Arizona Wildcats Season Preview – CBB Handicapping
With the PAC 12 Conference down overall on the hardwood many are expecting the Arizona Wildcats to rise again in the desert.
Arizona Wildcats Odds to Win (By bovada.lv)
PAC 12
2011-12 Record: 23 -12
Odds to win title: +1200
Odds to win conference: +175
Key Losses:
Kyle Fogg – Unheralded guard actually led the Wildcats in scoring last season.
Jesse Perry – Combined with Solomon Hill to form a very productive frontcourt tandem and was a surprisingly good rebounder.
Josiah Turner – Highly touted point guard recruit never got comfortable in the desert and transferred.
Top Newcomers:
Mark Lyons – The Xavier transfer guard slides right in with both talent and experience, but he has never really run the point in college.
Grant Jerrett – Add important length to the team and is a big time recruit who some think can be an all conference player.
Kaleb Tarczewski – Adds even more length with 7 foot size and athletic game. They say he plays like Cody Zeller, that high praise.
Top Players
Solomon Hill – One of the most underrated players in the country. The forward with the athletic game could develop into double-double number.
Mark Lyons – The transfer is being relied upon to contribute a lot. Might be the best guard in the PAC 12, or at least the most productive.
Grant Jerrett – Has the talent to be force if he is physically ready and can play within the system.
Last year they struggled without do everything forward Derrick Williams but still managed a solid record and finished 4th. This year they are expected to challenge UCLA for conference supremacy as coach Sean Miller has been able to recruit well and is looking restore the program to former glory.
Arizona is expected to challenge for the PAC 12 crown and in Solomon Hill may have the conference player of the year too. UCLA is likely to be their primary competition due to an influx of frosh talent but it might be smarter to go with the Wildcats experience – plus their frosh aren’t too shabby themselves. Sean Miller is reviving the program and his teams play more of a physical East Coast style based on defense and efficiency. He proved a couple of years ago that if he has talent to work with he can mold it into something special. [ad-6571516]
Strengths
Arizona should once again be a top defensive team – they gave up just 62ppg last year. They actually might be even better as their new additions add some serious shot blocking potential on the base line which was completely absent last year. I also like that their two best players (Hill and Lyons) are seniors even if one is a transfer.
Weaknesses
This team has offensive talent but uncertain floor leadership. The assumption is that Lyons will play the point but he never did at Xavier where Tu Holloway reigned. He is going to be reunited with the coach that originally recruited him but if he doesn’t work out the Wildcats don’t have great alternatives. All of their guards are more shooters than playmakers and they don’t have a lot of depth at the guard position.
Top Games
Nov. 19 – Long Beach State will be looking to prove they are still among the threats out West.
Dec. 15 – The Florida Gators come for a visit in a nice cross regional battle between ranked teams before conference play begins.
Prediction
It will be a huge disappointment if the Wildcats don’t finish in the top two in the PAC 12. With the league being down and their nonconference schedule not all that daunting they should easily exceed last year’s win total; and it would not surprise me to see them finish with the kind of gaudy regular season record that earns them a top 3 seed as a result. They probably won’t be in the championship picture because they are missing that super elite talent but they are very good.
