Arizona Wildcats
Pac-12 (23-11, 12-6)
Sean Miller is trying to resurrect a once proud program after the departure of Lute Olson. He’s well on his way. After winning Pac-10 Coach of the Year last year, Miller has been formulating elite level recruiting classes to put Arizona back on top of the college basketball world. The 2011-2012 season saw some ups-and-downs for the Wildcats as their performances did not always match their hype. Still, they were in the mix for the conference crown late in the season, and no program’s future looks brighter than the one at Arizona.
Big Wins: 11/29 at New Mexico State (83-76), 2/2 at California (78-74), 2/4 at Stanford (56-43)
Bad Losses: 1/5 at UCLA (58-65), 1/21 at Colorado (63-64), 3/4 at Arizona State (80-87)
Coach: Sean Miller (3 seasons at Arizona)
Why They Can Surprise:
Coaching and veteran leadership. Arizona is a team that has a handful of upperclassmen that know what it’s like to play in the postseason. All together the Wildcats boast nine juniors and seniors. Despite starting some talented freshmen, that helps Sean Miller when he needs to reign in his young guys during tournament play. Miller generally does not need help when it comes to preparing his players. As a head coach, he has won 70% of his games between Xavier and his three years in Tucson. He is considered one of the hot commodities in college basketball and a great game day coach. His team is solid on defense and holds teams to just over 60 points per game. As long as they can find their offense, they can win a lot of games on the defensive end of the court.
Why They Can Disappoint:
Despite the talent on his roster, there is no one player that stands out as someone who would really take a game over. They have some issues scoring because of that. At just under 70 points per game, the Wildcats really have to play lockdown defense to compete in a long tournament run. In the course of a game, this team also gives up the ball more than it takes it away. They are negative in turnover ratio and average 12.5 turnovers per game. That stat is a little disheartening with a veteran team. They need someone outside of Solomon Hill to step up and play strong to win. The recent suspension of Josiah Turner is a concern. The freshman averaged 6.8 points and 2.4 assists during the regular season, but missed the last four games and it remains to be seen if Coach Miller brings him back.
Probable Starters:
Nick Johnson, Freshman, Guard, 9.0 ppg, 2.4 apg
Jordin Mayes, Sophomore, Guard, 4.6 ppg, 1.1 apg
Kyle Fogg, Senior, Guard, 13.7 ppg, 2.1 apg
Solomon Hill, Junior, Forward, 12.8 ppg, 7.7 rpg
Jesse Perry, Senior, Forward, 12.2 ppg, 7.6 rpg
Key Roleplayers:
Angelo Chol, Freshman, Forward, 2.8 ppg, 2.2 rpg
Brendon Lavender, Senior, Guard, 5.6 ppg, 1.0 rpg
Josiah Turner, Freshman, Guard, 6.8 ppg, 2.4 apg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 70.1 (118th in nation, 5th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 63.2 (78, 5)
Field-Goal Percentage: 44.5 (122, 9)
Field-Goal Defense: 40.8 (63, 1)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 7.5 (62, 1)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 38.1 (35, 2)
Free-Throw Percentage: 69.9 (135, 4)
Rebound Margin: 2.2 (108, 6)
Assists Per Game: 14.1 (70, 4)
Turnovers Per Game: 12.5 (78, 4)
Last Five Postseason Appearances:
Arizona 2011 NCAA Round of 64 win over Memphis
Arizona 2011 NCAA Round of 32 win over Texas
Arizona 2011 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Duke
Arizona 2011 NCAA Regional Final loss to Connecticut
Arizona 2009 NCAA Round of 64 win over Utah
Arizona 2009 NCAA Round of 32 win over Cleveland State
Arizona 2009 NCAA Regional Semifinal loss to Louisville
Arizona 2008 NCAA Round of 64 loss to West Virginia
Arizona 2007 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Purdue
Arizona 2006 NCAA Round of 64 win over Wisconsin
Arizona 2006 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Villanova
*all team stats through 3/4
See All Men’s Basketball Postseason Capsules
