Arizona Basketball: 5 Adjustments Wildcats Should Make in 2013-14

Arizona's 6-0 start to the 2013-14 season has brought with it plenty of positive superlatives, the product of some walkover wins over inferior opponents as well as a couple solid challenges in tough environments.

It's also produced some flaws in the Wildcats' game, things that need to get fixed before they get into Pac-12 Conference play a month from now.

Click though the slideshow to see our take on the adjustments Arizona needs to make in order to keep this season as successful one.

Learn to Shoot Free Throws

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Despite the 6-0 start, Arizona is failing at the free throw line.

The Wildcats have made 66.5 percent of their foul shots, which is good (or bad) enough for 259th-best in Division I. That's not the kind of inaccuracy a team that expects to be this good should have.

Arizona shot 74.9 percent from the line last season, when it made the Sweet 16 (but had other flaws that negated this strong pecentage).

The Wildcats were 23-of-30 from the line in Wednesday's comeback win over Drexel at Madison Square Garden, so there is some improvement being shown. But with Friday's game against Duke and plenty other tight ones coming up on the schedule, the inability to make the equivalent of uncontested shots is troubling.

Exploit the Paint Advantage

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With 7'0" Kaleb Tarczewski having a breakout game against Drexel (15 points, 10 rebounds, four blocks), Arizona took full advantage of the size it has down low to score at will.

This needs to be a regular thing, when the case presents itself.

Along with Tarczewski, Aaron Gordon can be a beast inside, while reserve Rondae Hollis-Jefferson is like controlled chaos in the paint. Not many teams have three guys that can dominate inside, and Arizona needs to exploit that at every available opportunity.

Designate Shooters

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The Wildcats shot a season-low 37.7 percent from the field in the 66-62 win over Drexel in the NIT Season Tip-Off semifinals on Wednesday, far below what's now a season percentage of 51.8 percent.

Misses are going to happen, whether it be botched layups, contested drives or challenged jumpers. But when it comes to shots from mid-range and outside, Arizona needs to identify which players are its best shooters, and give them the green light.

Which means reining in some other shooters.

Brandon Ashley can hit outside shots, but if it's not there early, he has to move inside. He was 1-of-8 against Drexel, but kept on shooting. The same goes for Gabe York, who was 0-for-6 and has now shown twice (along with the game at San Diego State) that he can't shoot nearly as well away from home as he does in Tucson.

Arizona has an accurate shooter in Nick Johnson. The game plan should be to get him the best shot, not have whoever is open for a half-second heave up a bomb.

Give RHJ More Playing Time

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Rondae Hollis-Jefferson has quickly moved into the role of Arizona's top substitute, using his blend of tenacious defense and aggressive play in the lane to be the team leader in free throw attempts.

That effort should translate into more playing time.

The freshman is averaging 20 minutes a game, during which he's scoring 10 points per game and throwing his 6'7" frame all over the place. Get that man on the floor more often, and good things will continue to happen.

Limit Who Brings the Ball Up

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The biggest piece missing from Arizona's 2012-13 team was a true point guard, and it showed at times.

That's not a problem anymore, with transfer T.J. McConnell shining at the point with his floor leadership, control of the offense and passing savvy.

So why are so many other players bringing the ball up the court?

Sure, fast breaks happen, but when someone other than McConnell has the ball at the start of the break, the goal should be to move it up the floor as quickly as possible. That should mean passing ahead, not trying to dribble through traffic.

Brandon Ashley doesn't need to be trying to go full court, especially in traffic, nor do most of the Wildcats' players. Let McConnell, Nick Johnson or Gabe York move it forward.