Arizona Wildcats
Pac-12 (25-9, 12-6)
In retrospect, Arizona did not have that great of a nonconference schedule. Their wins over Boise State, Gonzaga and Missouri are not as impressive as they seemed at the time and their lone loss, against Providence, is now a relatively bad loss. The Wildcats fared quite well in a very tough and balanced Pac-12 and should be ready to make a decent postseason run.
Big Wins: 1/30 Oregon State (80-63), 2/14 USC (86-78), 3/3 California (64-61)
Bad Losses: 11/27 vs Providence (65-69), 1/7 at UCLA (84-87), 1/9 at USC (101-103)
Coach: Sean Miller
Why They Can Surprise:
As usual, Arizona wins games with their tough rebounding and defense. Ryan Anderson, a 6-9 senior, leads the way with 10.1 rebounds per game. He is also the best scorer on the team. But it is Kaleb Tarczewski who spearheads the defensive effort. The seven-footer averages 1.3 blocks and adds 8.9 rebounds and 9.3 points per game. With Dusan Ristic and Mark Tollefsen, Coach Sean Miller has plenty of frontcourt options. Ristic is a seven-foot sophomore who is ready to take over for Tarczewski next season. For now, he is a great option off of the bench who really does not allow much of a drop off behind Tarczewski. Tollefsen adds a shooting option to the frontcourt, but he is a threat to block some shots too.
Why They Can Disappoint:
The backcourt has some scorers, most notably wings Gabe York and Allonzo Trier. York is the senior leader of the group and easily the team’s most prolific three-point shooter. He really has had a great senior season and continues to shoot well from long range, but can now attack the basket effectively as well. Trier is just a freshman, but he is a big wing who has been very efficient and effective attacking the basket. Parker Jackson-Cartwright is not a scorer, but he is the guy who runs the offense. The problem is Arizona will commit quite a few turnovers and against good teams that will negate the advantage the frontcourt gets on the glass. In order for Arizona to make a deep NCAA Tournament run, not only does the backcourt need to keep the turnovers down, but they need to knock down shots too. This is not a team that takes a lot of three-pointers, but they have to knock down those shots to take the pressure off of Anderson and Tarczewski in the paint.
Probable Starters:
Parker Jackson-Cartwright, Sophomore, Guard, 5.2 ppg, 3.5 apg,
Gabe York, Senior, Guard, 15.2 ppg, 2.3 apg, 3.3 rpg
Allonzo Trier, Freshman, Guard, 15.0 ppg, 3.3 rpg
Ryan Anderson, Senior, Forward, 15.5 ppg, 10.1 rpg
Kaleb Tarczewski, Senior, Center, 9.4 ppg, 9.3 rpg, 1.3 bpg
Key Roleplayers:
Kadeem Allen, Junior, Guard, 8.3 ppg, 3.6 apg, 3.0 rpg
Dusan Ristic, Sophomore, Center, 7.3 ppg, 3.8 rpg
Mark Tollefsen, Senior, Forward, 7.2 ppg, 3.1 rpg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 80.9 (20th in nation, 2nd in conference)
Scoring Defense: 67.9 (84, 2)
Field-Goal Percentage: 48.6 (16, 2)
Field-Goal Defense: 41.4 (77, 3)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 6.4 (236, 9)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 37.7 (46, 3)
Free-Throw Percentage: 72.4 (75, 3)
Rebound Margin: 9.9 (6, 1)
Assists Per Game: 14.8 (84, 4)
Turnovers Per Game: 12.7 (167, 9)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
2015 NCAA Second Round win over Texas Southern
2015 NCAA Third Round win over Ohio State
2015 NCAA Regional Semifinal loss to Wisconsin
2014 NCAA Second Round win over Weber State
2014 NCAA Third Round win over Gonzaga
2014 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over San Diego State
2014 NCAA Regional Final loss to Wisconsin
2013 NCAA Second Round win over Belmont
2013 NCAA Third Round win over Harvard
2013 NCAA Regional semifinal loss to Ohio State
2012 NIT First Round loss to Bucknell
2011 NCAA Round of 64 win over Memphis
2011 NCAA Round of 32 win over Texas
2011 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Duke
2011 NCAA Regional Final loss to Connecticut
2009 NCAA Round of 64 win over Utah
2009 NCAA Round of 32 win over Cleveland State
2009 NCAA Regional Semifinal loss to Louisville
2008 NCAA Round of 64 loss to West Virginia
2007 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Purdue
2006 NCAA Round of 64 win over Wisconsin
2006 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Villanova
*all team stats through 3/6
