RSS
Home
Pac-10 men's basketball previews -- No. 5, Arizona
Print
Email
RSS
Subscribe
Nic Wise/Photo Jill Torrance/Daily Star
At the end of last season, Arizona seemed destined for a major fall and was ticketed for a ninth or 10th-place finish in 2010. But new coach Sean Miller has done enough in the offseason to suggest the Wildcats will finish fifth. At least that’s where we have Arizona, as we continue our preseason assessments of the Pac-10 men’s basketball teams.
Stanford will be previewed last as we present the teams in inverse order of predicted finish (see Washington State story here; see USC here, see Oregon here, see Arizona State here).
Now we take a look at Arizona, which has added several key freshman and a new coach.
Miller is the most important addition, because he somehow brought in several freshmen during the summer who should help right away.
Point guard Nic Wise remains the focal point both offensively and defensively for the Wildcats, who lost two stars, Chase Budinger and Jordan Hill, to the NBA and will have their hands full trying to get to the NCAA Tournament for the 26th consecutive season.
But it now seems an NCAA berth is within reach with the addition of three freshmen who can have an impact – 6-10 Kyryl Natyazhko (who looks like a starter), 6-6 Kevin Parrom, and 6-8 Derrick Williams. All three could be starters by season’s end.
The pivotal player, though, is Jamelle Horne. An outstanding athlete with the potential to be something special, Horne, now a junior, has yet to turn the corner. He does some good things, then seems to make the wrong play at the wrong time. If Horne discovers the formula, he and Wise will form a significant scoring threat.
Wise is the one proven commodity. He is probably the best point guard in the Pac-10 at the moment, and he will have to play a lot of minutes – perhaps as many as last season when he averaged more than 36 minutes a game. Not only is Wise the team’s playmaker, but he is the team’s best three-point shooter and best penetrator. Whether he can handle all the responsibilities without the help of Budinger and Hill remains to be seen. If he can, Wise could be Pac-10 player of the year.
Arizona’s nonconference schedule is challenging, but not as a tough as it usually is. That will enable the Wildcats to get a few wins as they get adjusted to Miller and as the freshmen get acclimated to college basketball. But the time Pac-10 play rolls around, Arizona should be pretty good, good enough to finish fifth in our book.
See also:
RANKING SCHEDULE STRENGTH OF PAC-10 MEN'S TEAMS
APPEL NAMES PRESEASON ALL-AMERICAN
RANKING THE SCHEDULE STRENGTH OF PAC-10 WOMEN'S TEAMS
STANFORD'S MEN'S SCHEDULE A LITTLE TOUGHER
STANFORD WOMEN ATTEMPT 39 THREE-POINTERS IN EXHIBITION
TWO CAL FRESHMEN COULD MAKE BEARS CONTENDERS
STANFORD WOMEN UNANIMOUS PICK TO WIN PAC-10
Related Articles:
Add a Comment
