Arizona Wildcats Beat Rice Despite Sloppy Play

Tom Phillips — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 01:55:01 -0500

The Arizona Wildcats looked sloppy against the Rice Owls Thursday night.

Despite winning 66-49 over the Owls, the Cats struggled to find a rhythm in their game.

There was a constant helter skelter surrounding the Wildcats.

Passes flying everywhere, turnovers, and hurried shots. There was not the consistent flow to the game that so many Arizona fans are used to seeing.

A lot of this could be contributed to Sean Miller's substitution rotation. It seemed at every stoppage in play, another Wildcat was trading the floor for the bench and vice versa.

Every scholarship player who wasn't injured played in the game. The team did not seem able to find a rhythm with whoever else happened to be in the game. As a unit, they do not seem entirely confident in each other's abilities.

This has a lot to do with players not yet sure of what their roles are on the team.

Based on the first two games only three players seem to know what their roles are and are confident in doing them.

The first is Nic Wise. Wise is the team's best player and knows he will be counted upon to do the heavy lifting for the team. As the team's only senior he took on the role against Rice; racking up 15 points, seven assists, and five steals.

Wise showed why he will be so vital for this team this year. He will lead them on the court, while at the same time trying to help develop the underclassmen into being a more cohesive unit.

The second is Solomon Hill. Hill knows that he is going to be counted on to do a little bit of everything and two games into the season he looks confident with the role.

Hill has scored double figures in both games so far and proved himself to have excellent hands for a wing player. He is also not afraid to get down low and fight for the rebound against bigger, more physical opponents.

Derrick Williams is the third player who looks confident in his role. Williams seems to know that he will be counted on to be the guy who will need to hit the glass at all times.

Even though he is only averaging five rebounds a game, he is active and a pest to the opposition. He will also be the dunker on the team. He showed it against Rice flying in for a momentum-swinging dunk.

Jamelle Horne seemed to gain confidence as the game went on but early in the game you could see his frustration with his teammates. Horne needs to remember that he made the same mistakes last year and let it go, if he wants to help the team improve.

Arizona is young and is bound to go through some growing pains. Hopefully they won't last too long as the Cats are heading to Hawaii to play in the Maui Invitational November 23-26.

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Arizona Wildcat Basketball Prediction '09-10 Season

Tom Phillips — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 05:39:44 -0500

After three years of instability at the head coaching position, it is safe to assume that Wildcat fans can expect to see Sean Miller on the bench beyond this season.

The search to find the new head coach was a whirlwind of emotion for Arizona fans that included the highest of highs and lowest of lows.

In the end, though, Arizona athletic director Jim Livengood found his man—the man who may end up being the right guy for the job.

Arizona will start one senior, one junior, and one sophomore and will have five freshmen in their rotation. So this will be a learn on the job and not by watching kind of group.

Nic Wise will obviously lead the team. The senior has had the privilege of going through the roughest stretch of an Arizona player in recent history. He has had four coaches in four years, been relegated to the bench, and is now being asked to carry the load for a team that lost its two star players to the NBA.

Junior Jamelle Horne and sophomore Kyle Fogg are going to be counted on for experience, but both are in new systems. Horne has played out of position his first two years at Arizona, but it seems like he finally has found a niche in Miller's offense.

Fogg was the surprise of last year's team. He showed poise and was the team's best defender, most of the time drawing the assignment of guarding the opponent's best player. The sophomore also improved offensively as the season progressed.

The freshmen are where it gets interesting. All of them bring something different to the table for Arizona.

Lamont "Momo" Jones is a scoring point guard. He will likely play alongside Wise and handle the ball while Wise takes a breather.

Derrick Williams is the high flyer of the group. He will split time at small forward and power forward with Horne. Williams has already showed his athleticism in exhibition games so far this season, and there is a lot of excitement around the freshman.

Solomon Hill is a do everything kind of player. Hill has the skill to handle the ball, shoot from the outside, and drive the lane.

Kevin Parrom is a wingman who has athleticism and can shoot. Parrom will be out for the first month of the season with a stress fracture in his foot. We will have to wait and see how much the injury limits him during the season.

Kyryl Natyazhko is the only true big man of the freshmen. He will be counted on to be a low post threat and bang the boards for the Cats.

The biggest question now still remains, will Arizona continue the streak to 26?

The Pac-10 is having a down year talent-wise, meaning that it is a wide-open race and anyone is in it.

Arizona has a top five team in the Pac-10 this year. In the old days it might be top seven, but the Cats have a legitimate chance of making the tournament.

As long as Wise stays healthy, the Cats will make the NCAA tournament for a 26th straight season, continuing the streak started by Lute Olson.

They will bow out in the first round, but the streak will stay alive for another season.

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Bleacher Report - Arizona Wildcats Basketball

Arizona Wildcats Beat Rice Despite Sloppy Play

Arizona Wildcat Basketball Prediction '09-10 Season