In case you missed it: The Top 10 Badass Defensive Players and the Top 10 Badass Offensive Players in Arizona football history

1987-88 Arizona Wildcats (35-3)
–Beat North Carolina 70-52 in the West Regional Final; lost to Oklahoma 86-78 in the Final Four. To note: The Wildcats of 1987-88 continue to hold school records for victories (35), points in a season (3,234), average margin of victory (22.9 points), field goals made (1,147), field-goal percentage (54.5 percent), three-point field-goal percentage (48.3), fewest foul-outs (only six), and fewest blocked shots by opponents (only 1.4 a game).

2010-11 Arizona Wildcats (30-8)
–Lost to Connecticut 65-63 in the West Regional Final. To note: The 2010-11 Wildcats set school records for three-point field goals made (296) and opponent three-point field-goal percentage (only 29.3 percent).

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>> 1993-1994 versus 2004-2005
>> 1996-1997 versus 2002-2003
>> 1975-1976 versus 2000-2001

MATCHUPS

Point Guard

Steve Kerr (1984-1988) vs. Lamont “MoMo” Jones (2009-2011)

Steve Kerr

Lamont MoMo Jones

A Kerr vs. Jones matchup at the starting point guard spot is as contrasting as this Elite Eight event can muster. Kerr is the cool, calm and collected player from the serene beach town of Pacific Palisades, Calif., while Jones is the rough and tumble, get-in-your-face player from Brooklyn.

Their polar-opposite characteristics is indicative of the different capabilities each team had to offer. The teams had one thing in common: They share the record for playing the most games in a season (38) in the program’s history. But more contrasts exists than similarities.

The 1987-88 Wildcats, led by the deft outside shooting of Kerr, shot a school-record 48.3 percent from three-point range. The 2010-11 edition, captained by the defensively active Jones on the perimeter, held opponents to a school-record low of 29.3 percent from three-point range.

Who would win the battle? The 1987-88 team with its offensive perfection or the 2010-11 team with its defensive prowess?

Kerr set UA records shooting 57.3 percent from three-point range and posting an assist-to-turnover ratio of almost 5-to-1 (150 assists compared to only 36 turnovers). Jones was not as good of a shooter making only 31.6 percent of his three-pointers last season. But he converted 82.8 percent of his free-throw attempts and was clutch in memorable victories over California, scoring a career-high 27 points in a three-overtime game in Berkeley, and Duke, with 16 points, six assists and no turnovers in the Sweet 16 game.

Kerr was the model of reliability and consistency. Little-known fact: Kerr played all 50 minutes (a school record) in a double-overtime 79-72 victory over Cal at McKale Center on Jan. 12, 1986.

Jones is the only starter on an Arizona Elite Eight team who transferred to another school. He switched to Iona this season to be closer to home so he can be near his ailing grandmother. The NCAA granted Jones, a junior, a hardship waiver and allowed him to play this year for Iona.

Shooting Guard

Craig McMillan (1985-1988) vs. Kyle Fogg (2009-2012)

Craig McMillan

Kyle Fogg

McMillan, a Parade magazine and McDonald’s All-American, was the first blue-chip recruit signed by Lute Olson. Fogg was a late relatively obscure addition to the Class of 2008, noticed by former assistants Russ Pennell and Mike Dunlap at the 2008 Cactus Classic on Arizona’s campus.

Both matured into decent college players, serving as functional complementary players to standouts such as Sean Elliott and Derrick Williams. UA fans should be forever grateful to Fogg, who served as the host on Williams’ recruiting trip to Arizona’s campus before the 2009 season.

McMillan and Fogg also came up big late in memorable games at McKale Center.

McMillan converted the “McMiracle” or “McClutch” last-second shot against Oregon State in 1986 after picking up a loose ball from a deflected inbounds pass from Kerr that was almost the length of the floor. That victory unseated the Beavers as the dominant team in the Pac-10. The Cats won their first conference title that season.

Arizona beat USC and former coach Kevin O’Neill 86-84 in double-overtime on March 6, 2010, after Fogg sank three free throws after being fouled on a 3-point shot with 0.02 seconds left in regulation. The pressure-packed free throws tied the score at 69 and forced the first overtime.

“I wish I could tell you that I’ve got ice water going through my veins, but, man, I was shaking,” Fogg told reporters after the game.

McMillan and Kerr comprise the only UA backcourt with each player ranked in the top 10 on UA’s career three-point field-goal percentage list. Kerr is tops with his 57.3 percentage and McMillan is sixth at 41.1 percent.

Small Forward

Sean Elliott (1986-1989) vs. Solomon Hill (2010-2013)

Sean Elliott

Solomon Hill

This matchup is unfair for Hill, not because he would not welcome the challenge of playing against the greatest Wildcat in the history of the program. Most players would be at a disadvantage against Elliott, especially a player like Hill who is blossoming but has not yet reached his potential.

Hill would benefit from seeing up close the manner in which Elliott played. No other UA player is better to emulate than the school’s career scoring leader with 2,555 points, which at the time topped Lew Alcindor‘s Pac-10 record. He is the only Wildcat to lead the program in scoring four consecutive seasons.

Former UNLV coach Jerry Tarkanian, an Arizona nemesis, once said about Elliott: “He plays as though he invented the game of basketball.”

Elliott was the third overall pick in the 1989 NBA draft, taken by San Antonio. That was the highest a UA player was drafted at the time. Hill is not projected to be picked in the first two rounds, according to NBADraft.net. There is always next year for Hill to further prove himself as a versatile prospect.

“I think his progress won’t just be felt in one statistical area,” Arizona coach Sean Miller said. “He’s always given us a lot of things as a player, and that well roundedness is what we want him to do better more than any single stat.”

Power Forward

Tom Tolbert (1987-1988) vs. Derrick Williams (2010-2011)

Tom Tolbert

Derrick Williams

This is one spot the 2010-11 could have an advantage over the 1987-88 club because of the way Williams could extend his game to the perimeter. Tolbert, however, would be a load for Williams to handle around the basket.

Significant in Arizona’s tournament run to its first Final Four in 1988 was the way Tolbert outplayed North Carolina All-American forward J.R. Reid in the Elite Eight game won by the Wildcats 70-52. Tolbert scored 18 of his 21 points in the second half. He shot 7-of-11 from the field after halftime and scored 12 points during a decisive 19-6 run.

That run started with Tolbert’s acrobactic, behind-the-back, reverse shot that went in and drew Reid’s third foul. Tolbert made the free throw for the three-point play that put Arizona ahead to stay 43-42. Reid and Tolbert were both about 6-8 but Reid weighed 256 pounds compared to Tolbert at 240, but Tolbert somehow got the circus shot to go in.

“I figured it had a 100-to-1 shot to go in,” Tolbert told reporters after the game. “I’ve made shots like that in practice, but never with a 256-pound monster hanging on me.”

Williams made an acrobatic shot of his own against Texas last year enabling the Wildcats to advance to the Sweet 16. With 9.6 seconds left, Arizona got the ball into Williams, who put his head down and charged toward the basket. He was bumped hard by Jordan Hamilton and blindly flung the ball toward the basket as he tried to lighten the impact with the floor. The ball went in and Williams hit the free throw, putting Arizona ahead by the winning margin of 70-69.

“If we would have lost the game, I would have taken it really hard on myself knowing that I didn’t have a great game,” said Williams, who had 17 points in the game but shot 4-of-14 from the field. “A lot of people on my team feed off of me.”

The 2010-11 team fed off Williams much like the 1987-88 team fed off Elliott, one other rare similarity between the two teams.

Center

Anthony Cook (1985-88) vs. Jesse Perry (2011-2012)

Anthony Cook

Jesse Perry

Another matchup pitting players with different styles at the same position, although Perry (6-7 and 217) is more of a power forward playing at the post position.

Cook, a wiry 6-9 and 195 pounds, ranks in the top five of UA’s career statistical categories such as blocked shots (record holder with 278), rebounding (861), and field-goal percentage (62.9). In the 1987-88 season, Cook was instrumental to the Wildcats’ success. He averaged 15.1 points and 7.1 rebounds per game. He also shot 61.8 percent from the field.

He may not have been physically imposing but the way he played was huge.

After Arizona won its first-round game against Cornell in the 1988 NCAA tournament, Lute Olson turned to Cook in the postgame press conference and said, “Flex for us, Anthony. Show these guys how big you really are.”

“We used to think we were playing with four guys,” Olson continued, “but then we’d find out that Anthony was standing sideways.”

Perry, a junior college transfer, looks like he means business with his fierce expression and those long and wild dreadlocks. He proved he can be a big-game performer, scoring 14 points on 7-of-9 shooting against Connecticut in Arizona’s 65-65 loss in last year’s Elite Eight game. He also pulled down seven rebounds.

A little-known fact is Perry, because of his aggressive style, went to the free-throw line with the most frequency in 2010-11 behind only Williams. Perry shot a free throw an average of every 8.1 minutes while Williams’ incredible average was at 3.4 minutes. Perry leads the Wildcats this season with a free throw attempt an average of every 7 minutes.

“He always offensive rebounds, he gets fouled, he’s getting better on our defensive end as he learns what we do,” Sean Miller told the media last season about Perry.

Bench

1987-1988 key reserves: Kenny Lofton, Joe Turner, Jud Buechler, Harvey Mason, Matt Muehlebach, Sean Rooks and Mark Georgeson.

2010-2011 key reserves: Kevin Parrom, Jamelle Horne, Jordin Mayes, Kyryl Natyazhko and Brendon Lavender

Kenny Lofton

Kevin Parrom

Arizona’s reserves of 1987-88 started the tradition of the Gumbies — those loveable guys on the bench who seemingly stood and cheered for every basket made.

Lofton was lightning quick and could jump out of the gym, exhibiting the skills of a center fielder, a position he played for 17 seasons in the major leagues. As a sixth man, he gave Olson’s team a tremendous change of pace, especially taking over for Kerr, who was not fleet of foot but made up for that by taking care of the ball.

Buechler, a future NBA player who averaged 11.7 minutes a game in 1987-88, also spelled Elliott adequately to give the All-American forward enough rest. Mason and Turner — who each added charisma to the team – did their part by giving enough support for McMillan, Tolbert and Cook.

Muehlebach and Georgeson played sparingly and Rooks redshirted that season. They formed the nucleus of the Gumbies.

Miller’s reserves in 2010-11 were symbolized by their fortitude. Parrom overcame early foot injuries to be a catalyst for the Wildcats. Horne, a senior, did not sulk and continued to try his hardest when Perry took over his starting position. Mayes was an overlooked freshman guard during the recruiting process who relished playing in pressurized moments.

Natyazhko and Lavender never gave up. Natyazhko played solid in the Pac-10 tournament for the Wildcats. Lavender, who struggled with his perimeter shot most of the season, kept working on that part of his game.

Don’t forget: For all the links, Twitter feeds and news feeds related to Arizona and its opponents, go to Morales’ site WILDABOUTAZCATS.NET. No other Arizona sports Web site is like it!

PREVIOUS MATCHUP ANALYSIS: THE STARTING PERIMETER PLAYERS

A look at what to expect from the starting frontcourt players Saturday at approximately 4 p.m., Tucson time, at Anaheim between No. 5-seed Arizona (30-7) and No. 3 seed UConn (29-9) in the Elite Eight of the NCAA tournament:

FRONTCOURT

CONNECTICUT

UConn sophomore post player Alex Oriakhi is most dangerous on the glass, averaging 8.7 rebounds a game (US Presswire photo/Gary A. Vasquez)

What’s going right: UConn sophomore post player Alex Oriakhi has the same size as Arizona’s Derrick Williams (6-8, 240), and he is a threat the most on the glass. He averages a team-leading 8.7 rebounds a game, including a respectable 3.8 on the offensive boards. He also leads the Huskies with 61 blocked shots. Freshman forward Roscoe Smith (6-8, 205) is one of the most versatile players on UConn’s roster, the type of player Sean Miller likes. Smith averages 5.2 rebounds a game and is tied for second on the team with 47 blocked shots. Offensively, he can extend to the three-point line, where he has made 25 of 80 attempts (31.3 percent. That’s not a great percentage but his attempts can stretch the defense for Kemba Walker’s penetration.

What’s going wrong: Freshman Tyler Olander (6-9, 225) started against San Diego State but only logged five minutes. The quick hook by UConn coach Jim Calhoun is routine. Olander has started 18 times this season but averages only 10 minutes per game. He averages only 1.5 points and 1.9 rebounds a game. Oriakhi and Smith have subpar field-goal percentages, especially considering how they could use their size to maneuver for high-percentage shots. Orakhi is shooting 49.3 percent (a starting big man should be in the 55-percent range) and Smith is at 38.8 percent.

Oriakhi said Friday: “I think I know what I have to do and that’s rebound because that’s what this team needs from me, but I’m not the only rebounder on the team. I think we do a great job of game rebounding. Kemba is able to get the long rebounds, and Roscoe does a great job of rebounding and so does (reserve) Jamal (Coombs-McDaniel). So I feel if we can rebound tomorrow we’re going to be fine.”

ARIZONA

Look for Derrick Williams to continue his attacking ways against Connecticut to draw fouls and offset Kemba Walker's attacks on the other end (US Presswire photo/Gary A. Vasquez)

What’s going right: Sophomore sensation Williams increased his season total to 721 with his 32-point performance against Duke on Thursday. He is only the third Arizona player (now accomplished four times) to reach that level in a single season behind guard Khalid Reeves’ 848 in 1993-94, and two years by forward Sean Elliott who scored 743 in 1987-88 and 735 in 1988-89. Williams scored 486 points as a freshman. No Arizona player has scored more points in his first two seasons than Williams, who now has 1,207 career points. Solomon Hill has elevated his play at the right time, averaging 12 points and six rebounds a game in the NCAA tournament. He is also shooting 60 percent (15 of 25) from the field, with most of those shots created because of assertive play around the basket.

What’s going wrong: Jesse Perry showed good effort against Duke but he is still trying to find his offense. In the three NCAA tournament games, Perry has almost as many turnovers (3) as field goals (shooting 4 of 15 for 26.7 percent). If Perry concentrates on his rebounds (respectable 4.3 a game in the NCAA tournament) and allows others to create scoring opportunities, Miller would likely be in favor of that. But the concern is there about Perry taking an ill-advised shot or not converting when another player can.

Williams said Friday: “Jesse Perry was a big part of us doing well this season. When he came on his visit we needed a guy just like Jesse, somebody that doesn’t matter about points, he’s going to do the dirty work, get rebounds, going to have put-backs, do anything that Coach asks of you. Solomon, he doesn’t do anything great, but he does everything good. He rebounds the ball, put-backs, shoots the ball really well. He’s a great passer as well. That’s just something you need on your team. You can compare his game to Lamar Odom, and he does everything well.”

Who has the edge? Arizona. A major aspect of Saturday’s game is Williams should not have the stress of shutting down the opposing big man defensively. That was also not a challenge against Duke. In games against Washington with Matthew Bryan-Amaning, UCLA with Joshua Smith and USC with Nikola Vucevic, Williams’ overall game was affected somewhat because his questionable defensive skills were put to the test. Arizona struggled along with him in those games. The combination of Williams and Hill offensively, on the other hand, is a serious challenge for Oriakhi and Smith, both of whom must guard against getting into foul trouble.

NEXT BLOG: A MATCHUP PREVIEW OF THE BENCH PRODUCTION OF EACH TEAM

PREVIOUS MATCHUP ANALYSIS: THE STARTING PERIMETER PLAYERS

A look at what to expect from the starting frontcourt players Thursday at approximately 6:45 p.m., Tucson time, at Anaheim between No. 5-seed Arizona (29-7) and No. 1 seed Duke (32-4) in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament:

FRONTCOURT

DUKE

Duke's Kyle Singler (right, forefront) and Nolan Smith are arguably the best pair of players Arizona will face this season in terms of overall production (US Presswire photo/Gary A. Vasquez)

What’s going right: Few Duke players are as accomplished as Kyle Singler. The senior wing player has scored 607 points this season to join Art Heyman (1961-63) and Christian Laettner (1990-92) as the only other Blue Devils to reach the 600-point mark in three consecutive seasons. Singler has taken 18 charges this season. He ranks fourth at Duke with 54. More Singler: He is the only player in ACC history to record 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds, 300 offensive rebounds, 250 three-point field goals, 200 assists, 100 blocks and 100 steals. He currently has 2,374 points, 1,007 rebounds, 359 offensive rebounds, 265 three-point field goals, 291 assists, 106 blocks and 166 steals in his career. The 6-10 Plumlee brothers (sophomore Mason and junior Miles) start at the power forward and post positions. Mason has a team-high 59.2 field-goal percentage (109 of 184). Miles averaged 8.7 points and 6.7 rebounds to earn ACC All-Tournament second team honors.

What’s going wrong: The Plumlees start but they generally do not play an extended amount, especially Miles, who averages only 17.1 minutes a game. They are a combined 71 of 145 from the free-throw line, a dismal 48.9 percent, which precludes them from playing late in tight games. Singler is shooting a career-low 31.6 percent from three-point range (60 of 190), and although he’s in a position to be a distributor on the wing, he has 70 turnovers compared to 59 assists.

Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said Wednesday: “I think (the Plumlee brothers are) both talented. They’re great kids. I’ve loved coaching them, but I also know they have a process to go through. As long as the people around them know — and they know that they have a process to go through then you get through that process better. Both Miles and Mason have grown as players. They’re playing very well, and they’re going to play even better as their career now goes forward because they’ve gotten it, they understand it better now.”

ARIZONA

Solomon Hill's assertive play of late has drawn the praise of his head coach, Sean Miller (US Presswire photo/Mark D. Smith)

What’s going right: Derrick Williams, the Pac-10 Player of the Year and deserving of a first-team All-America honor according to Krzyzewski, leads Arizona in scoring (19.1 a game) and rebounding (8.2). He is shooting 60 percent (210 of 350) from the field and 58.1 percent (36 of 62) from three-point range. He’s attempted more free throws (313) than any player in the country, leads Arizona in blocks (25) and steals (35) and has 12 double-doubles. UA coach Sean Miller said starting wing Solomon Hill is the team’s most improved player from last year. He tallied career-best totals of seven field goals and 12 field goals attempted, finishing with 16 points against Texas on Sunday. He also had eight rebounds and two assists. Jesse Perry showed aggressiveness on the boards against Texas as well, yanking down an important offensive rebound with a putback against the Longhorns.

What’s going wrong: The fact Williams leads the team in steals may not be a good thing, because that stat is usually dominated by guards, and Williams’ perceived weakness is his defense. That means the Wildcats must improve with their on-the-ball defense and denying the passing lanes. While Hill has elevated his game this month, Perry has not found his stride. Against Memphis and Texas combined, he posted only four points and seven rebounds. Those kind of performances will not suffice against a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament.

Williams said Wednesday: “I think that’s (versatility) why a lot of people have a tough time guarding me, the scouting report, just because I’m shooting so well from the 3, it’s hard to have one person guard me. Having multiple people guard me, even different defenses, box and ones, it opens up everything for my teammates. All eyes are basically on me, and it leaves Solomon and our shooters, Kyle Fogg and Brendon Lavender and even Jordin Mayes open, and it opens up everything for my teammates.”

Who has the edge? Arizona. Hill will have his hands full with Singler, but with the way Hill has played lately, Singler does not have it easy either. Will the feet of the Plumlees be fast enough to keep up with Williams and Perry, especially on isolation plays with Williams on the block? If Gary Johnson and Jordan Hamilton of Texas could not keep up with Williams, how will the Plumlees? This matchup is taking into account who is starting. Duke will likely go small at times to match the Wildcats’ athleticism. The main concern for Williams and Perry is to not get senseless over-the-back calls, failing to gain position against the more sizable Plumlees and then trying to reach over them for rebounds or loose balls.

NEXT BLOG: A MATCHUP PREVIEW OF THE BENCH PRODUCTION OF EACH TEAM

Texas freshman post player Tristan Thompson makes one of his seven blocked shots, this one against Oakland's Keith Benson, an NBA prospect, in Texas' 88-84 win in the NCAA tournament Friday (US PRESSWIRE PHOTO -- Mark D. Smith)

A few minutes after Arizona survived Friday with a 77-75 escape over Memphis, assistant coach James Whitford concluded his radio interview with Brian Jeffries by saying the words that should make the Wildcats and their fans cringe:

“Texas is the polar opposite of Memphis. Memphis is more guard-oriented. Texas is more power ball, getting the ball to their 3 (wing), 4 (power forward) and 5 (center). It will be like playing UCLA.”

Gulp.

UCLA’s Reeves Nelson and Josh Smith combined to shoot 30 of 45 from the field (66.7 percent) against the Wildcats in two games this season. Tyler Honeycutt, who made only 1 of 8 shots in UCLA’s 85-74 loss at McKale Center on Jan. 27, scored 15 on 6-of-12 shooting from the field in the Bruins’ 71-49 rout of the Cats at Pauley Pavilion on Feb. 26.

Smith, Nelson and Honeycutt accounted for 59 of UCLA’s 71 points in Arizona’s worst showing of the year at Pauley.

And Texas (28-7 overall) is like UCLA?

“We have to play Texas like we played UCLA at our place, not like we did at their place,” Whitford said with a laugh.

Laughs will be few and far between from when UA coach Sean Miller and his staff departed the BOK Center to the time they finally fall asleep in the wee hours of the morning after watching film of Texas.

The Texas starting frontcourt looks this way:

Freshman post player Tristan Thompson (6-8, 225) — Tallied seven blocked shots in the Longhorns’ 85-81 win over Oakland in the earlier first-round matchup. He averages 13.4 points and 7.9 rebounds a game. He has 82 blocked shots compared to Derrick Williams‘ 25. He had 17 points and 10 rebounds against Oakland center Keith Benson, a future NBA player.

Sophomore wing player Jordan Hamilton (6-7, 220) — He has numbers similar to Williams, averaging 18.7 points and 7.7 rebounds a game. He had 19 points and 10 rebounds against Oakland.

Senior power forward Gary Johnson (6-6, 235) — He had only eight points and two boards against Oakland, but he’s averaging 11.4 points and 6.8 rebounds a game.

Thompson, Hamilton and Johnson combine to average 43.5 points and 22.4 rebounds a game. By contrast, Arizona’s starting frontcourt players Williams (6-8, 241), Jesse Perry (6-7, 210) and Solomon Hill (6-6, 226) average 33.1 points and 16.9 rebounds a game.

Gulp.

So Arizona (28-7) does not stand a chance right? This is another nightmare in store, similar to how Arizona could not defend (or provide help defense) against the Pac-10 best interior scorers and rebounders? Nikola Vucevic, Alex Stepheson, Markhuri Sanders-Frison, Harper Kamp, Nelson and Smith all over again?

Not so fast. Sorry for the pun. That’s not so fast as in Arizona would be wise, believe it or not, to not allow Texas to play in a fast-paced, frenzied, open-court game. Not wise, at least this year. If this game was played with imposing, athletic inside defenders Angelo Chol (Class of 2011) and Grant Jerrett (Class of 2012) already on the roster, then, yes, open it up.

Counterpoint:
Anthony Gimino: Texas-sized trouble awaits Arizona

The Longhorns in the open floor are as good as any team in the country, especially with a player like freshman Cory Joseph (105 assists and 51 turnovers) running the show. The Longhorns are also deep on the perimeter with guys who can start for most Pac-10 teams, including reserves J’Covan Brown and Jai Lucas.

But if Arizona tries to control tempo and force the Longhorns to produce in their halfcourt offense, this game can be won. The difference between UCLA and Texas in that regard is that the Bruins are coached by Ben Howland, who is known for his ability to game-plan within a halfcourt set. That is not Texas coach Rick Barnes‘ strong suit, as was obvious against Oakland.

The Longhorns could not put the Golden Grizzlies away partly because while trying to preserve their lead, they had to slow things down. As a result, they lost their edge and looked lost in their halfcourt sets. The Longhorns shot 34.5 percent from the field after intermission after making 58.8 percent in the first half.

Thompson only attempted six field goals, making three, in the second half. He was 7 of 14 in the game.

“I really thought we should have put it there (to Thompson) more,” Barnes said in the interview room after the game. “We feel that we need to play through him. We also wanted to open up the court a little bit and drive them because you want to try to put some fouls on their guards too because they’re such good players.

“But we did want to work inside out as much as we can. We have to do a better job of screening, but we wanted to give him the ball and let him go. Again, make them guard on the inside, and what I do like to be quite honest with you, I look down and see where he got 14 shots. That is the most he’s had in a long time. So, again, we need to continue to play through him.”

CBS commentator Steve Kerr, a coach-on-the-floor for Lute Olson while at Arizona and a former Phoenix Suns general manager, can dissect a team as good as any broadcaster in the business. Kerr said more than once that Memphis was dangerous in the open court, but once Arizona slowed the Tigers and forced them to create off the dribble in their halfcourt sets, they were much less effective.

In that sense, Miller and his staff could not have asked for a better team to play before Texas than Memphis because their open-floor styles mirror each other. It was a good tuneup. Whitford’s comment that Texas and Memphis are polar opposites was directed more to the fact that Texas has more of an inside presence.

It’s no secret the Longhorns love the transition game and they want to attack once the ball passes midcourt.

Texas averages 74.9 points a game compared to Arizona’s 76.5.

If the Wildcats manage to force Texas to set screens and run motion plays, its perimeter and help-side defenders must pick up the slack to alleviate pressure off Williams and Perry against Thompson and Hamilton. This will be the 36th game of the season. The Wildcats should be more involved and prepared with that task.

Like Miller told his team after the win over Memphis, “In March, you got to be nasty, you got to be together and you also have to be smart.”

The nastier, smarter and more harmonious team wins Sunday in Tulsa. With 28 victories, the Wildcats have shown they can be effective in those three areas. Can they apply them against one of the best teams they have faced this season?

A team in the Round of 32 of the NCAA tournament is capable of anything.

Derrick Williams may be in the forefront at Arizona as the Pac-10 Player of the Year but he stands behind teammates such as Jesse Perry (33), Lamont Jones (12) and Kyle Fogg (21) (US Presswire photo/Chris Morrison)

Never before has a Pac-10 Player of the Year from Arizona been the only Wildcat recognized on the all-conference team.

Derrick Williams was the only UA player selected among the Pac-10′s elite this week by league coaches. That differs from when Sean Elliott, Chris Mills, Damon Stoudamire, Mike Bibby and Jason Terry earned the conference’s player of the year honor.

Elliott was joined on the all-Pac-10 team in 1987-88 by Steve Kerr and Anthony Cook. A year later, Cook again joined Elliott as an all-conference pick.

Stoudamire and Mills were part of the 1992-93 all-Pac-10 team. Two years later, when Stoudamire was the league’s co-player of the year with UCLA’s Ed O’Bannon, UA forward Ray Owes was also part of the all-conference team.

Bibby in 1997-98 was on the all-Pac-10 team with Michael Dickerson and Miles Simon — one of the best perimeter groups in conference history. Terry was accompanied by A.J. Bramlett and Michael Wright in 1998-99.

At least Lamont “MoMo” Jones was an honorable mention choice this year.

Williams’ lone representation of the Wildcats among the Pac-10′s elite only adds fuel to the general misconception of the national media that the Wildcats are a one-man band. As far as perception goes, it does Arizona no good that Williams is scoring 18.8 points a game, more than the next two players are averaging combined. Jones and Kyle Fogg average 18.4 points.

The balance underneath Williams, however, does Arizona a lot of good.

Note to the national media who form their opinion by looking at statistics: Arizona should be looked at more as a team with multiple components. How talented and effective those components are on a game-by-game basis is up for debate. But truth be known: Arizona is not Derrick Williams and the 12 Dwarfs.

My case:

• In Pac-10 games in which Williams was not the leading scorer, Arizona went 6-2. The most significant victory among those six was the triple-overtime 107-105 win at Cal in which Williams had only 12 points before fouling out and Jones (27 points) and Kevin Parrom (25) combined for 52.
• The evolution of Arizona’s role players in the Pac-10 season was huge considering that in the non-conference schedule, Williams was not the leading scorer only once. That was at BYU in a humbling 87-65 loss on Dec. 11. Jones led the Wildcats with 20. Williams finished with 13.
• Five different players other than Williams led Arizona in scoring. Parrom’s hot hand that resulted in 20 points at Oregon on Dec. 30 carried the Cats to a 76-57 victory. Jamelle Horne‘s uplifting, team-leading 16-point performance against Stanford on Jan. 9 was just what Tucson needed a day after the shooting tragedy of U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and other victims. The Cats held off the Cardinal 67-57. Fogg’s 26 points at ASU in a 67-52 win on Feb. 13 occurred after Jones and Parrom led the Cats over Cal. Finally, the UA clinched the outright regular-season Pac-10 title behind Jones’ 17 points against Oregon State (70-59 win) and Fogg’s 20 against Oregon (90-82 victory).
• In games in which Williams was not the leading rebounder, Arizona was 10-1. That does not include games in which Williams tied another Wildcat for the rebounding lead. In those games, Arizona was 2-1.

Ironically, Arizona is very dependent on Williams, as the scoring and rebounding averages and all-conference selections suggest, but coach Sean Miller‘s balance from players No. 2 to No. 9 is what earned him the Pac-10 regular-season title and coach of the year honor.

Another reason why Miller is deserving of the Pac-10 coaching honor: Williams was the only Arizona player among the top 20 scorers and rebounders in the league. Moreover, Arizona did not have a player among the league’s top 10 players in assists, steals, blocked shots and three-pointers made.

But in the most important category — victories — Arizona was better than anybody else.

This is arguably Arizona’s best overall team performance, rivaling the school’s first Final Four team of 1987-88. I am not writing that this team is as talented as that one — not even close — but in terms of overall team contribution, this group is as good as it gets.

Please follow me on Twitter: @JavierJMorales
I will also be in Los Angeles for the Pac-10 tournament, starting with Arizona’s game Thursday against either Stanford or Oregon State.

Matchups (Tipoff 5:30 p.m., Tucson time)

PERIMETER

USC guard Jio Fontan, a transfer from Fordham, has made the Trojans competitive in every game he's played (US Presswire photo/Gary A. Vasquez)

SOUTHERN CAL

What’s going right: After sitting out nearly a season and a half following his transfer to USC from Fordham, guard Jio Fontan is averaging 11.4 points and 3.5 assists in his first 11 games. In that span, he leads the team in assists (38), second in points (125), third in three-pointers made (10), fourth in minutes (338) and second in steals (10). USC has gone 6-5 in those games with all five losses by six points or less. Freshman point guard Maurice Jones, 5-7 and 155 pounds, all Pac-10 players by averaging 36.8 minutes per game and is second in steals and fourth in assists. In his last 13 games, Jones has 47 assists and 25 turnovers, while making 33 steals.
What’s going wrong: Following the abrupt decision of freshman guard Bryce Jones to transfer, Kevin O’Neill‘s backcourt (already lacking depth) became very thin. The Trojans’ roster goes about seven deep, so if Fontan, Maurice Jones and/or wing player Marcus Simmons get in foul trouble, O’Neill may have to check if he has any eligibility left.

ARIZONA

What’s going right: Lamont “MoMo” Jones and Kyle Fogg, maligned for most of the season, are starting to find their groove. They outplayed the UCLA backcourt of Lazeric Jones and Malcolm Lee and it was not close. MoMo Jones and Fogg combined for 31 points (which included a 16-for-18 performance from the free-throw line). Their combined seven rebounds is a telling stat because it shows how both were extremely active, which was not the case earlier this season. MoMo Jones now also has a team-leading seven steals in conference play after a lack of steals was discussed in this space a couple of weeks ago.
What’s going wrong: Arizona had 17 turnovers against UCLA and the ball-handling starts with the guards. MoMo Jones and Fogg still not at a 2:1 ratio of assists to turnovers in Pac-10 games (42 assists and 28 turnovers).

Who has the edge? Arizona. Fontan and Maurice Jones are very promising talents and will provide the UA a difficult challenge. Fogg looked like a different player against UCLA, assertive from start to finish. Also in terms of Solomon Hill vs. Simmons on the wing, the nod goes to Hill who is all business on the court these days, resembling the characteristics of his coach (Sean Miller).

FRONTCOURT

USC post player Nikola Vucevic is vying to lead the Pac-10 in rebounding in consecutive years (US Presswire photo/Jason O. Watson)

SOUTHERN CAL

What’s going right: Easily, the best frontcourt combination in the Pac-10 — and one of the best in the nation in terms of rebounds — is USC’s Nikola Vucevic and Alex Stepheson. Vucevic leads the Pac-10 and is tied for 11th in the country with 12 double-doubles, while Stepheson is second in the conference with 7 double-doubles. The tandem also ranks No. 1 and No. 2 in the Pac-10 in rebounding with Vucevic grabbing 10.1 and Stepheson 8.8 rebounds per game. Vucevic is vying for his second straight year as the league’s top rebounder. The last — and only — UA player to lead the Pac-10 in rebounds was Pete Williams in 1983-84 with 9.9 a game.
What’s going wrong: By being so aggressive around the hoop, Vucevic has a tendency to get into foul trouble. He has fouled out four times this season. Last year, he fouled out at McKale Center with 0.2 seconds left in regulation while Fogg attempted a three-pointer. Fogg made all three free throws to send the game into overtime and the Wildcats eventually won 86-84 in double overtime. Don’t think for a second that Vucevic has forgotten that foul. USC coach Kevin O’Neill‘s reaction with reporters after that game: “Would you be pleased? Everyone knows what happened out there today. It’s no secret. Everyone who was at the game saw what happened. I’m going to leave it at that.”

ARIZONA

What’s going right: This category should be changed to “What Derrick Williams is doing:” This is what Williams is doing: He leads the UA regulars in scoring (19.8 a game), rebounding (7.9), steals (21 overall), free throw attempts (actually national-leading 204 tries with 153 converted), field-goal shooting (62.7 percent, 121 of 193), three-point shooting (67.7 percent, 21 of 31) and ESPN SportsCenter dunk replays (too many to count).
What’s going wrong: Frontcourt mate Jesse Perry had only three rebounds in 23 minutes Thursday and is averaging 4.1 in conference games (the same total for the player he replaced in the starting lineup, Jamelle Horne). Perry must have his best rebounding performance against USC for the Wildcats to help negate Stephenson and Vucevic.

Who has the edge?: The wild card here is Perry because Vucevic, Stepheson and Williams are legitimate All-Pac-10 performers. Williams’ all-around ability, inside-and-outside, and drawing fouls is something that Vucevic and Stepheson as a tandem can’t even match. Vucevic and Stepheson have attempted 163 free throws, 41 less than Williams’ total. Slight edge goes to Vucevic and Stepheson because rebounding is so important. It’s up to Perry to even some of that out. Williams will do his part despite nursing a sore pinkie.

BENCH

SOUTHERN CAL

What’s going right: Senior guard Donte Smith provides a spark off the bench, especially from three-point range. He has attempted 50 more three-pointers than his next teammate and is shooting at a 40.8 percent clip (51 of 125).
What’s going wrong: Remember when USC was so overloaded that former coach Tim Floyd was forced to make players seek opportunities elsewhere? O’Neill is required to pick up the pieces at USC much like he was expected to coach an Arizona team without an abundance of talent from roster spot No. 1 to 13 while working as interim coach in 2008-09. With Bryce Jones gone, the Trojans have only seven reliable players. Smith and freshman forward Garrett Jackson (only 11.2 minutes a game) are the only players of note off the bench.

ARIZONA

What’s going right: In Gumby-like fashion, Alex “Tree” Jacobson electrified his team and the McKale Center crowd Thursday with his best sequence as a college player. Jacobson made UCLA’s Joshua Smith obsolete by out-rebounding and out-hustling the talented freshman in one stretch of the second half. Jacobson only played four minutes but the way he uplifted the crowd was one reason Arizona maintained its level of intensity against the Bruins. Positive energy is what is needed most from bench players. If Jacobson maintains that outlook it benefits the team as a whole.
What’s going wrong: TucsonCitizen.com sports director Anthony Gimino touched on this the other day — the relative disappearance of sophomore center Kyryl Natyazhko. In Pac-10 games, he has as many fouls (12) as rebounds in only 68 minutes played to this point.

Who has the edge?: Arizona. The foursome of Kevin Parrom, Jamelle Horne, Jordin Mayes and Brendon Lavender averages 19.3 points per game in the Pac-10 — 26.2 percent of the Wildcats’ production. USC’s top reserves, Smith and Jackson, combine for 15.1 points a game — 23.2 percent of USC’s output. That’s relatively close but Miller is afforded more options (and fouls) than his counterpart O’Neill.

COACHING

For the most part, O’Neill — hired by ousted Mike Garrett — is still auditioning for new athletic director Pat Haden, who will likely give the former Lute Olson assistant four years to prove he is worthy of the job. Similarly, Miller is coaching for a boss (Greg Byrne) who is different than the one who hired him (Jim Livengood). The significant difference is Miller has more of an eye toward how Byrne can help his program rather than Byrne judging whether Miller will work out or not for his athletic department. If Miller lasts at least 10 years at Arizona, nobody would be shocked about the longevity (in fact most think he should last a lot longer than that). If O’Neill lasts 10 years at USC, it would be some sort of miracle. O’Neill has coached seven different teams in his 14 years as a head coach. You can see what I’m getting at. Advantage: Arizona.

OUTCOME

This game will not be easy because the Trojans are buying into O’Neill’s emphasis on defense and rebounding. With the game in McKale Center, however, and USC running perilously thin on the bench, look for Arizona to eventually wear down the Trojans in the second half and win by 10 points. Williams’ sprained pinkie will get a lot of hype, but he managed to play some with the injury Thursday and appeared to be OK. The key to the game will be Williams getting either Vucevic or Stepheson in foul trouble, which could be crippling for the Trojans.

WildAboutAZCats.com and another partner — SteveRiveraVentures.com — have a promotion this season with Tino’s Pizza in Tucson. During any UA men’s hoops game, order any large pizza (dine-in or carryout) get a discount of $2. Tino’s Pizza was voted as the Best Eastside Pizzeria by the Tucson Weekly last year. If you take advantage of this opportunity at Tino’s save your receipt and mail it to: TINO’S PIZZA / WILDABOUTAZCATS.COM CHALLENGE, c/o Javier Morales, P.O. Box 531418, Henderson, NV 89053 (include your full name, address and phone number). The person who spends the most during this promotion over the UA’s 18-game Pac-10 schedule wins a free Lute Olson-autographed “UA Basketball Vault” book (valued at $50)

USC coach Kevin O'Neill and former Trojans guard Bryce Jones did not see eye to eye about his playing time so Jones bolted from the program (US Presswire photo/Kirby Lee)

Random thoughts while wondering if Bob Knight (not on Lute Olson‘s Christmas card list) will balk at the idea of joining the ESPN GameDay crew in Tucson if the network stages the show at McKale Center before the Feb. 19 game with Washington …

>> Two of the more high-profile freshmen in the league — Cal’s Gary Franklin and USC’s Bryce Jones — are (poof) gone from the league in a matter of a week because they believe they were not used properly by their respective coach. Welcome to today’s college basketball where freshmen are more demanding than ever — a direct result of their royalty treatment during the AAU circuit and their 4- or 5-star ratings from recruiting services. …

>> UA coach Sean Miller‘s stroke of good luck in recruiting continues inasmuch as his staff was interested in Jones and Franklin (who opted to learn more about the game from Baylor’s Scott Drew than Mike Montgomery for goodness sake). Jones was scheduled to take an official visit to Arizona on Aug. 28 last year but the visit was canceled because of “personal reasons” and he never rescheduled. …

>> Derrick Williams is gathering more support by the week for Pac-10 Player of the Year honors (Isaiah Thomas of Washington his main competition), but when does talk about Miller challenging for Pac-10 coach of the year begin? The Wildcats have already surpassed last year’s overall win total and Miller deserves credit for the ongoing development of Williams, who was not highly rated by those recruiting services, and the ability to bring together his recruits and the Olson holdovers. …

>> In a time for giddiness after Arizona’s 85-74 victory over UCLA on Thursday, Miller was downright frank about how he was upset about Arizona’s intensity — or obvious lack thereof — in the last four minutes of the game. This is another reason why Miller is everything Arizona needs to become a national power again. “Our team really has a lot of growing up to do maturity-wise,” he said. “We didn’t handle the last four minutes well at all. At all. You are up 16 points and you’re not trying to score. Not going to quick shoot and foul. Not going to throw the ball to the other team. As excited as I am about our win – and we did do a lot of great things –the growth and maturity has to continue to move in that direction so if the score is four or five points we can leave with a win and not lose because of things we can control.” Amen. Miller was his most demonstrative with about 2 minutes remaining when Arizona point guard Lamont “MoMo” Jones decided to feed Jesse Perry inside for a shot that was blocked rather than run down the clock more and secure the 10-point lead.

>> More than once, ESPN color analyst Jay Bilas, who is as knowledgeable as they come in that business, mentioned that Arizona must improve its communication. “Communication is the biggest issue,” Bilas said during the UCLA-UA telecast on ESPN2. “They need to talk.” Announcers get most of their game-day information from visiting coaches and players after practice the day before a game. Bilas and play-by-play man Rece Davis must have been informed about — or witnessed — a case in which Arizona had communication breakdowns. “The next step as this team communicates better, certainly gets more together and tighter as a unit,” Bilas added, “this is going to be a very good basketball team.” Bilas summarized that Arizona is a “young team and a quiet team.” That means the Wildcats may take things for granted amongst each other, rather than work through challenges by talking about them. They are somewhat of a unique group with four Olson holdovers, five Miller second-year players and three newcomers this season. Perhaps the melting pot is not quite stirred but it’s getting to be that way as Arizona’s overall record suggests.

>> Another interesting comment by Bilas came late in the game when he basically questioned UCLA’s toughness. “I don’t like the body language that they show on the bench and I’m not crazy about the amount of talking they’re doing with the opponent,” Bilas said about the Bruins. “You come into an opponent’s building and they hand it to you … I’m not sure that’s something you should be smiling about, laughing about and joking with the crowd about … at least not the way I grew up.” Cardinals quarterback Derek Anderson — he of the laugh on the sideline caught on camera during a dismal Monday Night Football performance — can relate to that statement. For some reason, UCLA center Reeves Nelson — the Bruins’ only player who showed up — openly laughed after mimicking Zona Zoo chants after he fouled out by purposely sitting down and standing up. If I am UCLA coach Ben Howland, I get in Nelson’s face and tell him to sit the heck down.

>> Miller told Bilas and Davis that he wants the Wildcats to get more out of their practice sessions. Miller said the players should want to learn from the practices instead of simply trying to get through the session. This comment and the revelation about the lack of communication shows that the Wildcats are not close to the maturity level Miller seeks from them at this time. Only 10 regular-season games remain. It’s time for the maturing process to take hold.

Arizona sophomore forward Derrick Williams was too difficult for ASU to handle around the basket as he tallied 31 points and 10 rebounds (US Presswire photo/Chris Morrison)

Arizona coach Sean Miller tempered his enthusiasm over beating arch-rival Arizona State on Saturday afternoon by telling it like it is about the Wildcats’ upcoming slate, starting Thursday at Pac-10 favorite Washington.

“I am happy with where we are at, but if you look at the schedule, every game will be a tough one from here on out,” Miller told the media after Arizona’s 80-69 victory over the Sun Devils.

The Wildcats (15-3 overall, 4-1 in the Pac-10) took care of business beating ASU, which won three straight at McKale before Saturday and was a preseason No. 4 pick in the conference. Next up for the Wildcats: 17th-ranked Washington in Seattle on Thursday, followed by a trip Saturday to the Paloose to face burgeoning Washington State (which swept the Wildcats a year ago).

Arizona returns the following week to McKale Center — where it is 11-0 this season — to face UCLA and USC. The Bruins are always a threat with Tyler Honeycutt and Reeves Nelson, and the Trojans have the top two rebounders in the league in Nikola Vucevic and Alex Stepheson.

As concerned as Miller may have sounded about the challenges ahead, he was equally confident. A year ago, when his young team was mentally and physically developing, the Wildcats did not respond in similar circumstances against formidable frontcourt players like Washington State’s DeAngelo Casto, and Nelson, Vucevic and Stepheson.

In this regard, Derrick Williams‘ emergence resembles that of his team.

Williams, a Pac-10 Player of the Year candidate, now looks forward to facing Casto on the blocks (especially on the offensive end), rather than fretting such a matchup against the Cougars’ dominant post player last season.

“If you’re not big enough, he can overpower you,” Miller said of Williams, 6-foot-8 and 240 pounds. “A year ago, that was not as pronounced. We want to continue to teach him, and put him in a situation where we can trust him on defense too.”

Offensively, nobody might compare to Williams in the country — not only the Pac-10, but the country. Williams and fellow starting frontcourt mate Jesse Perry consistently commanded the paint in a way unseen by Arizona fans since Michael Wright and Loren Woods played a decade ago.

Williams (31 points, 10 rebounds) and Perry (13 points, three rebounds) muscled their way to eight bonus situations by drawing a foul while making a field goal around the basket. They converted on half of those. Williams, who made ASU (9-8, 1-4) really pay from the free-throw line, converted on three three-point plays. He made 15 of 16 attempts from the free-throw line.

Williams’ “explosive” play, according to Miller, is indicative of how his five sophomores have matured physically and mentally since last year. Arizona is one win shy of what it won all of last season in a 16-15 season that excluded the Wildcats from the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1984.

“We are bigger and stronger across the board,” Miller said. “With our strength and conditioning, we are near the top. The guys are working extremely hard.

“Some of it is the guys going from being freshmen to sophomores. Five have made that leap. I would say, to a man, each of them is stronger and that has helped us.”

Arizona forward Solomon Hill, who drove aggressively to the basket like rarely before, indicated that the Wildcats’ mental preparation is equally up to the task.

Somebody asked Hill about the Wildcats’ effective performance (47 percent field-goal shooting) against ASU’s matchup zone. Starting point guard Lamont “MoMo” Jones and Kyle Fogg combined for seven assists and only two turnovers (none by Jones).

“Pac-10 play shows how much work we have put in,” Hill said. “To tell you the truth, we are ready for both defenses (zone and man-to-man). Some teams play zone when they are accustomed to playing man and some teams stick to their guns and play man. Whatever they do, we have to counteract it.”

Arizona senior forward Jamelle Horne will attempt to beat ASU at McKale Center for the first time in his career Saturday (US Presswire photo/Chris Morrison)

Three givens with Arizona senior forward Jamelle Horne: He’ll amaze, dumbfound and make you wonder.

Amaze: “Horne showed some amazing leaping ability.”

Dumbfound: “Horne did what? He fouled whom?”

Wonder: “He just had a double-double. What happened to him?”

So many questions about the off-again, on-again, off-again Horne, but there really is no questioning his grateful behavior for being an Arizona Wildcat. Anybody who has endured the kind of trials and tribulations Horne has in his career deserves a medal of some sort.

His latest challenge to overcome is playing as a reserve instead of a starter in his last season in Tucson. UA coach Sean Miller, now in firm command in his second year, saw it fit recently to give JC transfer Jesse Perry a try in Horne’s place within the starting lineup, and who could argue with him?

Seems so long ago that Horne’s first challenge was bouncing back after intentionally fouling an Alabama-Birmingham player in the waning seconds of a game in 2008 in which the game was tied.

If anything, Horne has kept us on the edge of our seat throughout his four years in Tucson. The on-again Horne produced his fourth career double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds in only 24 minutes off the bench Sunday in a 67-57 win over Stanford at McKale Center.

“I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want to start, but I’m just getting more comfortable coming off the bench and providing that spark,” said Horne, who not only provided a spark but a rocket burst with four three-pointers in as many attempts.

“My rebounding has really improved. Coach Miller tells us everyday in practice that we must improve our offensive rebounding and I think it’s starting to pay off.”

Starting to pay off. Miller hopes Horne’s performance Sunday has more redeeming value to it than going paycheck to paycheck.

Horne has never produced consecutive double-digit rebound performances and his overall production after double-double games is not overpowering.

As a freshman in 2007-08, Horne followed an 11-rebound performance at Washington State with only one at home against USC. In 2008-09, he produced a double-double (19 points and 13 rebounds) at home against defending national champ Kansas. In the next five games, he averaged 9.6 points and only 6 rebounds.

Last season, Horne reached double-digits in rebounds on three different occasions. His average in the game that followed those performances: Only 5 rebounds.

Will a different, more mature and driven Horne back up what he did Sunday when Arizona hosts ASU Saturday at McKale Center? Horne is 0-3 in his career against the Sun Devils in Tucson.

The last four-year players at Arizona to lose all four home games against ASU in their career were Frank Smith and John Belobraydic from 1980-83.

“It’s his senior year and you want him to have his best year at Arizona,” Miller said of Horne.

Horne averaged 16 points in Arizona’s first four Pac-10 games last year (a stretch in which he consecutively scored in double figures). He scored in double figures only three more times the rest of the season. This year, he is averaging only 7.8 points through the first four conference games, posting double-figure scoring efforts against Cal and Stanford this weekend.

“I enjoyed our fight and demeanor over the weekend,” Horne said. “I thought we showed great focus.”

Will that focus last for the on-again Horne?

Freshman guard Gary Franklin, left, is no longer learning from one of the game's best -- Cal coach Mike Montgomery. Franklin is transferring despite playing 25.7 minutes a game and being a regular starter (US Presswire photo/Kyle Terada)

A quick look at what to expect Thursday night at McKale Center between two Pac-10 teams coming off a loss — California and Arizona (more info to come at our partner site, WILDABOUTAZCATS.COM):

Matchups (Tipoff 8:30 p.m., Tucson time)

PERIMETER

CALIFORNIA

What’s going right: Taking over as the team’s primary point guard, after the departure of Jerome Randle, junior Jorge Gutierrez has recorded a personal-best eight assists three times this season, including last Sunday at Stanford. He has proven to be a big-game performer, posting 19 points against San Diego State on Dec. 8. He made all nine of his free-throw attempts in that game.
What’s going wrong: Inexperience is the greatest challenge for freshman starter Allen Crabbe on the perimeter. In Cal’s last three big games against San Diego State, Kansas and Stanford, Crabbe is a combined 2-of-13 from three-point range. The pending transfer of former UA recruiting target Gary Franklin makes Cal’s rotation perilously thin. Fellow freshman Brandon Smith (second on the team with 36 assists) will likely replace Franklin as a starter.

ARIZONA

What’s going right: Kyle Fogg registered his sixth double-figure scoring game of the season with 10 points against Oregon State Sunday to go with three rebounds (one more than Derrick Williams and Jesse Perry produced individually). The 6-foot-3 junior guard might be starting to warm up a bit, as he has shot 47.6 percent (10-of-21) from the floor over his last three games.
What’s going wrong: Let this excerpt from Anthony Gimino’s blog at TucsonCitizen.com tell the story: Through two Pac-10 games, Lamont “MoMo” Jones has three assists and nine turnovers. “You can only go so far as a total team when that’s in place,” Miller said. “That’s not to discredit him at all from some of the other things that he’s done well. … He’s a great competitor and we love that about him, but for our team to reach its potential and to have a successful Pac-10 season, no question, that assist-to-turnover ratio is a big, sticking point with us right now.”

Who has the edge?: Gutierrez is playing the best among the two guard positions listed here, but Solomon Hill (who is showing the ability to drive strong to the basket) gives Arizona an advantage on the wing over the developing Crabbe. My guess is Fogg will continue to work his way out of a slump and give the Wildcats a slight edge in this category.

Cal junior forward Harper Kamp is leading the Golden Bears after sitting out last year with a knee injury. Kamp is a former teammate of UA's Brendon Lavender at Mesa Mountain View (US Presswire photo/Kyle Terada)

FRONTCOURT

CALIFORNIA

What’s going right: In his last two games, redshirt junior power forward Harper Kamp is shooting 12-of-16 from the field and 11-of-12 from the free throw line, averaging 17.5 points. In only his second game since his return from a knee injury last year, Kamp posted a career-best 25 points against New Mexico on Nov. 20. Senior center Markhuri Sanders-Frison leads the Bears on the boards with 8.3 a game, which ranks third in the conference.
What’s going wrong: Kamp, a former teammate of UA junior Brendon Lavender at Mesa Mountain View, has posted only one double-double (double figures in points and rebounds in a game) while Sanders-Frison has three. Kamp has disappeared on the boards against Kansas and Stanford, recording only two in each game.

ARIZONA

What’s going right: Aside from only two rebounds against the Beavers on Sunday, JC transfer Jesse Perry continues to show promising development. Last week in Oregon, he totaled four blocked shots, tripling his season output. Since joining the starting lineup three games ago, the 6-foot-7 native of St. Louis, Mo., is averaging 10.0 points and 4.7 rebounds, while shooting 64.7 percent (11-of-17) from the field. In that span, Perry notched season-high totals of 16 points (vs. Robert Morris) and eight rebounds (at Oregon).
What’s going wrong: The good news is Williams has converted 11 of his last 14 field-goal attempts; the bad news is those shots span over Arizona’s last three games. Williams, who is seeing more double- and triple-team defenses, is getting less touches. Miller put a positive spin on that during Tuesday’s Pac-10 teleconference with the media, saying the Wildcats came close to winning all three of those games (going 2-1 with the one-point loss at Oregon State). Ultimately, however, Arizona will need more production from Williams. The way for that to happen: Other players opening space for him by drawing that defense away from him.

Who has the edge?: With this game in Tucson and Perry and Williams hearing about their rebounding deficiencies all week from Miller and the UA staff, expected them to be charged up Thursday night. You will likely see Williams block out like he’s never blocked out before. Perry has good rebounding techniques; he just needs to apply them more and double his average of 4.3 a game. Kamp and Sanders-Frison provide a good challenge, but they are catching Williams and Perry at a time when the UA twosome is focused on making up for Sunday’s woeful performance.

BENCH

CALIFORNIA

What’s going right: Another former UA-Miller recruiting target — Cal freshman forward Richard Solomon — is averaging 4.5 points and 4.6 rebounds per game. Solomon also has 11 steals and is tied for the team lead in blocks with eight. He notched three blocks and posted a double-double (10 points and 10 rebounds) against Hartford recently.
What’s going wrong: The Cal bench is young, with one freshman and two sophomores included among the group. Only seven current players average double-figure minutes, which means if any of them get in foul trouble, Mike Montgomery’s hands are tied.

ARIZONA

What’s going right: Sophomore center Kyryl Natyazhko is second on the team with a 56.8 field-goal percentage, but he has taken less shots (37) by far than anybody in the 10-player rotation. The next lowest is Perry and Lavender with 60 each. Natyazhko still has yet to miss a three-pointer, although he’s only tried four. Like most reserves, if he can be involved in more situations, perhaps taking his accurate mid-range shot, it could help the Wildcats in some games.
What’s going wrong: On the flipside, Natyazhko had no points and only three rebounds in only 10 minutes at Oregon State. None of his fellow bench-mates Kevin Parrom, Jamelle Horne, Jordin Mayes and Lavender failed to score more than five points apiece against the Beavers. That puts too much pressure on Arizona’s starting lineup.

Who has the edge?: Arizona’s bench not only runs deeper, but it’s experienced with Horne and Lavender, and dangerous with Parrom and Mayes (who can have career games at any time). Solomon is an impressive talent, but he and junior guard Nigel Carter and sophomore guard Brandon Smith — the other Cal reserves playing double-figure minutes — can only do so much because of their inexperience within Montgomery’s system.

COACHING

Montgomery won his 600th career game on Dec. 29, which puts him in select company with six other active coaches (including Jim Boeheim and Mike Krzyzewski among them) who broke the 600-win mark. After coaching his senior-laden team to a Pac-10 title last year, Montgomery has a difficult road this year with only eight scholarship players available. One thing is for sure: Cal’s young players will receive some valuable lessons of the game this season. Miller is on the right path toward reaching Montomery’s plateau but has a long way to go.

OUTCOME

Cal and Montgomery already received a significant loss when Franklin announced his pending transfer. Franklin, who was wooed to Arizona by Hill (a former AAU teammate), is leaving Cal despite starting and playing significant minutes (25.7 a game). His departure leaves Montgomery in a dangerous situation if injuries or foul trouble occurs. Rather than play sheepishly, expect Cal to be a bear (I know, I know) and come out fighting at the start. But Arizona’s depth, talent level, experience and home crowd will be too much. Arizona by 18.

WildAboutAZCats.com and another partner — SteveRiveraVentures.com — have a promotion this season with Tino’s Pizza in Tucson. During any UA men’s hoops game (like tonight), order any large pizza (dine-in or carryout) get a discount of $2. Tino’s Pizza was voted as the Best Eastside Pizzeria by the Tucson Weekly last year. If you take advantage of this opportunity at Tino’s save your receipt and mail it to: TINO’S PIZZA / WILDABOUTAZCATS.COM CHALLENGE, c/o Javier Morales, P.O. Box 531418, Henderson, NV 89053 (include your full name, address and phone number). The person who spends the most during this promotion over the UA’s 18-game Pac-10 schedule wins a free Lute Olson-autographed “UA Basketball Vault” book (valued at $50)