PREVIOUS ARIZONA-UCONN MATCHUP ANALYSIS:
>> THE STARTING PERIMETER PLAYERS
>> STARTING FRONTCOURT PLAYERS
>> THE BENCH

A look at what to expect from the coaches and a predicted outcome of Saturday’s game (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:

COACHING

Arizona’s Sean Miller vs. UConn’s Jim Calhoun

UConn coach Jim Calhoun's record is very similar to Sean Miller of Arizona in the last seven years (US Presswire photo/Brad Mills)

When his UConn team faces Arizona Saturday, Jim Calhoun will have flashbacks to when Sean Miller played against the Huskies two decades ago with Pitt. The memories of Miller, the player, won’t be kind. His recall of Miller, the person, the opposite. Miller’s final game against UConn was Feb. 25, 1992. He posted 12 points and 11 assists in the Panthers’ 86-77 victory. Miller went 5-4 in his playing career against UConn and averaged 9.8 points and 4.6 assists in those games. Solid.

“I remember Sean when he was at the old Fitzgerald Field House on Pitt’s campus, and we were winning and the crowd was getting unruly, which is a real surprise at Pitt,” Calhoun told the media Saturday. “It’s a very blue-collar town, and they weren’t happy, they were throwing things; and Sean did something with the crowd, kind of like ‘Cool it. Cool it.’

“We were up by 12 with maybe a minute to go, and he was talking to me and he said, ‘Coach, I’ll take care of it.’”

These examples of Miller as a player and person describes him as a coach and recruiter: Solid. Intelligent. Unrelenting. Professional. Thorough.

Does that make Miller a better coach than what Calhoun is today? I’m here to argue: Yes. Calhoun has two NCAA titles and has coached UConn to three Final Fours. Miller, 42, has taken Xavier and now Arizona as far as the Elite Eight and he is Calhoun’s junior by 26 years.

UA coach Sean Miller is in the Elite Eight in only his second year at Arizona, which was unstable and investigated by the NCAA upon his arrival (US Presswire photo/Peter Aiken)

But in the last seven years, Miller’s record — despite transitioning from Xavier to an unstable Arizona program beset by NCAA restrictions on scholarships — is as impressive as Calhoun’s at UConn.

Calhoun’s record since the 2004-05 season (when Miller started his head coaching career with the Musketeers) is 172-65. Miller’s record in the same period: 166-69. Yes, Calhoun has coached UConn to two Elite Eights and a Final Four in that stretch, but he also has failed to make the NCAA tournament twice. Moreover, he is in hot water with the NCAA.

In February, Calhoun was cited by the NCAA for failing to create an atmosphere of compliance within his program and was suspended for the first three Big East games next season. The NCAA also hit UConn with scholarship reductions for three academic years, recruiting restrictions, permanent disassociation of a booster and three years’ probation.

If given a choice to coach your team now, who would you take? I’ll take the promise of Miller over the past and current success of Calhoun. Some will argue this point, but in my opinion, Miller is no less of a coach than Calhoun currently. Advantage: Miller.

OUTCOME

An advantage tally of our categories: Starting perimeter players — UConn with Kemba Walker. Starting frontcourt players — Arizona with Derrick Williams. Bench — Arizona because it goes 10 deep and guys like Jordin Mayes and Kevin Parrom are playing their best basketball. Coaching — Miller’s promise holds up against Calhoun’s past and current success. The way I view it, Arizona has what it takes to win, and that’s not counting what should be a partisan crowd at Anaheim’s Honda Arena. UConn is on a roll, winning eight consecutive games in the postseason. Arizona is similarly hot, winning seven of its last eight (its only loss a last-second shot by Washington’s Isaiah Thomas in overtime) and the Wildcats have the most impressive win in the NCAA Tournament, a 93-77 drubbing of No. 1 seed and defending national champion Duke. The Wildcats have me believing after I picked against them in the Texas and Duke games. Get ready for your heart to pump fast. Arizona 78, UConn 77.