Pennell says Arizona Wildcats are prepared for Pac-10

December 31, 11:38 PMPhoenix Sports ExaminerTom Kessler

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Following the University of Arizona’s 71-65 victory Monday night at McKale Center over visiting Weber State, interim head coach Russ Pennell was asked whether he is pleased with the progress the Wildcats have made throughout their non-conference schedule.

“I think our body of work at this point has been pretty good,” said Pennell, who was named interim head coach on Oct. 24, one day after the unexpected retirement of UA coaching icon Lute Olson. “The thing I’m the happiest about is that we have improved, and I think we’re still getting better.”

During the non-conference season, the Wildcats posted statement-making victories over then fourth-ranked Gonzaga (a 69-64 win on Dec. 14) and defending national champion Kansas (a 84-67 triumph on Dec. 23) as well as solid performances in wins over mid-majors Santa Clara (a 69-66 victory on Nov. 25) and San Diego State (a 69-56 win on Dec. 10). Along the way were a last-second 72-71 loss to UAB on Nov. 18, a 67-66 defeat at Texas A&M on Dec. 5 and a 79-64 setback at UNLV on Dec. 20.

It all adds up to a 9-3 non-conference start for the Wildcats, who will open Pac-10 action Friday evening on the road against the California Golden Bears (11-2) and who then will play at Stanford (10-0) on Sunday night.

“It’s a good start,” Pennell said. “We’ve got a long way to go. But at this point, 9-3, we’ll take that.”

The Wildcats’ nine wins in November and December could go a long way in helping them to secure a 25^th consecutive NCAA Tournament berth.

“The best part of our 9-3 is we really don’t have a bad loss,” said Pennell, whose team has one non-conference game remaining, a Jan. 24 matchup at home against Houston, in addition to 18 contests in the Pac-10.

A 9-9 record during the upcoming Pac-10 schedule would give the Wildcats a total of 18 victories (or 19 if they also defeat Houston) heading into the conference tournament and would provide them with a solid argument for NCAA tourney consideration. Anything above a .500 finish in the Pac-10 would seemingly make Arizona a lock to be invited to March Madness, especially if the ’Cats finish in the top four of a conference that features 12th-ranked UCLA (10-2) along with a talented team from Arizona State (11-1 and ranked 17th in the country) and a bevy of other squads with 20-win potential.

“I think the league this year is pretty wide open,” Pennell said.

Monday’s six-point, non-league victory over Weber State was not artistic, but it served its purpose for Arizona as a final tune-up for the Pac-10 season.

Weber State hung tough by hitting 11 three-pointers, including three each by forward Kyle Bullinger, guard Damian Lillard and 5-foot-6 point guard Kellen McCoy.

“I thought Weber had a nice game plan,“ Pennell said. “They shot the ball well. We were very happy to get away with the win and get our ninth win of the season.”

The most impressive aspect of the Wildcats’ victory was that they won without 6-foot-10 center Jordan Hill, who was held out of the game with a leg strain.

“It’s just a day-to-day thing,” Pennell said about Hill’s injury. “He’s got a strained muscle in his leg. It’s the muscle kind of around the tibia. He did it in practice two days ago (on Saturday, Dec. 27). We didn’t really think it was that big a deal, and it’s just been real sore. We’re just concerned that by playing tonight it could affect the weekend coming up.”

Pennell was asked how much the Wildcats missed Hill, a junior who leads the team with per-game averages of 18.9 points, 11.8 rebounds and 2.7 blocked shots.

“Quite a bit,” Pennell said. “I think the biggest thing was just adjusting to not playing with him. He’s such an integral part of what we do. You know, our offense is geared (so that) everything goes inside first. And he demands everybody’s attention so much that it opens up the other guys. He’s one of the better big players in the country. It’s a loss anytime we don’t have one of our guys there, especially someone like Jordan.”

Without Hill in the lineup, the Wildcats counted upon his fellow junior standouts Chase Budinger and Nic Wise to carry the load. Budinger (who finished with 16 points, 12 rebounds and six assists) and Wise (who led Arizona with 23 points to go with five assists and four rebounds) delivered, as did sophomore Jamelle Horne (14 points and eight rebounds) and freshman Kyle Fogg (10 points and six rebounds).

“We had to make adjustments,” Budinger said. “We had to find other ways to score, and then other people really stepped up.”

“I just tried to be more assertive,” said Wise. “It was kind of weird. It was our first time playing without Jordan. He’s our finisher. He’s the guy who finishes off plays for us. When you don’t have him, everybody has to step up, me and Chase included.”

Budinger said the Wildcats are looking forward to the challenges that lie ahead. “I think we’re definitely ready for the Pac-10,” he said.

The journey begins this weekend in northern California.