Arizona routs UCLA for first win over top-10 team since 2004

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Complete domination

Aari McDonald owed UCLA one.

Two days before Arizona’s rematch with No. 8 UCLA, McDonald said she was determined to avenge the loss the Bruins handed them in Westwood earlier in the month.

She barked, then she bit.

McDonald scored 27 points, including 14 in a tone-setting first quarter, and Sam Thomas added a career-high 20 as No. 16 Arizona routed the Bruins 92-66 on Friday in front of 7,407.

It’s Arizona’s first win over a top-10 team in four tries this season and its first win over a top-10 team since 2004.

Not only that but it showed how dominant the Wildcats are at full strength. They have been marred by injuries and illness throughout Pac-12 play.

When Arizona (17-3, 6-3) lost to UCLA 70-58 in Westwood on Jan. 5, it was without starting forward Dominique McBryde (ankle) and Helena Pueyo (illness) was severely limited. Both were healthy Friday.

Still, McDonald having a bounceback game made the biggest difference. When she plays like she did Friday, Arizona has no ceiling.

McDonald was held to 19 points on 20 shots in the loss at UCLA, but went 10 for 15 from the field Friday. She drilled her first four shots, including a pair of step-back 3s, to give the Wildcats an early double-digit lead that the Bruins failed to narrow all night.

Sam Thomas erupted in the second quarter, burying three 3s to extend the lead to 38-22 with 4:29 left the half.

The Wildcats shot 11 for 24 from distance, one of their most prolific nights of the season. Arizona held UCLA to 33 percent shooting and won the turnover battle, 15-10. UCLA guard Japreece Dean, McDonald’s rival, went 0 for 11 from the field.

Trailing 47-32 at the break, the Bruins scored the first four points of the third quarter to trim their deficit to 11 but that was as close as they’d get. UCLA missed 14 straight shots, allowing Arizona expanded its lead to 70-48 heading into the fourth.

Thomas opened the period with her fourth 3 and Cate Reese, who had 13 points, scored underneath to make it a 25-point game, so lopsided that Adia Barnes subbed in sparsely-used freshmen like Tara Manumaleuga, Mara Mote, Birna Benonysdottir, and Sevval Gül.

McDonald knifed for a layup to make it 82-52 with 5:37 left before exiting to a standing ovation.

Arizona will go for its fifth straight win Sunday vs. USC at noon. The Trojans lost to No. 19 ASU in triple overtime Friday.

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Arizona safety Troy Young enters transfer portal

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The Arizona Wildcats have another roster spot to fill after safety Troy Young announced Friday he was putting his name into the NCAA transfer portal

I would like to thank the University of Arizona and all the coaches for the opportunity of a lifetime, to my teammates thank you for all the support and fun times it was a blessing playing beside you guys. After talking with my family I have decided to put myself into the portal. pic.twitter.com/O4R6haCmt6

— Troy Young (@YoungTroyy38) February 1, 2020

Young appeared in 29 games for Arizona over the past three seasons, starting once each in 2017 and 2018. Last season he only played in four games, registering five tackles, meaning he'd be eligible for a redshirt and would have two years of eligibility remaining.

That makes seven players who have transferred from Arizona since last summer, two in the past week. Linebacker Xavier Bell entered the transfer portal on Tuesday.

The others to leave are receiver Thomas Marcus, tight end Jake Peters, linebacker Dayven Coleman and defensive backs Maurice Gaines and Chacho Ulloa.

Arizona has also added two transfers this offseason in receiver Brenden Schooler (Oregon) and defensive tackle Aaron Blackwell (New Mexico).

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What to watch for when Arizona visits Washington State

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The Arizona Wildcats (14-6, 4-3) will go for the Evergreen sweep on Saturday when they visit Pullman to take on the Washington State Cougars (13-9, 4-5) at 6 p.m. MST on Pac-12 Network.

It’s the first time the Wildcats have faced the Cougars under first-year coach Kyle Smith, who was hired away from the University of San Francisco. WSU is no longer the pushover it was under Ernie Kent, currently ranking as the No. 126 team in the country per KenPom, its highest mark since 2012-13.

Still, KenPom only gives the Cougars a 20 percent chance of knocking off the Wildcats. Here are some things to watch for.

Winning in Pullman will be difficult

Arizona (finally) picked up its first road win Thursday at Washington in what was considered the tougher game of this road trip, but Washington State is no slouch at home.

The Cougars are 11-2 at Beasley Coliseum this year compared to 2-7 in other venues. WSU is 4-1 at home in conference play, with wins over Oregon, Oregon State, UCLA, and Arizona State. Its lone loss came against USC.

WSU’s home success can’t necessarily be attributed to a raucous crowd, though. The Cougars average 2,957 fans, easily the lowest in the Pac-12.

And they are still one of the worst teams in the conference for a reason, so the Wildcats need to take care of business or else their win Thursday will lose its luster.

Should the Wildcats lose to WSU, it would drop their record to 2-3 in Quadrant 2 games.

Three’s company

The Cougars love to fire away from deep, entering Saturday No. 1 in the Pac-12 in 3-point attempts per game (24.3). And while they rank 10th in conversion rate, they are actually the third-best 3-point shooting team in the Pac-12 since the start of conference play, sinking roughly 37 percent of their treys.

The two guys to watch are CJ Elleby and Isaac Bonton, who are both shooting over 40 percent from 3 in conference play despite hoisting more than five per game.

Arizona surrendered 14 3-pointers to Washington on Thursday and still won anyway, but that is not exactly a recipe for success.

Electric Elleby

Sticking with Elleby, he is one of the most dynamic wings in the conference, averaging 18.8 points and 7.3 rebounds per game.

His shooting line—.419/.338/.789—isn’t that impressive and he is capable of having some extremely inefficient games, like when he went 3 for 22 in the loss to USC. But the Cougars ride with him for better or worse, giving him over 15 shot attempts per game.

The sophomore had a big night in Wednesday’s win vs. ASU, logging 27 points, 12 rebounds and three assists on 19 shots.

You know where else Elleby has a lot of volume? His head:

James Snook-USA TODAY Sports

As with any road game, taking care of the ball will be important

WSU’s other strength on offense is taking care of the ball. The Cougars average just 11.7 turnovers per game, the second-fewest in the conference.

And while WSU’s offense only ranks 184th in the country, it can be a lethal combination when the Cougars are careful with the rock and drilling their 3s.

Arizona, which averages the third-fewest turnovers in the Pac-12 at 11.9, had a weird night against Washington, committing seven turnovers in the first 10 minutes, then committing only three the rest of the night.

The Cougars have the 96th-best defense in the country so the Wildcats shouldn’t have a ton of problems offensively if they are valuing their possessions.

Green finding his groove

Arizona really needs Josh Green to get back on track. The freshman has missed 13 of his last 15 shots, his confidence clearing wavering on that end of the court. He has hesitated to take open 3s and looks tentative attacking the rim, particularly in the halfcourt.

The rest of Arizona’s wings—Max Hazzard, Jemarl Baker Jr. and Dylan Smith—are volatile enough as it is, so Green needs to return to being a more consistent contributor.

Is Jeter glued to the bench?

Chase Jeter made his first appearance Thursday since his back injury, but it came in emergency duty. The redshirt senior played two minutes at the end of the first half to spare Arizona’s other bigs from getting into further foul trouble.

Stone Gettings and Ira Lee have been playing well enough in his stead that it’s possible Jeter will be in a very limited role the rest of the season.

Arizona’s rebounding has been pretty solid since he got injured, averaging a +7 margin over the last four games.

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Arizona finally finds a way in win at Washington

Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

With 13 seconds remaining in the game Thursday night against Washington, Dylan Smith went the line with the chance to ice the win away. Arizona led, almost improbably, 75-72. Even just one free throw make would seal the victory.

Brick.

Washington, who had shot 14 for 27 from 3-point land, had the chance to tie the game.

They finished the game 14 for 28. Game over. Wildcats escape.

When Sean Miller used his second-to-last timeout with 14 minutes left in the game, Arizona down, hope of a road win slipping away, it would have been easy to turn off the game with the knowledge that a loss was on the way. Maybe that would have been the case earlier in the season, but not on Thursday night in Seattle.

In a game where Arizona was down by as much as nine in the second half, in a game where Washington seemingly couldn’t miss a 3, in a game where Arizona was faced with two potential NBA first round picks, Arizona found a way to win.

Even with the late free-throw misses, early turnovers, and horrible games from Dylan Smith and Josh Green, the Cats won their first road game of the season.

I don’t pretend to know what comes next with this team. Could this win be the spur that propels them the rest of the season? Maybe. Could they lose Saturday against Washington State and squander all momentum gained from Thursday’s win? Sure.

What I do know, however, is that Arizona won its first road game of the season and picked up its third Quadrant 1 victory. College basketball is about finding ways to win, no matter the circumstances—something Arizona hasn’t done this year. Its four Quad 1 losses have come by a combined 11 points, all four games winnable.

This team still oozes of untapped potential. It feels like we’re waiting for that breakthrough of consistent play. Arizona fans saw the flashes of a top-five team against Illinois and Colorado, but also has seen the ugly losses at ASU and Oregon State.

We certainly saw a bit of both good and bad against the Huskies on Thursday, but unlike the ASU or Oregon State games, Arizona found a way to win in tough circumstances.

We’ll have to wait until Saturday’s game against Washington State to see if the road win created a spark. Until then, Arizona fans should enjoy this victory and hold off on the #FireMiller hashtags for at least a day.

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Arizona hosts UCLA: How to watch, what to expect

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The Arizona Wildcats (16-3, 5-3) have made huge strides over the past two years, but there’s still some things that have eluded them. One of those things is defeating the UCLA Bruins (18-1, 7-1).

“This game means a lot honestly,” Arizona guard Aari McDonald said. “Definitely pay back from early January, and we owe them one from last year, as well.”

The one last year is probably the bigger loss simply because Arizona had so many chances to win. The game stretched to three overtimes before the Bruins finally walked away with the 98-93 victory. It was the only meeting between the two teams in 2018-19.

On Jan. 5 of this year, the Wildcats went in to Pauley Pavilion and lost on the back of a terrible third quarter, poor rebounding and a 23-7 disparity in free throw attempts. Things would have been even worse for Arizona if UCLA had been able to hit their free throws, but they went just 11-23.

“At UCLA, one of the tough things was we gave up 18 second-chance points,” Arizona coach Adia Barnes said. “We gave up 13 points in transition.... We got killed on the boards, I mean, people off the bench got 10 (points) and 10 (rebounds). (Michaela) Onyenwere 18 and 13... So the first thing would be rebounding or doing a better job with that. But we’re not where we need to be and against them it’s really important because they send so many people to the boards and they’re so good at it. The other thing what hurt us is the third quarter. Third quarter we got murdered. Transition defense. Just 3s in transition, just not locked in and it’s like 28-13. So that was a difference in the game. Besides that, we played them evenly the other three quarters. So, I think jumping strong and UCLA is known to have big third quarter so... hopefully that doesn’t happen. But we got to keep them off the boards. Got to play good defense. We know that, to hone in on their two key players (Onyenwere and Japreece Dean).”

Barnes is also happy to have her team healthy for this contest.

“If you remember back to UCLA, we didn’t have Dominique (McBryde) and we didn’t really have Helena (Pueyo),” Barnes said. “Helena was up the whole night before throwing up all night. So she was limited on playing. When you’re diabetic, your numbers get out of whack when you’re sick, so I only played her for a couple minutes. So, having her and Dominique, it’s very different.”

Will that be enough to overcome Onyenwere, who trails only McDonald in scoring in the Pac-12? How about Dean, who Barnes describes as “just like a microwave” on offense? What about the two experienced stars along with talented freshman Charisma Osborne, the jewel of UCLA’s top-10 recruiting class?

The three lead a group that has lost only once this year. That loss came against USC in a game where Onyenwere didn’t play. Can Arizona make it two losses on Friday night at McKale Center?

Complimentary parking on the mall is available. Purchasing tickets to either women’s basketball game this weekend also allows fans to buy discounted tickets for Saturday’s gymnastics meet between the No. 21 GymCats and No. 4 Utah.

If you can’t get to McKale, though, here’s how to follow along.

Arizona-UCLA game details:

Date: Friday, Jan. 31, 2020

Time: 6 p.m. MST

Location: McKale Center Tucson, Ariz.

Rankings and ratings: UCLA is ranked No. 8 in the AP poll and No. 9 in the USA Today/WBCA poll. Arizona is ranked No. 16 by the media and No. 17 by the coaches.

Analytics site Her Hoop Stats rates the Bruins No. 22 and the Wildcats No. 18 overall. UCLA is rated the No. 26 offense and the No. 21 defense. The Wildcats are the No. 41 offense and the No. 6 defense.

The official RPI has UCLA at 6 and Arizona at 33.

Which channel is Arizona-UCLA on?

The game will be aired on Pac-12 Arizona, Pac-12 Los Angeles and the Pac-12 Network national feed.

How can I stream Arizona-UCLA?

The stream will be available on Pac-12.com, but only if you already subscribe to the Pac-12 Network.

How can I listen to the radio call of Arizona-UCLA?

The call by Derrick Palmer is available on the Arizona IMG Sports Network. On the radio, you can tune into KTUC 1400 AM. You can also listen via Tunein.com or the Tunein app on your mobile device.

How can I follow Arizona-UCLA?

You can follow us on Twitter @AZDesertSwarm. You can also follow our editor @RKelapire and our reporter @KimDoss71 for coverage of Arizona women’s basketball on game day and every other day of the week.

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What Sean Miller said after Arizona’s win at Washington

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The Arizona Wildcats finally secured their first road win Thursday, staving off the Washington Huskies 75-72 in Seattle.

Our full recap can be found here, additional takeaways can be found here, and below is what UA head coach Sean Miller said afterwards.

On finally getting a road win: “I mean, it’s a big difference when you win versus when you lose, that’s why I think for us we can’t panic. We lost a heartbreaker at Oregon in overtime by one and certainly the last game that we played (at ASU) was a tough game, but sometimes you have to give the opponent credit as well. And tonight the game could have gone either way and we made a few plays down the stretch. But Washington made 14 3s and man it’s hard to win a game when the team makes 14. I thought they had a great night from the 3-point line. Some of the ones maybe we could have contested better, but there was some other ones that they they made the shots. But to our guys’ credit we kept playing all the way to the end. And I’m sure some of our recent experiences helped us do that.”

On the key to the win: “I think the biggest thing that won us the game though, when you play Washington, especially here you have to take care of the ball, and that’s easier said than done. They use their defense to create transition opportunities and we played the whole second half with two turnovers and we 10 for the game. If you take out the first four minutes, we played about 36 minutes against their zone with six, which is very impressive. And then our defensive rebounding was really good. I mean, percentage-wise it’s really our third game in a row we’ve done a good job. I think there was that one 50-50 play there in the second half where it kinda reminded me of some of the games we’ve been in where the ball bounced a couple times, and they ended up getting it. That’s plagued us. But for the most part, the two things we really wanted to do—rebound and take care of the ball—we did.”

On holding UW freshman Isaiah Stewart to 9 points on 3-of-13 shooting: “(Our defense) was excellent on him. Unfortunately the other guys and he made one (a 3) as well, But he’s a load. He’s a great player. They do a really good job of getting him the ball. But I thought our guys did a good job against him. You know, the irony of it, that’s not why they made 14 threes. It wasn’t like we gave something up. Their 3s were hard-earned and good shots. It didn’t really have anything to do with what we were doing against him, but if we would have given him a big night plus their 3s, there’s no way we could have won.”

On outlasting Washington: “Like them, we’ve been in some really hard fought battles...and I know that the narrative becomes, ‘Hey, you gotta win on the road.’ I understand that but you get in these games, eventually you’re going to be able to punch one out, and I really give our team a lot of credit for playing all the way to the end. Jemarl Baker was really big for us, a guy who didn’t start who can really shoot the ball and I thought his 3-point shots were obviously timely as well.”

On playing in Seattle: “The one thing about our guys is this is the first time they’ve ever been here, to this arena minus two of them. We only had two guys that really have ever been here before, Ira and Dylan. And the role that those two guys had two years ago was minimal. So part of us is just getting experience, being on the road, unfortunately learning through failure, learning through hardship, and it’s nice for our team. I’m really happy for them that they were able to learn tonight and we could point to a lot of good things.”

On Saturday’s game at Washington State: “Washington State is a very, very good team and they’ve had a lot of success at home. I mean, they’ve, moved through our league. I think USC is the only team that’s beaten them in Pullman, right? And they played last night, they have a really good coach, we respect them a great deal. I’ve watched them from afar and now it’s up to us to hopefully take some of this momentum and bring it to the next game.”

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What we learned from Arizona’s win at Washington

Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

Jemarl Baker Jr. paid tribute to Kobe Bryant in a fitting way

The Arizona Wildcats finally captured their first road win Thursday, outlasting the Washington Huskies 75-72 in Seattle.

Arizona improves to 14-6 overall and 4-3 in the Pac-12 heading into Saturday’s game at Washington State.

Our full recap of Thursday’s victory can be found here, and here are some additional takeaways:

Jemarl Baker Jr. paid tribute to Kobe in a fitting way

Baker grew up idolizing Kobe Bryant and said Tuesday that the news of his death hit him hard.

“He definitely inspired me to want to be great,” Baker said then. “And I think watching him has helped me get to where I am now.”

The Southern California native paid tribute to the late superstar in a fitting way. Not by wearing his shoes—though he did that, too—but by putting his team on his back down the stretch of a back-and-forth game.

Baker scored 14 of his career-high 17 points in the second half, at one point pouring in six straight—three free throws and a 3—to turn a 69-64 deficit into a 70-69 lead with 4:17 left.

Then, after Washington went back ahead, Baker confidently swished a deep 3 from the wing to put the Wildcats back on top for good with 44 seconds left. Notice how his feet and shoulders were square before he even received the pass from Nico Mannion:

Jemarl Baker had a career-high 17 points, including 14 in the second half to lead Arizona past Washington for its first road win.

This 3 proved to be the game-winner: pic.twitter.com/AV2IQt6RUb

— Ryan Kelapire (@RKelapire) January 31, 2020

Baker finished 5-for-8 from the field with four 3s. His other basket was this acrobatic finish in transition:

Unreal finish by Jemarl Baker pic.twitter.com/BJpMVF5epx

— Ryan Kelapire (@RKelapire) January 31, 2020

On a night when Dylan Smith and Josh Green combined to shoot 3 for 16, the Wildcats needed someone else to step up and Thursday it was Baker who had the Mamba Mentality.

Foul trouble was a problem again

Stone Gettings, Ira Lee, and Zeke Nnaji all picked up two fouls in the first half, springing Christian Koloko and Chase Jeter into action.

Nnaji did so just seven minutes into the game, putting him on the bench until the start of the second half. It proved pretty costly, seeing that the Wildcats were up 18-11 when Nnaji picked up his second foul and saw the lead get trimmed to 36-33 by the end of the first half. And that was after the Huskies had the lead at one point.

This came just one game after Mannion picked up two first-half fouls at ASU, which derailed UA’s offense for the rest of night. Arizona’s freshmen are just too important for them to be hindered by foul trouble.

The battle of the bigs didn’t live up to hype

The Nnaji-Isaiah Stewart matchup was supposed to be one for the ages but both freshmen big men were held in check.

Stewart, who averages 18 and nine, had nine points and 11 rebounds on 3-of-13 shooting. The Wildcats put several different players on him, and they all did a good job denying entry passes, frustrating the future first-round pick. Additionally, the Wildcats held Stewart to just one offensive rebound and the Huskies to six as a team, only resulting in six second-chance points.

Nnaji wasn’t his usual self on the offensive glass either, only collecting one, and missed some open jumpers in the middle of UW’s zone, going 4 for 11 from the field. He finished with nine points and eight rebounds, his lowest scoring output since the win vs. Nebraska-Omaha on Dec. 11.

Arizona unprecedentedly survived a 3-point bombing

Stewart’s off night almost didn’t matter because the Huskies were red-hot from the perimeter. They went 14 for 28 from behind the arc, becoming the first Pac-12 opponent to make that many 3s against Arizona in the Sean Miller era and still lose.

Nobody has been able to run the Huskies off the 3-point line lately. They have shot 45 percent or better from 3 in three straight games but managed to lose all of them.

Arizona’s seniors weren’t composed down the stretch

When the game is hanging in the balance, you’d figure you’d want your most experienced players at the free-throw line.

Not if you’re Arizona.

Gettings missed a pair of free throws with 3:06 left that could have extended Arizona’s lead to 72-69. Fellow fifth-year senior Smith missed two free throws in the final 20 seconds that could have pushed Arizona’s lead to four or five and ice the game.

It’s the third time Smith has clanked important free throws down the stretch, the other instances coming at Oregon and ASU.

Washington showed why it can’t win close games

The only Pac-12 team worse than Arizona in close games is Washington. The Huskies dropped to 1-7 in games decided by five points or fewer. The Wildcats improved to 2-5 after losing two straight.

Washington had the ball down two with 25 seconds left and RaeQuan Battle settled for a contested 3 from beyond NBA 3-point range early in the shot clock. It, unsurprisingly, was off the mark. UW coach Mike Hopkins was completely dismayed.

UW got another chance to tie it, but Jaden McDaniels turned the ball over near midcourt with 15 seconds left. The Huskies missed seven of their last eight shots and had four turnovers in the final 5:52.

Miller didn’t learn from his mistake

Miller said Tuesday that he needs to do a better job being more selective with his timeouts.

So much for that. He burned Arizona’s penultimate timeout with 14:28 left in the second half after Mannion sank a 3 to trim UA’s deficit to 50-44. The Huskies hit a 3 on their ensuing possession.

Arizona used its final timeout with 4:46 to play, though in fairness, Baker called it because he was trapped in the corner.

Fortunately, Arizona was ahead in the final moments so not having a timeout didn’t come back to bite them. Still, it’s not great to see that Miller repeated the same mistake.

Max Hazzard responded well to his benching

Hazzard was benched at ASU after a dismal end to the first half in which he took a quick shot, committed a costly turnover, and gave up a layup.

He responded nicely Thursday, draining a 3 with six seconds left to put Arizona ahead 36-33 at the half. Hazzard had eight first-half points, being a dangerous threat in the corner, one of the soft spots in Washington’s extended 2-3 zone.

However, Hazzard was still a non-factor in the second half, going scoreless in seven minutes, missing both of his field-goal attempts. At least he played, though.

Josh Green still lacking confidence

It has been a rough two-game stretch for the freshman, who is now 2 for his last 16 from the field. He had five points on seven shots against the Huskies.

Green did impact the game in other ways, coming up with three steals, but he also fouled two jump shooters and only played seven minutes in the second half, losing his spot to Baker.

Green is clearly struggling with his confidence, evident when he was unwillingly to take the corner 3s that were available against Washington’s zone.

Chase Jeter lives!

Jeter (back spasms) made his first appearance since the Oregon State game on Jan. 12. It was a short one. The fifth-year senior played two minutes at the end of the first half, likely only because the rest of the frontcourt was deep in foul trouble.

Jeter’s only stat was a missed field goal. He got absolutely swatted by Stewart as he tried to put up a hook shot over a triple team. It will be interesting to see if Jeter has a more prominent role against Washington State, or if this is pretty much it for him.

And although Gettings did miss those two free throws, he did play really well the rest of the night, finishing with 13 points and three rebounds, doing a good job exploiting the weak spots in UW’s zone by hitting some mid-range jumpers.

Arizona added a Quadrant 1 win

The Wildcats improved to 3-4 in Quadrant 1 games, the other victories coming against Illinois and Colorado.

It’s a big win since UA only has three more Q1 games left this season based on the current NET rankings—vs. Oregon, at USC and at Stanford—and those victories could be big come Selection Sunday.

As unimpressive as Arizona’s 14-6 record is, it remains No. 11 in NET partly because it has been respectable in these Q1 games.

As far as the Pac-12 title race goes, the Wildcats remain just one game back of first-place Oregon in the loss column. The Ducks visit McKale Center on Feb. 22.

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Arizona outlasts Washington in Seattle for first road win

Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images

Where would the Arizona Wildcats be if Jemarl Baker Jr. hadn’t been granted immediate eligibility?

One thing is for sure: he wouldn’t have been the reason they won their first road game of the 2019-20 season.

Baker’s 3-pointer with 42.6 seconds left put Arizona up for good in a 75-72 win at the Washington Huskies on Thursday night in Seattle.

Jemarl Baker had a career-high 17 points, including 14 in the second half to lead Arizona past Washington for its first road win.

This 3 proved to be the game-winner: pic.twitter.com/AV2IQt6RUb

— Ryan Kelapire (@RKelapire) January 31, 2020

The victory snaps a five-game road skid for the Wildcats (14-6, 4-3 Pac-12) and gives them a chance for their first road sweep since last January when they play at Washington State on Saturday night.

Baker, a transfer from Kentucky, scored 14 of his career-high 17 points in the second half to help Arizona rally from down nine after leading by as many as 10 in the first half. He was 4 of 7 from 3-point range and 5 of 8 overall while also making three critical free throws during a key UA run late in the game.

Nico Mannion had 16 points, five rebounds and five assists and Stone Gettings aded 13 as Arizona overcame early foul trouble and ridiculously bad 3-point defense for much of the night.

Washington (12-10, 2-7) hit 14 of 28 3s, making 9 of 17 in the second half including the first six after halftime. But the Huskies missed 4 of their last 5 from deep including all three in the final minute.

The Huskies were only 11 of 31 from inside the arc, with freshmen Isaiah Stewart and Jaden McDaniels combining to go 8 for 26 overall and 6 for 21 from 2.

A 36-33 halftime lead quickly evaporated for Arizona as Washington came out on fire from 3 in the second half. The Huskies made their first six perimeter shots, with many of them coinciding with eight straight Arizona misses during a 4:19 scoring drought.

Washington built a nine-point lead at 57-48 on a monster dunk by McDaniels but the freshman was called for taunting Ira Lee afterward, sparking an Arizona run of seven straight points to get the Wildcats within 57-55 with 11:53 left.

Back-to-back jumpers from the high post by Gettings, who was 5 of 9 from the field, got Arizona within 65-64 with 7:01 left, then Baker scored six straight points—three free throws after getting fouled on a perimeter shot and his third 3—gave Arizona a 70-69 lead with 4:17 remaining.

A 3 by RaeQuan Battle, who was 4 for 8 from outside, put Washington up 72-70 with 1:45 left but that was the Huskies’ final points.

Ira Lee hit 1 of 2 free throws with 1:22 left, then Baker’s shot put Arizona up 74-72. Dylan Smith made it 75-72 by going 1 for 3 on a pair of trips to the line, missing the front end on the second visit, but Washington’s Marcus Tsohonis airballed a 3 with 2.4 seconds to go.

Arizona led by as many as 10 in the first half but was only up three at halftime, that margin coming as a result of a 3-pointer by Max Hazzard with five seconds left. Hazzard hit two triples in the first half after being benched for all of the second half at ASU.

The Wildcats had to completely reshuffle their frontcourt rotation because of first-half foul trouble, with Zeke Nnaji playing only seven minutes and Gettings nine after each picked up two early fouls. Lee also had two first-half fouls off the bench, leading to Christian Koloko logging 10 minutes before halftime after playing only seven combined in the previous two games.

Nnaji had nine points on 4-of-11 shooting but added eight rebounds while Lee had three points and seven boards in 15 minutes.

The Wildcats were up 21-11 with 10:14 to go but only made four field goals the rest of the first half. They shot 38.7 percent overall and 38.5 percent from 3, making 5 of 12 triples in the second half.

The Wildcats finish up their 3-game road trip Saturday night at Washington State, which beat ASU on Wednesday.

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Arizona vs. Washington game thread

Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

It’s game day!

The Arizona Wildcats (13-6, 3-3 Pac-12) try to pick up their first road win of the season when they take on the Washington Huskies (12-9, 2-6) on Thursday night.

Arizona is coming off a painful 66-65 loss at ASU on Saturday, a game in which it led by as many as 22 points before falling apart in the second half for their fifth consecutive road defeat. Washington enters on a three-game losing streak, having been swept at the Rocky Mountain schools last weekend.

Here is all the info you need to tune in, along with links to all of our pregame coverage. Come chat with us!

Arizona-Washington game time, details:

Date: Thursday, Jan. 30, 2020

Time: 7 p.m. MST

Location: Alaska Airlines Arena; Seattle, Wash.

Line: Arizona -3

KenPom projection: Arizona will win 70-68, with a 57 probability of the Wildcats coming out on top.

Which TV channel is Arizona-Washington on?

Arizona-Washington will be televised on ESPN2.

How can I watch Arizona-Washington online?

The stream of Arizona-Washington can be viewed at espn3.com.

How can I listen to Arizona-Washington on the radio?

You can listen to Arizona-Washington on the Arizona IMG Sports Network.

How can I follow Arizona-Washington?

By following us on Twitter at @AZDesertSwarm! You can also follow our editors at @RKelapire and @realBJP.

Pregame coverage

• Arizona vs. Washington score predictions
• What to watch for when Arizona visits Washington on Thursday
• Washington expert previews Arizona’s visit to Seattle, makes a score prediction
• Aaron Gordon to participate in 2020 NBA Dunk Contest, per report
• Jemarl Baker, Arizona Wildcats plan to honor Kobe Bryant
• Sean Miller re-explains why Max Hazzard was benched in Arizona’s loss at ASU
• Jason Terry shares heartbreaking story in wake of Kobe Bryant’s death
• Roundtable: What was your takeaway from Arizona’s loss at ASU?
• Arizona Wildcats can be great, bad and everything in between
• Power ranking Pac-12 basketball after the fourth week of conference play

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Arizona adds Spanish post Marta Garcia to 2020 recruiting class

FIBA

Adia Barnes continues to search far and wide for the best talent.

The Arizona Wildcats have received a commitment from Spanish post Marta Garcia, who becomes the third member of Arizona’s 2020 class. The others are Turkish point guard Derin Erdogan and five-star post Lauren Ware from South Dakota.

Congratulations to 2020 Marta Garcia and her commitment to @ArizonaWBB! Huge addition for the squad and all that @AdiaBarnes is building! pic.twitter.com/8qV4rUJmbj

— GoGlobal Recruiting (@GoGlobal_LLC) January 9, 2020

The 6-foot-3 Garcia plays for Segle XXI Barcelona in Spain’s second-best league, the same club UA freshman Helena Pueyo starred for. Garcia is averaging 7.1 points and 4.6 rebounds while shooting 39 percent from the field and 56 percent from the free-throw line.

Garcia also has experience playing for the Spanish National Team. In the 2019 FIBA U18 Women’s European Championship, she averaged 6.7 points and 3.3 rebounds per game in 15.6 minutes, shooting 46 percent from the field.

Barnes said Wednesday that she still hopes to add a transfer—possibly former Minnesota guard Destiny Pitts, who visited last weekend—and a grad transfer before next season.

“The problem is it’s slim pickings, and we’re all going after fifth-years,” Barnes said. “Because if you look at Louisville, Baylor, that’s what’s helped them win. You take a fifth-year, it just helps you win and gives you another guard or post or wherever you’re deficient in.”

Arizona is set to graduate starters Amari Carter and Dominique McBryde along with key reserve Lucia Alonso and Tee Tee Starks, who is out for the season with a shoulder injury.

Star guard Aari McDonald, a redshirt junior, could possibly test the WNBA Draft waters as well.

Assuming Garcia and Erdogan join the Wildcats as expected and there are no unexpected departures, they will become the sixth and seventh international players on the roster, the others being Pueyo (Spain), Tara Manumaleuga (Australia), Birna Benoysdottir (Iceland), Mara Mote (Latvia) and Sevval Gül (Turkey)

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Arizona vs. Washington score predictions

Casey Sapio-USA TODAY Sports

Will the Wildcats finally break through on the road?

Now 0-4 on the road this season, the Arizona Wildcats continue their trek through the Pac-12 with a two-game swing to the state of Washington. That begins with Thursday night’s tilt against the Washington Huskies at Alaska Airlines Arena in Seattle.

Tip off is set for 7 p.m. MT and the game will be broadcast on ESPN2. Head to our basketball section for complete coverage.

Below are our staff predictions:

Brian J. Pedersen — Arizona wins 67-60

If ever there was a time for the UA to have an “easy” road trip, it’s now. And the Washington swing is the closest thing to a sweepable one in the Pac-12 right now, especially with the Huskies looking rudderless in a tie for last place and riding a three-game losing streak. They’ve gone 2-2 at home in league play, including a loss to woeful UCLA, so this is an incredibly vulnerable squad. Yet it’s also one that beat No. 1 Baylor in November—albeit with point guard Quade Green still eligible—and hung with No. 2 Gonzaga in December. The saving grace for Arizona may be that UW no longer exclusively uses Sean Miller’s kryptonite, the zone defense.

Ronnie Stoffle — Washington wins, 67-62

If the Wildcats were playing just about any other team, I would trust that they would treat this as a perfect bounce-back opportunity. However, Washington’s zone defense is going to give Arizona serious trouble. The Huskies are also due for a win which makes me bearish on Arizona’s chances in the first leg of the Washington road trip.

Christian Mortensen — Arizona wins 68-64

While some Arizona fans are already in crisis mode after last weekend’s loss at ASU, I actually think this game provides a better assessment of just how good this UA team is. Losing on the road against your biggest rival happens — but a loss against this Washington team would really feel like a major blow for the Wildcats.

The Huskies have fallen to last place in the Pac-12 and are just 1-5 since sophomore point guard Quade Green was ruled academically ineligible on January 9. They are averaging just 61 points per game without him and while Arizona is obviously reeling in their own way, if there was ever a good time to make a trip to play UW in Seattle, it’s now.

Considering the Wildcats young talent and reliance on three freshmen, I still think this team’s best days are ahead — even with their early season struggles away from McKale.

To show that’s true, however, they need to start playing with the confidence and the grit to hold on and win road games like this one.

I’m going to pick them to do just that on Thursday night — albeit mostly because of how poor Washington has been lately.

Matthew Rein — Washington wins 71-70

This is an absolute true toss-up to me. UW has not lived up to their potential this year. After what was a promising season opening win against Baylor, has now turned to disappointment. With losses in seven of their last nine, including losses to Cal, UCLA, and Utah, the Huskies look like they will miss March altogether.

The problem is that we have absolutely no clue which Arizona team is going to show up Thursday. Will it be the team that throttled Colorado, or the team that gave up a 22 point lead to ASU?

The Huskies on the other hand have genuine NBA talent in Isiah Stewart and Nahziah Carter, but because of the team’s poor play, it’s hard for me to trust UW either.

In the spirit of a true toss-up, I’ll give the slight edge to the Huskies based on home-court.

Ryan Kelapire — Arizona wins 72-68

So obviously this is a dangerous game for multiple reasons. Washington plays zone, it’s on the road, and the Huskies have two of the best freshmen in the country in Isaiah Stewart and Jaden McDaniels.

But UW has really struggled since losing Quade Green, dropping five of its last six and has a home loss to UCLA. It is one of the worst teams in the country at taking care of the ball.

The Huskies, like Arizona, have also continually come up short in close games too, going 1-6 in games decided by six or fewer points. The Wildcats are 1-5.

Arizona will need to take care of the ball and have some of its role players hit 3s against UW’s zone.

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Arizona vs. Washington: Game time, TV channel, live stream, odds, radio info

Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

It’s game day!

The Arizona Wildcats (13-6, 3-3 Pac-12) try to pick up their first road win of the season when they take on the Washington Huskies (12-9, 2-6) on Thursday night.

Arizona is coming off a painful 66-65 loss at ASU on Saturday, a game in which it led by as many as 22 points before falling apart in the second half for their fifth consecutive road defeat. Washington enters on a three-game losing streak, having been swept at the Rocky Mountain schools last weekend.

Here is all the info you need to tune in, along with links to all of our pregame coverage.

Arizona-Washington game time, details:

Date: Thursday, Jan. 30, 2020

Time: 7 p.m. MST

Location: Alaska Airlines Arena; Seattle, Wash.

Line: Arizona -3

KenPom projection: Arizona will win 70-68, with a 57 probability of the Wildcats coming out on top.

Which TV channel is Arizona-Washington on?

Arizona-Washington will be televised on ESPN2.

How can I watch Arizona-Washington online?

The stream of Arizona-Washington can be viewed at espn3.com.

How can I listen to Arizona-Washington on the radio?

You can listen to Arizona-Washington on the Arizona IMG Sports Network.

How can I follow Arizona-Washington?

By following us on Twitter at @AZDesertSwarm! You can also follow our editors at @RKelapire and @realBJP.

Pregame coverage

• What to watch for when Arizona visits Washington on Thursday
• Washington expert previews Arizona’s visit to Seattle, makes a score prediction
• Aaron Gordon to participate in 2020 NBA Dunk Contest, per report
• Jemarl Baker, Arizona Wildcats plan to honor Kobe Bryant
• Sean Miller re-explains why Max Hazzard was benched in Arizona’s loss at ASU
• Jason Terry shares heartbreaking story in wake of Kobe Bryant’s death
• Roundtable: What was your takeaway from Arizona’s loss at ASU?
• Arizona Wildcats can be great, bad and everything in between
• Power ranking Pac-12 basketball after the fourth week of conference play

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3-star offensive tackle Cedric Melton decommits from Arizona

Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images

Arizona now down to 16 incoming scholarship freshman

Cedric Melton, a three-star offensive tackle from Houston, has decommitted from the Arizona Wildcats. Melton announced his recruitment was reopening on Wednesday night on his Twitter.

pic.twitter.com/h8ktGsBPbb

— Cedric Melton (@iamcedricmelton) January 30, 2020

Melton was one of three Texas natives in the incoming class, coming from Klein Cain High School in Houston, a city with deep ties to Arizona coach Kevin Sumlin.

Arizona’s 2020 class now contains 16 players as National Signing Day approaches. The class is ranked 11th in the Pac-12, only above Washington State, and 63rd in the nation.

Three offensive linemen will still be coming to Tucson this summer, with three-star recruits Josh Baker, Woody Jean, and Leif Magnusson committed. Still, Arizona’s offensive line needs all the depth it can get, and Melton’s decommitment stings.

Melton is scheduled to visit Lane Kiffin’s Ole Miss program on Friday. National Signing Day is next Wednesday, February 5, though players can sign their letters of intent until April.

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Arizona guard Tee Tee Starks adjusting to new role as player-coach

Photo by Cody Glenn/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Generally, Arizona head coach Adia Barnes is opposed to hiring her former players as graduate assistants. It makes for a weird dynamic.

“It’s a bad idea because they’re friends with the players,” she said.

However, Barnes would be willing to make an exception for Tee Tee Starks if she wants that job next season.

“She’s more mature, she’s more removed,” Barnes said. “I think that she can handle it.”

The senior guard is already showing she can. Sidelined with a torn left labrum, Starks has taken on a pseudo-coaching role in her fifth year, serving as a key mentor for Arizona’s younger players.

It wasn’t supposed to be this way.

Starks rehabbed her shoulder for months and months, hoping it would recover just enough for her to play. The pain was just too much. Even something as simple as sliding her shower curtain would reduce her to tears. So in early January she made the gut-wrenching decision to undergo season-ending—and, thus, career-ending—surgery.

“Trust me, I tried to do everything to not have surgery,” Starks said. “But it was what it was.”

At first, Starks had trouble accepting her fate. Then she saw the bright side: she still gets to be part of an Arizona team that is enjoying a historic season, as it enters Friday’s home game vs. No. 8 UCLA as the No. 16 team in the country, its highest ranking since 2000.

“I wouldn’t be able to get up every day and put a smile on my face if I was dwelling on all the bad things that happened in my life,” said Starks, who missed most of her freshman season with a knee injury. “It’s a speed bump in the road, and you just gotta get through it.”

Besides, Starks' new role is helping her shape her future. She hopes to be a coach one day, just like her mother.

“Tee has always been like the mother of our team,” said junior guard Aari McDonald. “She makes sure everyone is OK, they’re doing well, does weekly checkups on people and she’s very mature of all the bunch and she’s very intelligent. She knows our X’s and O’s. She’s a really good person. And it sucks not having her on the floor, but she’s definitely been helpful off the court, just helping the team, telling people what they can do better.”

Starks has a knack for connecting with people and getting the best out of them. Usually that means being honest, sometimes brutally so.

“If you want the truth don’t ask Tee Tee,” Barnes laughed. “And sometimes that’s not always easy. ... She’s gonna tell you the truth whether it’s good or bad, but that’s what I love about her.”

Starks said she is even more critical of her teammates now that she is no longer playing. They know she means well—and that she’s a valuable resource.

McDonald, an All-American, often seeks her advice.

“She’ll come at halftime and ask me, ‘do you think I’m rushing or what do you see?’ Just picking my brain about stuff and I think that makes her better,” Starks said.

During games, Starks makes sure the Wildcats are engaged and aware of important details like how many timeouts they have, who has the possession arrow, or how much time is left on the shot clock.

“I kind of quizzed [Tara Manumaleuga] the last game and she’s like, (I don’t know),” Starks said. “I was like ‘c’mon Tara we talked about this.”’

Starks knows how to motivate, too. She can usually tell by the first drill if the Wildcats are practicing with the right energy. If they aren’t, she’ll do what she can to fix it.

“I’ll usually get up, say something, call timeout, do something because I don’t like running,” she said. “Sometimes when practices aren’t going good we gotta run.”

It makes Barnes’ job easier.

“It’s hard for me to coach you, discipline and wear all those hats....so it helps when you have a player like that that can keep things in perspective for players and be honest,” she said. “Because I think when you hear from me, it’s like, ‘oh, she doesn’t like me, she doesn’t want to play me.’’’

Starks was recently accepted into the So You Want To Be A Coach? program, which helps former players break into the profession through education, skills enhancement, networking and exposure opportunities.

Barnes still wishes Starks could play this year—her 3-point shooting, trademark defense and grittiness would have made the Wildcats “so much better,” she said—but she expects Starks to be a great coach one day and is glad she can get a head start on her future.

“I think she’s just learning and she’s accepting the reality of this year,” Barnes said. “It was hard to swallow in the beginning for sure because I could see the difference in her demeanor. ... But she has a role and she’s important and she’s valued.”

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What to watch for when Arizona visits Washington on Thursday

Photo by Kevin Abele/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

The Arizona Wildcats (13-6, 3-3 Pac-12) continue their season-long three-game road trip when they face the Washington Huskies (12-9, 2-6) on Thursday night at Alaska Airlines Arena in Seattle.

Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. MT and the game will be shown on ESPN2. Here are some things to watch for:

The road left undefeated

Saturday’s collapse at ASU, in which Arizona blew a 22-point lead—tied for the second-largest comeback in Division I this season and tied for the largest in Pac-10/12 history—dropped it to 0-4 this season in true road games. The Wildcats have lost five straight on the road, dating back to March, and have lost 12 of their last 16 games away from McKale Center.

A loss on Thursday would tie for the longest road skid for the UA since 2009-10, when it loss the last three road games under interim coach Russ Pennell and the first three of the Sean Miller era.

Asked why there’s been such a difference in performance depending on the locale, Miller took it upon himself to take the blame.

“I think it’s coaching,” he said. “I’ve got to do a better job of putting our players in position to be successful.

Arizona has the the 11th-best offensive efficiency in the country, per KenPom.com, yet in its road games that’s been far from the case. Five of the Wildcats’ seven worst offensive efficiencies this season have occurred in the four road games and the neutral-site loss to St. John’s in San Francisco, and they’re shooting 38.6 percent overall and 28.0 percent from 3-point range compared to 49.8 and 38.9 percent at McKale.

“I think our offense is really executing and we’re playing with tremendous confidence at home,” Miller said. “When we enter that away gym, I think I’ve got to do a better job of making sure our guys are prepared. We’re going to keep working hard at it and make sure we can be the best we can be, regardless of where the game is played.”

A vulnerable opponent

The Washington team Arizona is facing on Thursday is not the one that ran away with the Pac-12 title last season, starting 10-0 in league play and finishing three games better than the field. In fact, it’s already doubled last year’s conference loss total (three).

This wasn’t expected even with massive turnover—the Huskies are the 13^th least-experienced team in Division I—because of the arrival of a stellar freshman class led by big men Jaden McDaniels and Isaiah Stewart and Kentucky transfer point guard Quade Green. UW was picked to finish third this year, just ahead of Arizona, and looked solid during a 10-3 nonconference performance that included a win over No. 1 Baylor and a narrow loss to No. 2 Gonzaga.

Then came Pac-12 play, and it’s been nearly all downhill. Even more so since Green was declared academically ineligible in early January, though Washington had already lost at home to a rebuilding UCLA team before his departure.

Green was averaging 11.6 points and 5.3 assists and was shooting 44.7 percent from 3, and in his absence the offense has become incredibly stagnant. The Huskies are last in the Pac-12 in turnover percentage in league games, giving it away 14.7 times per game over their last six contests, and despite having the conference’s highest 3-point attempt rate they are shooting only 31.6 percent from deep.

Zeke Nnaji vs. Isaiah Stewart

It’s going to be hard for Pac-12 voters to decide who ends up winning the league’s Freshman of the Year award since there are so many great options this season. One way to help determine the winner may come in head-to-head matchups, particularly between similar players.

That will happen in the paint Thursday night when Arizona’s Zeke Nnaji faces Washington super frosh Isaiah Stewart. They rank second and third, respectively, in CBS Sports’ latest freshman rankings.

The 6-foot-9, 250-pound Stewart is sixth in the Pac-12 in scoring (18.2 points per game), fourth in rebounding (8.9) and field goal percentage (59.2) and third in blocks (2.1) while Nnaji is ninth in scoring (16.9), fifth in rebounding (8.7) and first in shooting (65.3).

“Those two guys are two of the best freshmen in the country,” Miller said. “They’re both inside players, forwards, they both have bright futures. Two terrific players that are having great freshman years. I think when you talk about all-conference I think they’re both up there.”

Will Arizona be at full strength?

Chase Jeter has missed the last three games after suffering back spasms two weeks ago. He warmed up prior to Saturday’s game at ASU but Miller said afterward he was still “learning how to practice” again after missing time to heal up.

As of Tuesday, it didn’t sound like Jeter was that much closer to playing.

“We’re kind of monitoring him every day,” Miller said. “We’re hoping that he can get back to healthy. I think that’s the stage we’re at that right now. We’ll see if we’re able to use him this week.”

Stone Gettings is expected to make his fourth consecutive start in Jeter’s absence, while Ira Lee should continue to see an uptick in his minutes. Gettings has averaged 5.7 points and 3.0 rebounds in 22.7 minutes in his three starts, while Lee has averaged 4.7 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.0 blocks in 19.3 minutes off the bench, with his 6-point, 7-rebound, 26-minute effort against Colorado on Jan. 18 resulting in the McKale crowd chanting his name.

“Stone’s playing with great effort; I put him and Ira both in the same category,” Miller said. “Those guys aren’t perfect, they make mistakes. I think their intent is pure, they’re playing hard. Effort is not a problem for either one of them. I think we like both of them in the current role that we have. I think that’s our best bet to win and we’re going to keep developing that.”

If it’s close at the end …

KenPom.com projects a 70-68 game on Thursday night, in favor of Arizona. If that’s the case then this one could come down to the final play, and we all know how well that has gone for the Wildcats this season (and throughout the Miller era, for that matter).

But considering Washington is equally as unsuccessful in close games, this may be what the last minute of regulation could look like:

Arizona is 1-5 in 2019-20 in games decided by six or fewer points, with those five losses by a combined 14 points. Washington is 1-6 in similar games, with all of those losses coming in Pac-12 play, resulting in a plus-11 scoring differential in league games despite a 2-6 record.

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Washington expert previews Arizona’s visit to Seattle, makes a score prediction

Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images

The Arizona Wildcats take their season-long road struggles to the Pacific Northwest this weekend, starting with the Washington Huskies on Thursday night.

Washington (12-9, 2-6) is the defending Pac-12 regular season champion but the Huskies have had a rough go of it this year, tied for last place after losing three in a row and five of their last six. To help us understand what’s going on at UW this season, we reached out to Andrew Berg of our SB Nation sister site UW Dawg Pound to get more insight.

Below are his well-phrased answers to our poorly worded questions:

Losing Quade Green in early January appears to have had a major effect on the Huskies. Where is his absence most felt and what’s being done to deal with this?

“While Green isn’t as heralded as Jaden McDaniels, he had emerged as the second most-consistent offensive player—after Isaiah Stewart—prior to losing academic eligibility. He was easily the best three-point shooter on a team that desperately needs to space the court around Stewart. Freshmen Marcus Tsohonis and RaeQuan Battle have helped in that regard, but not to the degree that Green did. He was also the only pure point guard on the roster and the lack of his play-making shows up in the form of offensive stagnation and ugly turnovers.”

Sean Miller’s Arizona teams have been notoriously susceptible to zone. How has that defense been for UW this season?

“Arizona fans might be surprised that this year’s version of the UW defense looks a bit different than it has the last two years. First, the team will switch into man-to-man at times, which was never the case in the first two years under Mike Hopkins. The other difference is that the two wide defenders on the baseline have been pushing much further up toward the perimeter. Teams have found success by getting the ball into the high post and playing high-low with two big men pressuring the center. Without Matisse Thybulle deflecting every entry pass, that strategy is at least possible. Even if the defense is slightly more vulnerable than last year, it’s still a good unit and not the reason the Dawgs have struggled lately.”

Arizona isn’t the only team in the Pac-12 this season that’s been heavily dependent on multiple freshman starters. What makes Jaden McDaniels and Isaiah Stewart so important to Washington?

“Stewart is a special player. He’s 6-foot-9 with a 7-4 wingspan and the physical build of a true NBA center. For his size, he has tremendous hands (both in terms of receiving passes and finishing at the rim) and footwork. The only thing I’d like to see him do better at a collegiate level is pass quickly out of double teams to get open looks. He isn’t a shooter with meaningful range yet, so that might limit his NBA upside, but he should at least have an NBA career akin to Al Jefferson.

“McDaniels is a very different sort of player. He can do some incredibly difficult things on the basketball court. The next step will be convincing him to choose to do the easy things instead. McDaniels needs to develop better on-court instincts to go with his physical talents. For every wild chase-down block there are too many blown defensive assignments on needless gambles. For every two-step drive to the basket, there are too many offensive fouls or high dribbles deflected by defenders. Altogether, McDaniels is a wildly talented basketball player, but not yet an efficient one, and that difference has a lot to do with UW’s struggles this year.”

The Wildcats are winless on the road this season and haven’t won in Seattle since 2017. What kind of an atmosphere should they expect at Alaska Airlines/Hec Ed?

“We’ve reached the point where it’s fair to wonder about fan enthusiasm for this season’s Huskies. HecEd was reasonably full and loud for the last two home games against Oregon State and Oregon, but the Dawgs have lost three in a row since then. After blowing big second-half leads against Stanford, Oregon, and Utah and seeing tourney hopes evaporate, the fans might not be as fired up for the last six weeks of the regular season. Keep in mind that this fan base is the same one that just scuffled through a frustrating football season with surprise losses to Cal, Stanford and Colorado. Husky fans are a little down at the moment.”

Cats or Dogs, who ya got? And by how much?

“There’s enough talent on this Husky team to beat anyone in the Pac-12. There’s even enough talent to beat pretty much any team in the country—they did give No. 1 Baylor their only loss and very nearly beat No. 2 Gonzaga. On the other hand, the team is sorely lacking in perimeter offensive options since neither Nahziah Carter nor Jamal Bey have broken through as hoped. Until the post-Green offense starts clicking, it’s going to be hard for me to pick UW to beat a team as talented at the Wildcats. I’ll say Arizona 71, Washington 64.

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Aaron Gordon to participate in 2020 NBA Dunk Contest, per report

Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

Aaron Gordon dazzled in the 2016 NBA Dunk Contest, and apparently he has decided to give it another go. The Orlando Magic and former Arizona Wildcats forward will be participating in the 2020 dunk contest in Chicago, according to Oliver Maroney.

Being told that Aaron Gordon is planning to participate in this year’s dunk contest, per league sources. Gordon initially told @ChrisBHaynes about entering this season’s dunk contest last year on his podcast.

— Oliver Maroney (@OMaroneyBIG3) January 29, 2020

This lines up with what Gordon told ESPN in August.

Should Aaron Gordon have won the 2016 dunk contest? Will @ZachLaVine give him a rematch when the All Star Game comes to Chicago in February? @Double0AG comes on #TheJump and says he's in for Chicago 2020 - is Zach? pic.twitter.com/GGdecADuIC

— Rachel Nichols (@Rachel__Nichols) August 13, 2019

The event is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 15 in the United Center. It is not clear who else will be participating, though other rumored candidates include Miami’s Derrick Jones Jr., Memphis’ Ja Morant, Lakers’ Dwight Howard, and Chicago’s Zach LaVine .

If you recall, Gordon threw down some unbelievable dunks in the 2016 dunk contest before controversially losing to LaVine in the final round (the highlights of which you can watch below).

Gordon, 24, is currently in his sixth season with the Magic. The former No. 4 overall pick is averaging 13.3 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 0.7 steals per game while shooting 42 percent from the field, 29 percent from 3, and 66 percent from the free-throw line.

The Magic are currently in seventh in the Eastern Conference. Gordon is in the second year of a four-year, $76 million contract. He was a member of the All-Pac-12 Team and All-Freshman Team in his lone season at Arizona when the Wildcats reached the Elite Eight.

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Sean Miller re-explains why Max Hazzard was benched in Arizona’s loss at ASU

Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

It turns out it wasn’t one play that got Max Hazzard benched in the second half of Saturday’s loss at ASU, it was several.

After the game, Arizona coach Sean Miller had said it was poor clock management that put Hazzard on the pine. Arizona called a timeout with 17 seconds left in the first half, hoping to draw up a play so that it could build on its 15-point lead or, at the very least, maintain it.

But Hazzard, a little too overzealous, drove to the cup with eight seconds left, forcing up an errant shot. The Sun Devils scooped up the rebound and ran for a layup in transition, cutting Arizona’s lead to 43-30 at the break.

It was the final straw for the senior guard. That play capped a 6-0 run for the Sun Devils, Hazzard being at the forefront of it all, Miller said.

“He gave a straight line drive for an and-one, got the ball taken from him, and the ball went down and scored,” Miller said Tuesday at his weekly presser. “And then on that last play, what we wanted to do is just simply take the last shot. Arizona State elected to trap. Jemarl Baker did a really good job of getting rid of the ball, but the direction is just really clear. ... And at some point, you have to do what what we’re supposed to, and I didn’t think it was in our best interest to play him at all in the second half.”

Yes, even though the Wildcats only shot 28 percent in the period and could have used Hazzard’s 3-point shooting when their offense cratered down the stretch.

“Performance is important,” Miller said. “There’s a number of guys in the Arizona State game that didn’t play well. I didn’t coach well. We could have done a lot of different things. But that happens. We’re not asking for perfection. But you can’t in a three-minute window give up a three-point play, (get the) ball taken on a full court drive, ignore the coach, give up a layup. For us there has to be consequences.”

Miller later noted that Hazzard also took a transition 3 in the first half that “could have been the worst shot that I’ve ever seen taken in a Pac-12 game.”

“And it wasn’t as if he was hot,” Miller said. “Playing in McKale, you’re up 15, just hit back to back 3s, everybody understands that I just took a shot in transition, that’s a great shot. ... But to take a shot on the road when your team’s playing well and from the right wing like a running one-hander, you add that in, that’s not gonna work. Not playing for me.”

Hazzard had been on a roll entering the ASU game, making nine of his last 16 3-pointers, so when Miller was asked if his rough night could affect his playing time moving forward he said it “depends how he plays” and that “I don’t really think it’s a big deal. It happens all the time.”

When asked how Hazzard has responded in practice, Miller said: “He put his stuff on, walked out there, participated in film, did every drill, practiced hard, and we’re moving on.”

Sean Miller explains that it was not one play that got Max Hazzard benched for the second half at ASU, it was four or five. pic.twitter.com/wFAgQaD2Hf

— Ryan Kelapire (@RKelapire) January 28, 2020

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Jemarl Baker, Arizona Wildcats plan to honor Kobe Bryant

Jacob Snow-USA TODAY Sports

Like millions of others, Arizona Wildcats guard Jemarl Baker Jr. was devastated by the news of the death of Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna, who were killed in a helicopter crash early Sunday morning.

“It’s been a hard couple days for me for sure,” Baker said Tuesday, two days after Bryant’s death. “Just growing up in LA until I was nine years old and then moving to Menifee, he was my favorite player, my idol. Watching him every other night on TV, how determined he was to win, I don’t want to say he inspired me to play basketball but he definitely inspired me to want to be great. And I think watching him has helped me get to where I am now. And so it’s definitely hurt me for sure.”

Baker couldn’t pinpoint his favorite Kobe memory. There were too many to count.

“He had a lot of great moments,” Baker said. “I only saw him play once in a preseason game when I was little, so I didn’t really have the opportunity to really go see him play in person but just watching him on TV every night and watching the moves he was doing and shooting socks in the hamper, practicing the moves and stuff like that...so I mean it’s just definitely been a hard few days.”

Baker and some of his Arizona teammates, maybe all of them, plan to honor Bryant in Thursday’s game at Washington by wearing a version of his shoes, the Kobe 5s.

“Just honoring him in any way we can for sure,” Baker said.

Here’s Jemarl Baker on the death of Kobe Bryant, his favorite player, and what he meant to him.

The Wildcats plan to wear the Kobe 5s to honor him. pic.twitter.com/ihpnvLjp7r

— Ryan Kelapire (@RKelapire) January 28, 2020

Arizona head coach Sean Miller said Bryant’s death is “beyond tragic, beyond disheartening.” Bryant once played against Miller’s younger brother Archie at a basketball tournament in Pennsylvania.

“First when you get the news, you just think of how alive he is, how talented he is,” Miller said. “You almost can’t imagine that he’s no longer here. And when you throw in his daughter was on the plane and then seven other people, it’s beyond tragic. I mean, it just ruins your entire day and spirit.”

Miller said spoke with his team Monday about Bryant and the impact he made on the world, not just as a player but as a person as well.

“One of the things that is just amazing is just how the world is taking notice of his passing and his daughter,” Miller said. “You see what sports means to the world. I know Kobe transcends sports because his mental approach to winning, how competitive he was, the fact that he played for 20 years. And then the other part is what he started to do when basketball ended. It was almost like his beginning of a new chapter of greatness was just unfolding, you know. But God it’s hard and it’s affected a lot of people. And to say that we’re all thinking about his wife and his family would be a big understatement.

“It’s a really amazing loss in the world of sports, and it is the world of sports. You saw that it didn’t just affect our country but people all over the world. You see these soccer players and NFL players paying tribute to him. You see how much of an impact his life had on others.”

Here’s what Sean Miller had to say about the death of Kobe Bryant, what he called an “amazing loss for our world and sports.” pic.twitter.com/1nF0iCMXNK

— Ryan Kelapire (@RKelapire) January 28, 2020

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