Bleacher Report - Pac-10 Basketball

The Top Ten Things Arizona Wildcats Basketball Fans Have To Be Thankful For

Tom Phillips — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 13:23:31 -0500

At the dinner table on Thanksgiving, people usually go around the table and say what they are thankful for this year. For Arizona Wildcat fans the past two years has been one big roller coaster. There have been highs and lows and yet the team still seems to be on some stable ground. The future is bright and even though Arizona looks to be going through a rebuilding year, there is still some promise that Arizona will once again make it to the Big Dance come March.

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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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Can the Washington Huskies Live Up to the Hype?

Kevin Cacabelos — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 01:46:14 -0500

Buzzer beaters, upsets, and Cinderella teams—it has finally arrived: The college basketball season is officially underway.

For the first time since 2006, the Huskies are entering this season ranked in the top 15 both in the AP and ESPN/USA Today polls.

The hype has started for these relatively young Huskies. Coming off a regular season Pac-10 title, the Huskies will be looking to repeat as Pac-10 champions, but more importantly will be looking to advance further into the NCAA Tournament.

A lot of experts think the Huskies have the potential to make it to the Sweet 16 this year. I’ll go out on a limb and say these guys are Elite Eight material. My early observations of this team remind me much of Lorenzo Romar’s earlier days as head coach.

This team is quick with a lot of depth. This offense is going to push the ball up and down the court, they are going to be playing high quality pressure defense, and they will not get tired. This is a team that seems capable of running off runs of 20 points.

There will always be at least three sure scoring options on the court with Quincy Pondexter, Isaiah Thomas, and Matthew Bryan-Amaning. Thomas emerged as the team’s No. 1 option last season, but during the tail end Pondexter became a scoring threat.

After the first three games, Pondexter finally seems entirely comfortable within the offense. He is better and more natural shooting from around the perimeter, but his biggest strength by far is his ability to sneak into the post and create for himself.

This may be a little radical, but the way he was getting his buckets in the first three games reminded me much of Brandon Roy. Recall that Roy was not exemplary at any one particular skill; he was just a solid player in all aspects who could dish and finish ruthlessly.

Pondexter has size, and unlike Roy, he is a threat on the boards. Jon Brockman’s absence will not have too much of an impact if Pondexter is able to keep on rebounding the way he has been.

If the Huskies finish in the top 10 by the end of the season, either Pondexter or Thomas will be a first team All-American. I’m putting my money on Pondexter. However, Pondexter and Thomas will not be able to do it alone.

This is where the presence of Bryan-Amaning becomes so critical. He played well in the non-conference last season, but the overall quality of his play faded as he faced more physical defenders in the Pac-10.

Will MBA be able to hold his own in the post in the conference this season? Even if MBA cannot step it up, the plethora of shooters and scorers on this team is scary.

Remember, the Huskies were able to get by just fine with the play of Mike Jensen. It is possible to win games without a dominant big man, but having one will make your team more competitive down the stretch.

It’s only been three games, but the Huskies are playing pretty well right now. There is still a lot for these young Huskies to learn, but the non-conference schedule will give the coaches and the players a chance to feel out the system.

This season has a lot to offer; it is just up to the players and the coaches to fully play and coach to their potential.

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