Arizona vs. Valparaiso Basketball: 5 Lessons Learned from Victory over Valpo

There was a strange unease inside the McKale Center for an Arizona basketball program—fresh off an Elite Eight appearance—entering its season tipoff against a Horizon League crew, Valparaiso, with a coach making his debut.

Sean Miller's club didn't exactly inspire heavy betting on a guaranteed Final Four run during its exhibition run, losing in embarrassing fashion to D-II Seattle Pacific before taking down Humboldt State by only single digits.

So entering the first round of the 2K Sports Classic Benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer, there was reason to sweat. And the Wildcats were forced to do just that, escaping with just a two-point lead at the half in Tucson, while watching their big men rack up fouls in a hurry.

But a smothering defensive effort through the bulk of the second half gave Arizona a double-digit lead for a chunk of the final 20 minutes, and it eventually cruised to a 73-64 victory. 

Besides proving itself dangerous defensively on the perimeter—Valpo went scoreless for over eight minutes to open that second period—and foul-prone down low, here are five other lessons learned from the first game of the new year:

Jordin Mayes Is a Smooth Operator

All the love went to Josiah Turner in the offseason, justifiably.

A high-profile recruit, Turner was projected to immediately take over Arizona's starting point guard role before moving on to the NBA draft after his sophomore year (Turner is slated to be the No. 9 pick in 2013 NBA draft, according to NBADraft.net).

Turner was lauded by several major publications as being among the top three high school point guards in the country, his abilities so prolific as to have allegedly helped scare off the incumbent PG MoMo Jones.

That left soph Jordin Mayes in the shadows as usual, patiently waiting to make his presence known via stealth mode.

Mayes was the key to Monday's win over Valpo, his shooting stroke curing Arizona's issues from long range. The 6'2" Los Angeles native steadied an Arizona offense that severely struggled to find any semblance of flow early on, as he scored eight points during a four-minute span in the second half.

Hidden behind the flash (and mouth) of MoMo Jones last year, Mayes quietly drained the second-highest percentage of three-pointers in the Pac-10, hitting over 45 percent.

When Arizona needed a deep strike on Monday, it turned to Mayes. Look for him to see plenty of opportunities from beyond the arc this year.

The point guard combo of Turner and Mayes will be the best in the Pac-12 by the time the conference season begins.

Angelo Chol Is Going To Be Arizona's Best Bet at Center This Year

Angelo Chol is the second-leading high school shot-blocker in the history of America.

He's the all-time leader in that stat among preps in California.

And if he sticks around long enough in Tucson, he'll destroy all of the school's records for rejections as well.

On Monday night, however, he showed off his ability to not just swat, but also to swipe.

Although he fouled out of the debut game, Chol showed off the skills that made him a coveted commodity nationally, amassing six points, six boards and four steals in 23 minutes.

Meanwhile, starting center Kyryl Natyazhko racked up three fouls in the first half, forcing Chol into a wealth of early action.

Sidiki Johnson, the other frosh who figures to fill in on the big-man rotation, saw less than a minute of game time after taking a couple of ill-advised shots in the opening half.

Solomon Hill Needs To Loosen Up

As far as a complete package in a basketball player is concerned, Solomon Hill is as close as they come in an Arizona uniform.

Shooting

Hill hit nearly 49 percent of his field goals in 2010 and nearly 80 percent from the foul line in 2010, averaging eight points per contest.

Passing

A born orchestrator at 6'6", 226 pounds, Hill averaged right around two assists per game last year, the offense often flowing through him.

Rebounding

This is where Hill needs to become a force, with the Cats somewhat limited down low. He averaged 4.7 boards during last year's run.

Defense

Hill snared right around a steal per contest last year.

Arizona is going to need him to aggressively display those many abilities if it is going to match its run of last March.

Hill looked tight on Monday, perhaps trying to put the focus on himself in the absence of Williams and Jones. He hit just 2-of-6 field goals, turned the ball over four times and picked up four fouls.

Against St. John's next week (and to a lesser extent against Duquesne on Wednesday), he'll need to clear his conscience and find his way back into rhythm.

The Rotation Misses Kevin Parrom's Physical Presence

Kevin Parrom experienced a lifetime's worth of pain, physical and emotional, over the last two months.

According to this piece from the Arizona Daily Star's Bruce Pascoe, bullet fragments are still floating around inside Kevin Parrom's leg, the result of being shot in the knee while back home in the Bronx in September (a suspect was charged with attempted murder in the case).

The young man lost his mother to cancer shortly thereafter.

And that happened just after his grandma also passed away from the affliction.

It's been a trying time for the Arizona junior forward, a projected starter who was expected to resume his ascent up the go-to-options chart for the Wildcats this season while also providing that requisite nastiness that Sean Miller preaches.

Expect Parrom to play inspired basketball upon his return.

Against a smallish unit like Valpo's, Parrom's willingness to bang would've been another effective deterrent. And he also adds another legit scoring option, hitting over 50 percent of his field goals last year and shooting right around 42 percent from the three-point line.

Although he was without feeling in his lower right leg right after the incident in N.Y., according to TucsonCitizen.com's Anthony Gimino, he is showing healthy progress and Sean MIller recently said there was a possibility of his return by early December, if not sooner.

Jesse Perry and Kyle Fogg Will Fill the Leadership Vacancy

With its statistical leader departing for the NBA (Derrick Williams) and its vocal leader transferring to be closer to his grandmother (MoMo Jones), Arizona came into the year with a glaring deficiency in that department.

As the seniors with the most impact on the court, that leadership void was to be filled by default by shooting guard Kyle Fogg and power forward Jesse Perry.

But through the preseason, that duo did not appear to be taking to their new roles.

That seemed to change against Valpo.

Both Fogg and Perry were noticeably aggressive in pushing Arizona on both ends of the court, a positive development with a matchup against Duquesne approaching, followed shortly thereafter by a showdown with St. John's.

The Fogg/Perry duo combined for 30 points and 14 rebounds (10 from Perry) on Monday night, shooting a combined 12-for-17 from the field, combining for just two turnovers.

They'll need to do that on the regular for Arizona to advance in the same fashion as last March.