Pitt graduate transfer Ryan Luther and 2018 recruits Devonaire Doutrive and Omar Thielemans.

The Wildcats still have three scholarships left to offer this offseason. We listed all their known targets here.


Follow Ryan Kelapire on Twitter at @RKelapire



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Arizona baseball looks to snap losing streak at Utah

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Thursday, April 26, 2018

Sports Illustrated not high on Allonzo Trier’s NBA potential

Jeremy Woo believes the Arizona guard will go undrafted

Only 60 players get selected in the NBA Draft, so Arizona Wildcats guard Allonzo Trier is in danger of not having his named called in New York this June.

Well, at least according to one Sports Illustrated writer.

Jeremy Woo ranked Trier as the No. 89 prospect in the 2018 NBA Draft, and wrote a not-so-glowing review of the junior guard:

Trier is a dynamic scorer, but his selfish style of play has earned him few admirers among NBA types. The ball sticks in his hands, and you question how he views himself and how willing he’ll be to adjust when he’s not the top perimeter option. He’s not a high-end athlete, which means a lot of contested threes and difficulty attacking the basket—there’s a high bar for guards who are professional scorers, so to speak. He’s not a playmaker or a great defender, and has little appeal beyond his shooting ability. Trier needs to score to be successful and certainly has talent, but needs to reinvent himself a bit to have a chance at sticking in the NBA.

I think Woo’s evaluation is mostly spot on, though I do think he might be overlooking Trier’s handle and body control, which help him create shots off the dribble despite not having a lightning-quick first step.

I also think Trier, a crafty finisher, will benefit from the increased spacing and pace that exists in the NBA game.

But Trier will certainly need to become a more well-rounded player to stick in the league. To his credit, he did improve as a passer at Arizona.

Trier’s assist numbers rose from 1.6 per 40 minutes as a freshman to 3.8 as a junior. So I don’t think it’s outlandish to believe that he can become a serviceable combo guard on that end of the floor.

But defensively is where Trier’s biggest issues are, in my opinion. It’s hard to find any numbers that suggest he improved on that side of the ball at Arizona. And scorers are easy to find, so the great separator is usually defense, unless Trier can continue to put the ball in the basket at an elite level and overshadow the weaknesses in his game.

Woo doesn’t envision that happening, so he has Trier going undrafted, though many others peg him as a second-round selection.

Woo is high on fellow UA guard Rawle Alkins who he ranked as his No. 25 prospect. He also has Deandre Ayton going No. 1 overall, though that’s common practice at this point.

The NBA Draft is on June 21.



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Wednesday, April 25, 2018

Arizona’s apparel deal ranks near bottom of Pac-12

The Wildcats’ deal with Nike isn’t so lucrative

While the internet is full of interesting facts and different things to point out, there’s something or someone that always grabs headlines.

In this case, The Mercury News published an article that has Pac-12 fans looking at how much their school is racking up from their respective apparel deals.

What Jon Wilner found is that the disparity between the top and bottom of the conference is massive.

Take a look.

Average annual payments:

UCLA: $18.6 million (Under Armour)

Washington: $12 million (Adidas)

Cal: $8.3 (Under Armour)

Oregon: $8 million (Nike)

Utah: $6.5 million (Under Armour)

Arizona State: $4.2 million (Adidas)

Oregon State: $3.3 million (Nike)

Arizona: $3.1 million (Nike)

Colorado: $3 million (Nike)

Washington State: $2.3 million (Nike)

Arizona is on the wrong end of the disparity.

The Wildcats’ average annual payout from Nike is $3.1 million. Only Colorado and Washington State have smaller payouts.

Stanford and USC are not listed because they are private schools, but Wilner says USC’s deal is around $5 million annually.

Wilner notes that these figures do not include signing bonuses. Arizona’s was $1.5 million, per the Daily Star.

Arizona signed its deal with Nike back in 2015. In actuality, the UA only receives $500,000 in cash from Nike. The rest of the $3.1 million goes toward gear, equipment, coaches, and other miscellaneous things like internships.

In comparison, Washington receives roughly $5.275 million annually in cash from Under Armour, per azcentral. Cal receives about $3.5 million, per ESPN.

The same year Arizona signed its 10-year deal with Nike, Oregon State signed its. Surprisingly, the Beavers’ deal was worth a total of $37.5 million, giving them a higher average annual payout than the Wildcats, but they only receive $225,000 in cash.

Nike generally pays out less than brands like Adidas and Under Armour, but it seems like Arizona got an underwhelming deal, which runs until 2025.

That’s a valuable revenue stream the school is missing out on, and with all the facility projects about to get underway on campus, that extra cash surely could have been put to good use.

Especially since 2015-16 was the first time the UA athletic department failed to turn a profit since 2005.

The Pac-12 Network’s struggles don’t help, either.



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Dane Cruikshank and Gerhard de Beer rising in the NFL Draft?

de Beer appears to be making a late push

It’s the week of the NFL Draft and it seems as if there is some new information going around which greatly benefits two former Arizona Wildcats.

We’ll start with Dane Cruikshank, who seems likely to be drafted at this point. He’s been projected to be picked anywhere from the third- to sixth-round. Sometimes the seventh round, too, but he has worked out with almost half the NFL teams.

Draft Scout indicates that Cruikshank is a prospect on the rise, ranking him as the fifth-best strong safety in the class. It projects him to be a third- or fourth-round pick.

You can find his NFL Draft profile here.

Keep in mind, both Scooby Wright III and Paul Magloire Jr. were plastered all over mock drafts in their respective draft classes. Wright, projected to be a mid-round pick, ended up going late in the seventh round (pick 250). Magloire, another mid-round projection, went undrafted. So always take projections with a grain of salt.

Now on to Gerhard de Beer, an interesting offensive tackle prospect who hasn’t received much attention.

He worked out with Green Bay Packers and the Arizona Cardinals, but has been slated as an undrafted free agent for much of the process.

Now, Draft Scout has him sliding up into the sixth round. He figures to be a bit of a project given his limited football experience coming from South Africa as a rugby and track-and-field star.

But if a team can develop him, it could pay huge dividends.



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Like a flock of geese, Arizona softball hopes to ‘stay in formation and keep sailing’ through the season

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Tuesday, April 24, 2018

Pac-12 considering switching to 20-game conference schedule

Other conferences are doing it

Given the rotating nature of the Pac-12 conference schedule, the Arizona Wildcats will not be hosting UCLA or USC next season, and Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott is not too fond of that.

“Certainly, when you have Arizona and UCLA not playing each other twice in a given year, it highlights one of the weaknesses (of our 18-game schedule),” he said in September.

That never happened when the Pac-12 was the Pac-10 since everybody played everybody twice, but there is a way to remedy it.

Add more conference games.

Jon Rothstein of FanRag Sports reported Tuesday that the Pac-12 is considering moving to a 20-game conference schedule.

“No decision is imminent, but the topic is expected to be heavily discussed among the league’s head coaches next week at the Pac-12 conference meetings in Phoenix,” Rothstein wrote.

This isn’t exactly a new development, though, as Scott said in Tucson in September that that was on the table.

“I’ve always been a fan — whether it’s our football schedule, basketball schedule, or anything else — to get more high-quality games and part of that is more conference games,” he said.

Other conferences are doing it. The Big Ten is shifting to a 20-game conference schedule next season, while the ACC is set to make the change in 2019-20.

“It’s the way the sport is going,’’ Arizona coach Sean Miller said (via Jon Wilner the Mercury News). “We don’t want to be the conference that needs a couple years to catch up.”

Wilner noted some changes that a 20-game conference schedule would bring to the Pac-12:

Each team would add one home and one road game, for a total of 10 each.

The expanded schedule would require teams to play two conference games in the middle of December.

The expanded round-robin schedule would reduce the misses — there would be much less chance of the Arizona schools not playing in Los Angeles, which is the unfortunate case (last) season

There are other things like improved ticket sales and better NCAA Tournament resumes (higher RPI and strength of schedule) that could result from a 20-game conference schedule.

Having more conference games is also important because scheduling quality non-conference games is tough — and getting tougher, especially home-and-home series which are being replaced by neutral-site games.

“If you just look at it from a math perspective, some of the conferences that are playing 20 games don’t have just 12 teams, they have 16 teams,” Miller said in January. “That’s 16 teams that, instead of playing 18 games against each other, they’re now playing 20 games against each other. That takes away a lot of non-conference opportunities away.”

But even if the Pac-12 does decide to move to a 20-game conference schedule, it could take a while to implement.

Rothstein reports that the earliest the Pac-12 would make the change is the 2019-20 season, though the conference’s current 10-year schedule rotation runs through 2020-21, so it’s possible it wouldn’t happen until then.


Follow Ryan Kelapire on Twitter at @RKelapire



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Football recruiting SitRep: Arizona hosts big-time QB, lands first 2019 commit & more

There’s a lot to cover in the season’s first SitRep

The 2019 recruiting cycle is in full swing now for the Arizona Wildcats. On Monday, the coaches started hitting the road, visiting schools and prospects to start the spring evaluation period.

Recruiting under the new coaching staff has felt different than the last regime, which is a good thing.

Arizona secured one commitment, is in the running for multiple high-level recruits, and hosted one of the best players this past weekend.

Let’s dive into it in the first SitRep of the 2019 recruiting cycle.


Logan Wilson, CB

We’ll start with the newest and only member of Arizona’s 2019 class. The 3-star from Bishop Dunne High School (Dallas, TX) had previously called Arizona his dream school when I talked to him at the beginning of March. Well, he visited Tucson for Arizona’s Spring Game and fell in love with the school, city, and coaching staff. He has a strong relationship with new cornerback coach Demetrice Martin and talks to him everyday.

Wilson is a great first addition to Arizona’s class. He has the instincts coaches love and helps the ‘Cats get into Texas even further.

COMMITMENT ARTICLE


Grant Gunnell, QB

The big news over this past weekend was that Arizona had the third-ranked pro-style quarterback on campus for an official visit. Gunnell committed to Texas A&M when Kevin Sumlin and Noel Mazzone were still in College Station and he does have a really solid relationship with both coaches. It earned the ‘Cats an official visit.

Now players don’t just randomly, willy-nilly take official visits to schools. They have to like the school and really be considering them. We are comfortable saying that UA is in a really good position in his recruitment and this will be one to watch. His next official visit will be to Ohio State this coming week.


Khyheem Waleed, WR

I spoke with the talented in-state receiver after he visited Arizona for their junior day earlier this month. He definitely came away impressed. He stated that the education aspect of the visit is what really stood out to him and his family, as well as the attention that UA’s staff had on education. Of note, head coach Kevin Sumlin sat down with him and talked to him for about 30 minutes. That’s always an important aspect of a recruitment.

Arizona is one of the schools recruiting him hardest to go along with California. Oregon State is his other Pac-12 offer with Iowa State and Vanderbilt rounding out his Power Five offers. Waleed is someone I can see garnering more attention as the spring/summer play out.

INTERVIEW


Jaden Tauanu’u, OLB

Tauanu’u is a player to keep a close eye on. Arizona is talking to him the most out of his three offers. The other schools that have offered him are Utah State and San Jose State. Tauanu’u said that the UA staff is looking at him to come in as an stud linebacker/edge rusher. He also really likes that he has the opportunity to become part of the re-established Poly Pipeline into Tucson.

As a junior, Tauanu’u mainly played tight end and not much outside backer because there were seniors ahead of him. Honestly, he looks like a really good tight end prospect as well. He did confirm that his coaches are looking to, and will be, playing him more on defense.

Below are some clips of him playing edge rusher during a camp earlier this spring.

INTERVIEW


Mykael Wright, CB

The fifth-ranked corner in the nation has Arizona in his Top 8 schools and there is a reason. The ‘Cats are in better position than anyone will give them credit for and a lot has to do with Wright’s relationship with cornerbacks coach Demetrice Martin. It will be a battle for UA to land the SoCal talent, but they are giving it everything they got. Wright just wrapped up a weekend visit to Oregon.

ARTICLE


Stephon Wright, DE

Another recruit I’d keep an eye on is this 4-star Los Angeles-Cathedral standout. Wright gave rave reviews of his visit to Tucson for the Spring Game. He just finished up a visit to Washington and told 247Sports that he could be very close to a decision after his upcoming visit to Colorado.


2019 Offers

Name: Charlie Ham

Position: Kicker

Ranking: 5-star (Kohl’s Kicking); 7th-ranked kicker (Kohl’s Kicking)

Height/Weight: 6-foot-2, 175 pounds

School/Hometown: Westminster School/Atlanta, GA

Notes: Ham very much reminds me of Lucas Havrisik. He has a huge leg and can blast field goals through uprights from long distances. He also is a heck of a kick-off specialist. When he booms the ball downfield it looks very fluid and effortless.

Highlights:

Name: Porter Wilson

Position: Punter

Ranking: 5-star (Chris Sailer Kicking & Kohl’s Kicking); 5th-ranked punter (Chris Sailer Kicking) & 11th-ranked punter (Kohl’s Kicking)

Height/Weight: 6-foot-4, 215 pounds

School/Hometown: Copley High School/Akron, OH

Notes: Wilson is a punter with a high ceiling that he hasn’t fully reached yet. During his junior season, he booted 39 punts for an average of 33.3 yards. During his sophomore year he only averaged 25.4 yards. I haven’t been able to find any junior film for him, but I believe Jeremy Springer wouldn’t offer unless he absolutely loves the player. Plus CSK and Kohl’s are the best specialist ranking services in the nation.


Reader Questions

From Andreas F: Who are the players most likely to commit to Arizona at this point in time, and what are the chances of Casey Kline recommitting?

I don’t see Casey Kline recommitting. He was shocked, for lack of a better term, at the head coaching change, and I have not seen or heard the new staff getting involved. It is possible the new staff re-engages with Kline, but right now it seems Boise State leads.

Now for players who are likely to commit, not only will I name them below but I’ll also add players UA is doing really well with, too.

Mykael Wright: 4-star Cornerback; 5th ranked CB; Valencia, CA

Grant Gunnell: 4-star Pro-style QB; 3rd ranked Pro QB; Houston, TX

Stephon Wright: 4-star Strongside Defensive End; 14th ranked SDE; Los Angeles, CA

Isaiah Rutherford: 4-star Cornerback; 27th ranked CB; Carmichael, CA

Chris Adimora: 4-star Safety; 22nd ranked S; Lakewood, CA

Logan Sagapolu: 3-star Center; 4th ranked C; Lehi, UT

Bralen Trice: 3-star Weakside Defensive End; 33rd WDE; Glendale, AZ

Khyheem Waleed: 3-star WR; 74th ranked WR; Queen Creek, AZ

Austin McNamara: 3-star Punter; 1st ranked P; Gilbert, AZ

Shae Suiaunoa: 3-star Athlete; 73rd ranked ATH; Houston, TX

Seth Robinson: 3-star Outside Linebacker; 55th ranked OLB; Scottsdale, AZ

Brandon Joseph: 3-star Safety; 87th ranked S; College Station, TX

Cameron Wiley: 3-star Athlete; 99th ranked ATH; Las Vegas, NV

Bailey Elder: 3-star Offensive Tackle; 101st ranked OT; Tacoma, WA

McKade Mettauer: 3-star Offensive Guard; 36th ranked OG; Houston, TX

Eddie Siaumau: 3-star Safety; 119th ranked S; Pago Pago, American Samoa

Jaden Tauanu’u: 3-star Outside Linebacker; 119th OLB; Pittsburg, CA

Devyn Butler: Unranked Cornerback; Allen, TX



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Arizona signee Devonaire Doutrive rises in the recruiting rankings

One publication boosted him 45 spots

All the major recruiting sites have updated their 2018 rankings, and Devonaire Doutrive is on the rise.

The Arizona Wildcats signee is now the No. 68 player in his class, per 247Sports composite rankings, which factor in the evaluations from other publications like ESPN and Rivals.

Doutrive previously was the No. 82 player. His biggest boost came from Rivals which bumped him up 45 spots from 124 to 79. ESPN ranks Doutrive 69th.

Fellow UA commit Omar Thielemans is the No. 109 recruit in the country, per 247Sports composite rankings.

Those two give Arizona the 47th class in the country and ninth-best class in the Pac-12.

Arizona target Lukas Kisunas saw his ranking fall. The Lithuanian center was the 191st player, now he’s 197th. He visited the Wildcats this past weekend.

UA target Brandon Williams still sits at 31st in 247Sports composite rankings, meaning he is only a few spots away from being considered a five-star prospect. He is also considering Oregon and Gonzaga. The 6-foot-3 point guard is visiting the Bulldogs this weekend.


Follow Ryan Kelapire on Twitter at @RKelapire



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Monday, April 23, 2018

2018 NFL Draft: Latest projections for Dane Cruikshank and Jacob Alsadek

How many Arizona players will be selected in the NFL Draft? Probably one, maybe two

The 2018 NFL Draft is just a few days away, and the Arizona Wildcats have a small handful of guys who are hoping to make the leap to the next level.

Just two, however, have been projected to be drafted: Dane Cruikshank and Jacob Alsadek.

Let’s take a look at the latest predictions.

Dane Cruikshank

It appears likely that Cruikshank will get drafted, but it’s a clear toss up as to where he lands. Mock drafts have him going just outside the top 100, the middle-third round range. While others have him late-sixth to seventh round.

Cruikshank has met with the Cincinnati Bengals, Los Angeles Rams, Los Angeles Chargers, New Orleans Saints, Detroit Lions, Oakland Raiders, Green Bay Packers, Tennessee Titans and Denver Broncos.

You can find his draft profile and breakdown here.

Jacob Alsadek

Alsadek will likely be a seventh-round selection if he’s picked at all. If not, he will be able to sign as an undrafted free agent.

You can find his draft profile and breakdown here.

Other Wildcats hopeful to sign with an NFL team upon conclusion of the draft include Nick Wilson, DeAndre’ Miller, Gerhard de Beer, Larry Tharpe Jr., Tyrell Johnson and Zach Green.

Wilson, Miller, de Beer and Green have all worked out with the Cardinals. de Beer has worked out with the Green Bay Packers, and Green worked out with the Chargers and was invited to the Rams’ local Pro Day.



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A look at Arizona’s depth chart, needs, and remaining targets

The Wildcats’ roster is taking shape, but there are still a few more holes to fill

The Arizona Wildcats’ roster has started to take shape after the additions of Ryan Luther, Devonaire Doutrive, and Omar Thielemans, but they can still add up to four more scholarship players this offseason.

So let’s take a look at what Arizona has so far, what needs remain, and who’s left on the market that can fill them.


Depth chart*

PG: Alex Barcello

SG: Brandon Randolph/Dylan Smith/Devonaire Doutrive

SF: Emmanuel Akot/Omar Thielemans

PF: Ira Lee/Ryan Luther

C: Chase Jeter

*The order at each position is arbitrary


Needs*

  1. Point guard/shot creator
  2. Frontcourt depth
  3. Shooting/scoring
  4. Defensive mettle

*the order is subjective, but this is mine


Remaining targets (click on their names for more info)

If we left someone off this list, let us know!

*have to sit out the 2018-19 season


Most likely additions?

Kisunas visited Arizona this past weekend and Coleman is set to visit Wednesday, so the Wildcats appear to be in good shape with them.

Williams narrowed his list to Arizona, Oregon, and Gonzaga last week (possibly in that order?), so he’s another one that UA has a solid chance of landing. The others? Arizona has either offered (Brown, Braun, etc.) or has reported interest in (Teague, Burke, etc.). No visits are scheduled at this time.

Who do you want Arizona to land? Who do you think it will land?



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Sunday, April 22, 2018

Arizona baseball swept by No. 2 Stanford

The Cardinal bats stayed hot, while the Wildcats were missing some key contributors

No. 2 Stanford continued to hit Sunday and completed the sweep of Arizona with a 7-2 victory.

The Wildcats fall to 23-15 overall and 6-9 in the Pac-12. They have lost four of their last five conference games.

Just like Friday and Saturday night’s game, Stanford’s offense revved up as the game went on. Stanford tied the game at 1-all in the third, added a run in the fifth, two in the sixth, and three in the seventh.

The Cardinal finished the day with 13 hits and six came with two outs in an inning.

Stanford first baseman Andrew Daschbach continued his hot hitting. He had four hits and a walk. He also scored twice. Tim Tawa had added with three hits and Kyle Stowers had two. Both contributed with two RBIs in the game as well. Beau Branton, the leadoff hitter, also got on base twice, spurring the Stanford offense.

The Cardinal pitching was superb. Starter Erik Miller pitch well. He lasted five innings, giving up three hits and one unearned run. Reliever Brenden Beck was even better, allowing just one hit and keeping Arizona off the bases until the eighth when he allowed two hits.

Arizona’s bullpen got hammered on Sunday. Starter Juan Aguilera pitched solidly, but only lasted three innings. He was charged with the first Stanford run. Relievers Avery Weems and Ryan Gowens both gave up an unearned run while Zach Sherman and Zach Stone gave up two earned runs.

Arizona’s hitting was nonexistent Sunday except for flashes in the second, eighth, and ninth innings. It managed just two hits and one walk outside of the second and eighth and ninth innings. In all, the Wildcats notched just seven hits and one base on balls.

Arizona’s star offensively was designated hitter Tate Soderstrom, who entered in the eighth inning and singled. He then added an RBI double in the ninth off Stanford closer Jack Little.

Arizona’s only other run came via an RBI single by pinch-hitter Seve Romo in the second, which gave UA an early lead. Nick Quintana and Cameron Cannon both doubled. Quintana scored on Romo’s single.

Arizona’s hitting woes were partially because of the loss of catcher Cesar Salazar, who left Saturday’s game with a concussion, and centerfielder Cal Stevenson who left last Sunday’s game at USC with a hand injury.

Salazar and Stevenson are leaders in almost every category, and neither played Sunday.

Arizona is now 38th in RPI. It returns to action Friday in Salt Lake City when it begins a three-game series against Utah. Then the Wildcats face Utah Valley on Monday in Orem.



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