Nic Wise finished his UA career hitting nearly 40 percent of his 3-point attempts/Photo by WildcatSportsReport.com

When Steve Rivera posed the Mustafa Shakur or Nic Wise question over a beverage or two Tuesday night, my first reaction was that I would have rather have Wise as the point guard of my team.

On second thought … well, I’m sticking with Wise.

(Make your vote at Rivera’s blog.)

Some of this just might be personal preference — I’m always going to identify with the short point guard — but I crunched a few numbers upon returning home, and I think the numbers favor Wise.

We know that neither of these guys is at the top of the list at the basketball program sometimes known as Point Guard U., but they were the best option at the position for much of the past seven seasons, with a one-year break when Jerryd Bayless was the lead dog in the backcourt.

The Wildcats leaned heavily on Shakur, who started 129 of his 131 games from the 2003-04 season to the 2006-07 season. Wise was a starter for the past 2 1/2 years, starting every game for the past two seasons.

Let’s break it down:

Wise was the better scorer, averaging 15.7 points as a junior and 14.4 this season. Shakur’s best scoring season came as a senior, when he averaged 11.9 points.

(I think those numbers are a bit misleading because Wise had no choice but to be a scorer in the past two years, given his supporting cast, while Shakur could defer to the likes of Salim Stoudamire, Channing Frye, Hassan Adams, Andre Iguodala and Marcus Williams, among others over the course of his career. Still, I’m not convinced Shakur could have handled a more important scoring role).

Mustafa Shakur started 129 games, the third most in UA history behind Jason Gardner (135) and Sean Elliott (133)/Tucson Citizen photo

Wise was the better 3-point shooter, hitting 160 of 405 attempts (39.5 percent).

Shakur, whose shooting form never appeared to improve through four seasons, actually had decreasing 3-point percentages — from 39.6 as a freshman to 37.8 to 33.3 to 32.5 Career accuracy: 35.4 (100 of 282).

Shakur played more total minutes (4,066 to 3,267), but Wise actually had more steals (167 to 156).

Shakur was the more creative passer but had only a modestly better assist-to-turnover ratio. He had 1.73 assists for every turnover. Wise’s ratio was 1.6.

Both were very good from the free throw line, but Wise has the edge. He hit 83.9 percent (329 of 392). Shakur made 78.6 percent (324 of 412).

I have to grant that Shakur, at least five inches taller, was the better rebounder.

And, there is no way of knowing, but what if Wise had been the point guard for the 2005 regional final game against Illinois? Could he have prevented Arizona’s late turnover-filled collapse?

In any case, in this debate, I’ll take my chances with Wise.

Speaking of Shakur, he was called up Tuesday from the NBA’s Development League, signing a 10-day contract with the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Derrick Williams

The Pac-10 released its all-conference teams Monday morning, with Arizona forward Derrick Williams earning Freshman of the Year honors, as well as one of 10 slots on the all-conference first team.

Arizona senior point guard Nic Wise was not on the original list released by the Pac-10, but he was indeed selected first-team all-league. (Insert personal gripe here: The league needs to agree to make some tough calls and have just a five-man first team, and then a second team and third team.)

Cal point guard Jerome Randle is the Pac-10 Player of the Year. Oregon State’s Seth Tarver is the Defensive Player of the Year. USC sophomore forward Nikola Vucevic is the Most Improved Player of the Year. Arizona State’s Herb Sendek is the Coach of the Year.

Williams is the sixth Arizona Wildcat to be the Pac-10 Freshman of the Year. He joins Sean Elliott (1986), Mike Bibby (1997), Michael Wright (1999), Salim Stoudamire (2002) and Chase Budinger (2007).

The voting is done by the league coaches, who are not allowed to vote for themselves or their players.

You can find the full list of Pac-10 awards at the official site, although beware that this page (at least as of right now) does not include Wise.

Nic Wise (right) and MoMo Jones celebrate after beating USC/Photo by WildcatSportsReport.com

OK, so let’s analyze Arizona in the Pac-10 tournament bracket. On second thought, let’s not.

Does it really matter?

Arizona plays UCLA on Thursday in the quarterfinals and faces a likely semifinal game with league champ Cal.

Good draw? Bad draw? Do you want to play a team you have defeated twice (like Arizona has done to UCLA)? Or would you have preferred to play a team that swept you in the regular season (like Oregon State).

Do you want see a zone defense or man-to-man?

Whatever. At this point, it’s all the same coin toss. Maybe you’d like to avoid the No. 1 seed before the championship game, but it’s not as if the Golden Bears have anybody in the Pac-10 shaking in the Nikes.

“It’s not about your opponent,” Arizona coach Sean Miller said.

“It’s about when you enter the court, are you really revved up to play, are you going to play with great effort, are you going to do the things that you worked on? Our defense will be much more about us winning than who we are playing? …

“There may be matchups that may be favorable, but a lot will depend on how that team is. Sometimes you catch a team at the right moment.”

Or not.

Who knows? In this season’s Pac-10, logic left the building a long time ago.

I’m not sure the other half of the bracket is any bargain. Washington has won four in a row overall and four in a row away from home after starting the season 0-6 on the road. Arizona State has won six of seven.

Unlike Cal (probably), both of those teams are in desperation mode, needing to add to their resume — or maybe just win the whole tournament — in order to the get the NCAAs.

“I can’t imagine a better setup for a conference tournament than the Pac-10,” Miller said. “There is going to be so much at stake. You are going to have a number of players and teams playing for the lives.”

FOUR COACHES IN FOUR YEARS, PART II
Much has been made about Arizona senior Nic Wise having four head coaches in four seasons. You know who might be the next player to have that dubious honor?

Ex-Wildcat Zane Johnson.

He was a freshman under Kevin O’Neill and played for Russ Pennell as a sophomore before transferring to Hawaii after last season. He redshirted this season for coach Bob Nash.

But the Warriors went 10-20 in Nash’s third season, finishing last in the nine-team WAC and missing out on the league tournament. Nash’s fate could be decided this week — he has one year left on his contract — and if Hawaii makes a change that will be four coaches in four years for Johnson.

Johnson, a shooting guard sitting out because of transfer rules, wasn’t able to do much with the team this season after undergoing offseason surgery to repair a patellar tendon.

ANOTHER REASON TO LIKE NIC WISE
There was a nice moment at the end of the Arizona-USC game that you probably saw on the telecast. Wise and freshman guard MoMo Jones embraced at mid-court for several seconds and you could tell they were talking in each other’s ear.

What were they saying?

“I was basically telling him that it is his turn now. I was handing over the keys to him,” Wise said.

“He’s the point guard of the future here. And he was telling me that he loves me for everything that I have done for him this year and vice-versa. We have a great relationship.”

Don’t give up those keys just yet, Nic. There’s still some driving to do.

JUST LIKE HIS PREDECESSORS …
My favorite moment of Arizona’s postgame press conference on Saturday? Arizona Daily Star beat writer Bruce Pascoe basically asked Miller what was the difference in junior forward Jamelle Horne, who had seven points and eight boards against UCLA and then 16 points and eight rebounds vs. USC.

Horne had been slumping for several weeks.

Miller’s answer, with a chuckle: “I’m not sure.”

Miller is now the third UA head coach who hasn’t quite been sure what to expect from Horne.

“I will say we’re going to stay with him and hope that he is really ready,” Miller said.

HERE’S A BIG MAN WHO COULD HAVE HELPED
It’s been hard to keep track of the comings and goings of Arizona recruits in the past few years, but here’s one that got away that Miller would have liked to have inherited: Greg Smith.

The center committed to Arizona for about a month in the summer of 2008 before deciding to stay closer to home and attend Fresno State. On Sunday, he was selected the WAC Freshman of the Year in a league that doesn’t often get such highly talented big men out of high school.

Smith averaged 11.8 points and 6.0 rebounds in the regular season, and while the WAC isn’t overflowing with quality big men, neither is the Pac-10, so maybe his numbers would have translated fairly well this season.

RANDOM NOTES
Miller said freshman forward Kevin Parrom, who has missed four games with a foot injury, could be ready for Arizona’s first game in the Pac-10 tournament. … In the 13 years of the Pac-10 tournament, including the initial stint from 1987 to 1990, only three teams have not been the No. 1 seed. They are Washington State, Arizona State and USC. … Arizona has played 14 games decided by six points or less. The Wildcats are 7-7 in those games. You win some, you lose some.

More coverage from the TucsonCitizen.com Sports Network:
WildAboutAZCats.com: UA swept by last-place team for first time in Pac-10 history
UASports.net: Streak or die
Derrick Williams selected Sporting News Freshman All-American

Kyle Fogg’s teammates wouldn’t even look at him. He was facing three free throws, down three points, with 0.2 seconds left in regulation.

In the last home of the regular season.

Against USC and former UA interim head coach Kevin O’Neill.

With a victory meaning a winning regular season and, at least, an excellent shot at the NIT if the Wildcats don’t run the table at the Pac-10 tournament.

No pressure, right?

“I was searching for help and they had their heads down,” Fogg said of his teammates.

Point guard Nic Wise, the team’s only senior, interrupted Fogg’s comments at the postgame news conference.

“We were praying for him,” Wise said.

Three free throws for the tie. Arizona coach Sean Miller, who remains one of the greatest free throw shooters in Big East history and, as legend has it, shot at least 100 free throws a day in high school for nearly three years, had some words of advice for his sophomore guard.

“I just honed in on him being a confident shooter,” Miller said.

“I tell you, that is the most pressure-packed situation you can have. When you basically have no time on the clock and you’re down two and you have to make them both … but to make three?

“I tell you, unless you have been there for that feeling, that one is the putt at The Masters from about 10 feet away. It’s not for everyone.”

Fogg said a couple of USC players tapped him as he prepared to shoot, trying to rattle him. Fogg bounced the first one off the front of the rim but it went in. The second one was a swish. So was the third one.

“The first one felt a little shaky,” Fogg said. “The second one was a little shaky, too, actually. The third one felt good, though.”

The game was tied 69, going into overtime … and then second overtime … and then Wise won the game with a driving scoop shot with 1.2 seconds left. Arizona 86, USC 84.

“I wish I could tell you that I’ve got ice water going through my veins, but, man, I was shaking,” Fogg said. “Especially because it was Nic’s last game at home, I didn’t want him to go out like that. I made the free throws and it’s a great feeling.”

While Arizona will celebrate that trio of free throws for years to come as fans remember Wise’s Senior Day, that sequence left O’Neill bitter after the game. Let’s just say he say the final play in regulation a little differently than the refs.

USC’s Nikola Vucevic was called for a foul on the arm as Fogg attempted his 3-point shot.

O’Neill was asked after the game about how he would rate that foul call.

“I’m going to let you rate it. Would you be pleased?” he said. “Everyone knows what happened there today,” O’Neill said. “It’s no secret. I’m gonna leave it at that.”

Fogg said he definitely thought he was fouled, but was surprised that the refs called it.

Said Miller: “I didn’t get a clear look at it. There was contact; there were a lot of bodies flying. Sometimes it is called, sometimes it isn’t.”

Fogg tied for the team high with 18 points, hitting 11 of 15 free throws for the game. In Thursday night’s victory against UCLA, he was a zone-killer, hitting 7 of 10 3-pointers on his way to a career-high 26 points and inspiring my new rallying cry: It’s not over until Kyle Fogg says it’s over.

Just like it was with 0.2 seconds left in regulation against USC.

More coverage from TucsonCitizen.com:
UA-USC game blog: Wise gives himself a happy ending

Now that I’ve had time to digest Arizona’s loss to Arizona State, catch up on my Olympic curling and have a couple of cups of coffee, here are five thoughts on UA basketball:

Derrick Williams was the lone UA player to speak to the media after the painful loss to Arizona State / Photo by Wildcat Sports Report

1. Don’t blame Sean Miller just because he sat at the table when the bill was due.

Players leaving early, lost recruiting classes, two years of interim head coaches, all kinds of off-court drama, four systems in four seasons … none of this is Miller’s fault.

Amid all the uncertainty, Arizona duct-taped together NCAA Tournament seasons in each of the past two years, thanks to NBA talents such as Jerryd Bayless, Jordan Hill and Chase Budinger.

Miller has a down-the-road NBA prospect in freshman Derrick Williams, who has to play out of position right now at center.

Take a look at an 18-year span of Arizona hoops, from 1987-88 to 2004-05. Amazingly, the Wildcats were no worse than a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament in all but two of those seasons.

Could Nic Wise have started for any of those teams? No.

Kyle Fogg? Definitely not.

Kevin Parrom? He’d probably be redshirting.

Jamelle Horne? He’d be a Gumby.

Derrick Williams? Yeah, he might have started for a few of those teams, but he mostly would have had to get behind a veteran in the frontcourt rotation.

Point is, let’s not kid ourselves about the talent Miller inherited.

2. Miller’s media policy needs tweaking.

Miller is definitely a “control the message” kind of coach, allowing no regular one-on-one interviews, very limited access to assistant coaches, no open locker room … with nearly everything funneled through those face-the-cameras news conferences that don’t inspire in-depth discussions.

I know, I know. This will come across as a media whine. But when only Williams, a freshman, is made available after Sunday’s loss to Arizona State, the real losers are the fans who might be interested in a range of emotions and explanations.

As it is now, pretty much everybody — from the Arizona Daily Star, to the TucsonCitizen.com Sports Network, to the local TV stations, to the websites — has the same audio and video in the same antiseptic environment.

Miller doesn’t have to open the locker room (although Lute Olson did for much of his time at Arizona, other than when he was mad at the media), but he also doesn’t have to insist on the press conference setting, either.

As was the case for years, several players could be made available on the court or in a room in McKale during weekly interview times, allowing for less-informal — and better — discussions.

In those cases, as a media member, you could work on stories or angles that didn’t have to be shared with all your competitors. And the fans received cumulative deeper coverage to help satisfy their passion.

3. I can’t hate Nic Wise.

He’s not the ultimate leader or the ultimate point guard. He’s not headed to the NBA.

In the past three seasons, he’s had to play minutes far above his skill level, and he hasn’t always made the play. But he’s certainly not afraid to take a big shot. He’s made a few of them, too.

Bottom line: The season would have been disaster without him.

4. Let’s put Arizona’s chances in the Pac-10 tournament at 14.3 percent.

I’m still bullish on UA’s ability to pull it all together and get hot in the Pac-10 tournament, where a championship would earn a ticket to the NCAAs.

Let’s break it down. USC is out because of self-imposed sanctions. Oregon isn’t good enough to compete. I don’t like Stanford’s depth or its road record.

That leaves seven teams of fairly equal ability, with the capacity to get hot or to really stink. Let’s give them equal 1-in-7 chances … or 14.3 percent.

5. It will once again be an Arizona-UCLA league.

Miller is lucky in this sense: He came into the Pac-10 not having to chase any program.

He doesn’t have to play catch-up on the court or on the recruiting trail to a UCLA program in the midst of three consecutive Final Four appearances. The Bruins have struggled right along with the Wildcats this season.

Arizona State should be more-than-solid for years to come, although the program has a lower ceiling than UCLA or Arizona. Washington hasn’t shown staying power. Cal might win its first Pac-10 title in 50 years, but will lose four seniors.

Other teams will rise and fall, but only UCLA and Arizona have dynasty potential. And they will go into next season neck-and-neck in the race to get back to the top.

Sean Miller shows his intensity during last weekend's game at Arizona State/Photo by Nick Oza, The Arizona Republic

Arizona is beginning to look more and more like Sean Miller‘s Xavier teams.

There is the defense. None of Miller’s five Xavier teams allowed teams to shoot better than 43.3 percent in a season. Arizona is at 43.0 percent this season.

There is the rebounding. Arizona is basically breaking even on the boards for the season, but is at plus-5 per game through eight conference contests. That’s more like it. Miller’s Xavier teams out-rebounded their opponents by more than four per game over five seasons.

There is the toughness, which the Wildcats showed in last weekend’s victory at Arizona State, exemplified best by freshman forward Kevin Parrom … or, as Javier Morales of our sports partner WildAboutAZCats.com calls him, “Scare ‘Em Parrom.”

And, ultimately, there is the winning.

Arizona has won three games in a row for the first time this season, emerging from a Pac-10 free-for-all to be alone in second place after Thursday night’s 76-68 victory over Stanford.

The Cats won despite a rec-game shooting performance, hitting 21 of 64 for 32.8 percent. It’s not like UA was jacking up poor shots; the shots — even a couple of dunk attempts — just weren’t falling.

That’s going to happen from time to time, but hustle and defense and rebounding should never go into a slump. And that’s why Arizona won. The Wildcats had 19 offensive rebounds leading to 20 second-chance points, and they had nine steals that contributed to Stanford’s 18 turnovers.

“If you’re a good defensive team and a good rebounding team, you have a chance to do it,” Miller said of winning when shooting such a low percentage. “The odds are against you. … But we’re making progress on defense and it really helped us tonight.”

He said it
“That’s just effort. They came at us hard in that aspect of the game. I hate to say it, but they wanted it more than we did.” — Stanford forward Landry Fields, on Arizona’s 19 offensive rebounds.

More-than-fair foul shooters
Derrick Williams, Kyle Fogg and Nic Wise have combined to take nearly 80 percent of Arizona’s free throws in Pac-10 play, which helps explain why Arizona is making nearly 80 percent of its attempts in Pac-10 play.

Or something like that.

In any case, if you had to send three guys to line, those would be the three. In Pac-10 games:

–Wise is hitting 84.9 percent (45 of 53).
–Fogg is making 82.6 percent (38 of 46).
–Williams is hitting 81.3 percent (52 of 64).

That’s just more of the same for Wise. Fogg’s increased attempts come from a recent epiphany — Hey, I can dribble the ball into the lane! Williams’ free throw shooting — shaky earlier in the season — helps explain why he has scored at least 20 points in four consecutive games.

Overall, Arizona is hitting 79.5 percent of its free throws in Pac-10 play, way ahead of second-place Arizona State (74.7 percent) in that category. UCLA is last at 61.7 percent.

He said it, Part II
“I can’t imagine nationally there are many forwards better than him. I don’t think he gets nearly the respect he deserves.” — Arizona coach Sean Miller, on Stanford’s Landry Fields, who scored 31 points.

Look … over there in the corner … it’s B-Lav
Arizona had a cold shooting night against Stanford but it did heat up for a couple of key runs, including a stretch late in the first half when it took the lead for good.

The Wildcats got 12 points out of four consecutive possessions — beginning with a 3-pointer by Jamelle Horne and ending with a traditional three-point play from Williams. In between, were two 3-pointers from Brendon Lavender.

Miller keeps saying that Lavender has been the team’s best 3-point shooter in practice, but you couldn’t tell from games, as the sophomore guard was 10 of 40 from behind the arc heading into Thursday night’s game. Lavender has been making his coach look like a liar for most of 20 games.

“Sometimes you hit a couple in a game and it really takes the pressure off of you,” Miller said. “It was great to see him make a couple. He helped us by doing that.”

What has helped Arizona was the addition of Parrom to the rotation 10 games ago. His emergence after a stress fracture injury has helped Miller more clearly define roles.

That has meant a significant reduction in minutes for Lavender. He averaged 25.6 minutes in non-conference games, but is playing just 10.8 minutes through eight Pac-10 games.

That is more in fitting with his ability … and if he can start hitting shots, then those can be 10 or 11 really good minutes for the Wildcats.

Battle for first place
Arizona will move into a tie for first place in the Pac-10 on Sunday if it knocks off Cal, which is 6-2 in the league after beating Arizona State on Thursday.

The Bears won in Tucson last season for the first time since 1995, getting a huge game out of point guard Jerome Randle, who scored 31 points and hit 8 of 11 3-point shots. He came out of a shooting slump Thursday by scoring 25 points against the Sun Devils.

“You just have to try your best to slow him down,” Fogg said. “He’s one of the quickest players in the country and he can shoot from anywhere, so it’s tough to guard him.”

Anthony Gimino | Sean Miller says Arizona’s defense is terrible

Final, Washington State 78-76. Arizona’s Solomon Hill ties the game on a tip-in off a Nic Wise miss, but Washington State still had about 10 seconds left to set something up. DeAngelo Casto ended up with the ball in the lane and he twisted up a bucket that fell through with 0.1 seconds left.

Be back with more after postgame interviews. …

* * *

27.5 seconds left: Kevin Parrom’s first 3-pointer of the season brings Arizona within 75-74 with 32.4 seconds left, and now WSU freshman Reggie Moore is at the line.

* * *

2:56 left, Washington State leads 71-66: The Cats are in danger of squandering a road win at UCLA by turning around and losing at home to a Cougars team that, like Arizona, seems like a middle-of-the-Pac-10 team. Of course, even the good teams in the league looked like middle-of-the-road timber. In any case, losing a home game to WSU would be giving one away.

* * *

5:15 timeout, Washington State leads 67-62: Kyle Fogg hits two free throws for Arizona with 5:17 left … and then two seconds inexplicably run off the clock before a timeout is called or the ball is put into play. After the timeout, the refs gather and, for some reason, put ONE second back on the clock.

* * *

5:48 left, Washington State leads 67-60: WSU freshman point guard Reggie Moore takes UA senior Nic Wise to school with a one-on-one move, going to his left and muscling up for a layup and a foul. Moore converts the free throw for a seven-point lead.

* * *

6:48 left: Derrick Williams fouls out as he called for a charge as he tried to back down a defender and make a post move. The call had UA coach Sean Miller yapping the entire time as he paced to the baseline and back to the edge of the coach’s box. The crowd is still booing as there is a timeout now with 6:24 left.

* * *

7:56 timeout, Washington State leads 62-58: Klay Thompson drives to the hoop past Solomon Hill for a basket and the foul (free throw to come after the timeout). Hill isn’t quick enough to stay with Thompson and hasn’t see a lot of time guarding him tonight. Also for WSU, point guard Reggie Moore — likely the prime competition to Arizona’s Derrick Williams for Pac-10 Freshman of the Year — has 16 points. Thompson misses the free throw and stays at 17 points for the game.

* * *

9:37 timeout, Washington State leads 56-54: The momentum has shifted toward the Cougars, and the Wildcats are having a hard time competing on the glass, especially on the defensive end. WSU post DeAngelo Casto has 12 points and nine rebounds, and Arizona’s Derrick Williams is in foul trouble. WSU leads 31-18 on the boards.

* * *

10:36 to go: Arizona post player Derrick Williams picks up his fourth foul. That will mean Kyryl Natyazhko will have to play key minutes here. He played well in the first half and comes off the bench right now with two points and five rebounds.

* * *

11:56 timeout, Game tied at 48: Looks like this one is headed toward a Nic Wise buzzer-beater. Part of what has hurt Arizona so far is 5 of 10 shooting from the free throw line. Meanwhile, Washington State has 13 turnovers. (Make that 6 of 12 from the line as Kyle Fogg splits a pair after the timeout.)

* * *

15:17 timeout, Arizona leads 46-40: One of the things we’re seeing every game now is the development of freshman wing Kevin Parrom, who missed the first 10 games with a foot injury. As one of the rotating crew of defenders, he has been playing good defense on Washington State’s Klay Thompson and in one recent stretch he hit a jumper from the left corner and then, after a steal, finished with a fast-break dunk for a 46-40 lead. That second score earned major hand-clapping from coach Sean Miller and brought the McKale Center crowd to its feet.

* * *

Halftime, Washington State 35, Arizona 35: Gee, a Pac-10 game that might go down to the wire. Who knew? The league is so even (read: bad) that most every game Arizona plays figures to be decided in the final two minutes. This one is headed that way, although the Wildcats have done a decent job on sophomore guard Klay Thompson, who somehow has 11 points, despite not having many open looks at the basket. Thompson is 4 of 7 from the field and 2 of 2 from behind the arc.

Kyle Fogg answered a Thompson 3-pointer with a one at the halftime buzzer to finish with a team-high 10 points in the half.

* * *

4:23 timeout, Arizona leads 27-25: Just call him the Pac-10 Freshman of the Year. Arizona post Derrick Williams added to his personal highlight reel with a soaring one-handed rebound and dunk off a Kyle Fogg 3-point miss to tie the game at 25. Then, he gave the Wildcats the lead when he took a pass from MoMo Jones and drove from the right angle for another jam. WSU coach Ken Bone had seen enough, calling timeout as his team trailed for the first time.

* * *

7:30 timeout, Washington State leads 24-16: Nic Wise, scoreless for more than 10 minutes, hit a 3-pointer and another basket for five points. His scoring has been off for three games — single digits and 23 total points — which is OK if guys like Jamelle Horne and Kyle Fogg are stepping up their scoring. But that is not something you can count on in every game. On the bright side, Arizona has hit five of its past seven shots. On the negative side, WSU leads the rebounding battle 11-4.

* * *

10:39 timeout, Washington State leads 16-8: Arizona switched to freshman wing Kevin Parrom, and then guard Brandon Lavender, on Klay Thompson, who still has only one made basket and two shot attempts. But the Cougars are proving to be more than a one-man team … and Arizona fell behind because of some chilly shooting. The Wildcats were 2 of 10 from the field before a Jamelle Horne dunk and a MoMo Jones fastbreak layup made it 13-8 and forced WSU coach Ken Bone to call timeout.

* * *

15:32 timeout, Washington State leads 7-4: Arizona starts the game with junior forward Jamelle Horne guarding Washington State’s shooting ace Klay Thompson, who is averaging 24.3 points per game. Arizona coach Sean Miller said earlier in the week that he figures to rotate at least a few players on Thompson.

Horne, through the first TV timeout, has limited Thompson to one shot … although that one shot was a 3-pointer. On that play, the Cougars rotated the ball inside-out, and Thompson got a good look as Horne was too far in the paint to come back and recover.

If Horne stays on Thompson and is more on the perimeter on defense, it will be important for other Wildcats to help with the defensive rebounding.

Kyle Fogg's drives to the basket eases the scoring load on point guard Nic Wise/Wildcat Sports Report

Arizona junior forward Jamelle Horne made 18 3-point shots in his first two seasons at Arizona, spanning 1,403 minutes. He shot 26.1 percent from behind the arc.

This season, he has made 25 shots from behind the arc in 14 games, spanning 402 minutes.

“It’s getting hectic in practice with him hitting all those open shots,” freshman wing Solomon Hill said Tuesday in a gathering with reporters.

“It’s really paying off in games, especially the UCLA game. They really didn’t get at him like he was a big-time shooter, and it really opened up a lot for everybody else.”

Horne did hit 4 of 8 3-point shots in Saturday’s 77-63 victory at UCLA, and he was 3-for-6 a game earlier against USC, so that was a hot-shooting road trip for Horne.

He isn’t what you would call a pure shooter, and you can’t mention the word consistency with his scoring output, but Horne is dropping his 3-point rainbows into the basket at a rate of 42.4 percent (25 of 59), which ranks 10th in the Pac-10. Not bad.

He also is fifth in rebounding at 7.5 per game, making him the only player in the conference to be in the top 10 in rebounding and 3-point percentage.

Teams have to somewhat respect his prowess from behind the arc … or else he’ll just keep shooting and making a nice percentage.

“With Jamelle hitting as many shots as he did … it’s kind of opening the floor,” Hill said of the UCLA game. “We were really moving the ball, and it opened up a lot for (Kyle) Fogg, and he was really aggressive.”

Fogg’s drives to the basket helped him earn a career-high 25 points against the Bruins, as Arizona won comfortably, despite a mere eight points from point guard Nic Wise.

“If Nic doesn’t have to score in double digits and we’re beating teams by that margin, I think that’s great. I think that’s the best thing that could happen to us,” Hill said.

“What happens when we’re playing that way and Nic hits a couple of threes and gets a couple of drives and gets to the free throw line? It’s a big sigh of relief. It takes a little off Nic. He doesn’t have to work as hard and get as tired. …

“If I was Nic, I would feel good about it — that my team is out there performing and we’re playing the way we’re supposed to. Nic should know that if there are certain games where he can take over, then he should take over. But games like that where we can all get a little bit is good.”

A 20TH VICTORY?
Although some media reports have said that USC will forfeit its victories from the 2007-08 season because of NCAA rules violations regarding the recruitment of O.J. Mayo, the wording from the official press release said that those wins would be “vacated.”

Big difference.

A forfeit changes the result, which means USC’s one victory over Arizona that season would end up being a win for the Wildcats. That would give UA a 20th victory and extend its streak of at least 20 victories to 22 seasons.

However, “vacating” the victories means that the Trojans just don’t count them, although it doesn’t change the on-court result. If that makes sense.

Richard Paige of the UA sports information office said he hadn’t checked with the NCAA to see what the official ruling is, but he wasn’t expecting Arizona to pick up that 20th victory.

Regarding the mess at USC, UA freshmen Derrick Williams and MoMo Jones switched their commitments from the Trojans after coach Tim Floyd resigned amid the beginning of this investigation. Hill already had decided to switch to the Cats following the hiring of Sean Miller.

The only freshman in the original class who stayed at USC was Evan Smith.

The Trojans’ self-imposed penalties included a postseason ban after this season.

“Evan, we’re close to him,” Williams said. “I kind of feel bad for him, but there is nothing you can do about it now.”

Garland Judkins, seen here in the 2008 Red-Blue Game, isn't expected back in an Arizona uniform/Tucson Citizen photo

YET ANOTHER TRANSFER
Miller said on Tuesday’s Pac-10 coaches conference call with reporters that there was nothing definite about the departure of sophomore guard Garland Judkins, but other reports, including a late afternoon report from the Arizona Daily Star’s Bruce Pascoe, pretty much nailed down the transfer.

Expect Miller to have more to say about it Wednesday afternoon when he meets with the local media in his weekly news conference.

Judkins’ transfer, given his lack of playing time now and in the foreseeable future, is no surprise. He had no role in the program. Besides, transfers out of the program are to be expected at Arizona.

Sixteen Wildcats have transferred, either at mid-season or at the end of the season, in the past dozen years Here they are:

• Garland Judkins (2009)
• Zane Johnson (2009) Hawaii
• Jeff Withey (2008) Kansas
• Mohamed Tangara (2008) Chaminade
• Laval Lucas-Perry (2007) Michigan
• J.P. Prince (2006) Tennessee
• Jesus Verdejo (2005) South Florida
• Dennis Latimore (2003) Notre Dame
• Will Bynum (2003) Georgia Tech
• Andrew Zahn (2002) Biola (Calif.)
• Travis Hanour (2001) San Diego State
• Luke Recker (2000) Iowa
• Robertas Javtokas (2000) Lithuania
• Traves Wilson (1999) Illinois State
• Ruben Douglas (1999) New Mexico
• Quynn Tebbs (1998) Weber State

Arizona point guard Nic Wise wishes you Happy Holidays.

‘Twas the night before Christmas Eve when Wise arose such a clatter that the Arizona Wildcats’ recent struggles hardly seem to matter.

OK, I’ll (mostly) stop with the Christmas theme right here … other than to say that Wise has been delivering better than dear ol’ Santa himself.

Wise had it the whole way Wednesday night, going on a coast-to-coast dash, through and around defenders, for a layup with 0.9 seconds left in a 76-74 win against North Carolina State.

“Coach is telling us to not let Wise bail us out, but he is,” said junior forward Jamelle Horne. “We’re not going to have any arguments with that.”

Wise has been spreading holiday cheer with back-to-back buzzer-beaters. He did it Monday night against Lipscomb with a 3-point shot released with 0.1 seconds left in overtime. Wednesday night, he had nine-tenths of a tick left to spare.

No sweat.

“I believe in Nic a lot, and I think he knows that,” said UA coach Sean Miller.

“If there is one I thing I probably have done a good job of, it’s making him know I completely trust and believe in him. He’s really good at the end of games because of his experience and ability. He has a big heart. You can really sense that when he’s out there.

“Watching what he did in back-to-back games … there have been some really good players who have great college careers who have never made one play like that, let alone win two games in a row like he’s done.”

Count N.C. State coach Sidney Lowe, a former NBA player, among that group.

“I’m just impressed with his ability to control the game and run the show. In that sense, he does remind me a little bit of me back in my day,” Lowe said.

“But he might have a little more asphalt, a little more street in him. He makes some plays I couldn’t do, like that shot in the end.”

What does it all mean for the Cats? Well, they’re now 6-5, which isn’t great, but it sure beats the alternative of losing to Lipscomb and/or losing to North Carolina State after leading by eight in the final minute.

And the Wolfpack didn’t even have its leading scorer, post player Tracy Smith, who was serving a one-game suspension.

It’s not that the last two games have been great wins. It’s that they haven’t been bad losses.

Wise’s two plays don’t change the fundamentals of the team — that it needs a more complete effort on defense and could stand to box out better on the defensive glass — but the two plays mean the world in terms of confidence.

And that could mean a lot down the road.

In the short term, it means that all UA hoopheads can spend the holiday break without grousing and grinching about the state of Arizona basketball over the family dinner.

As for that confidence, the Wildcats get to emotionally move on to the next game — at home against BYU on Monday — and then take on the Pac-10, where anything might happen. In the world of Pac-10 basketball — where most teams are like Arizona this season: young and flawed — get ready for more endings just like this.

Probably double-digit endings just like this.

“Even though some might say it was a lucky shot,” Wise said of his game-winner against Lipscomb, “that win gave our team that much more confidence coming into this game.

“At shoot-around this morning, we could feel the buzz in the arena. Even though nobody was there — it was just us — you could tell guys were anxious to get this win right before Christmas.”

And so they did.

With another late game miracle, courtesy of St. Nic.

More coverage from TucsonCitizen.com:
Steve Rivera: Horne plays, provides spark for Wildcats
UA-North Carolina State game blog

Just another thriller at McKale Center. Because of when you think of Arizona-Lipscomb basketball, you think thriller. That’s just the way it is.

It is, on one level, a great ending, a great story. The Wildcats win on a 3-pointer released with one-tenth of a second (or less) left. The stuff dreams of made of.

But out of all the wonderful things you’ve seen at McKale Center, watching the Wildcats pour off the bench in celebration to mob game-winning shooter Nic Wise to beat Lipscomb in overtime shouldn’t be one of them.

Lipscomb, folks.

“Tonight was a reflection of trying to hang in there under some very difficult circumstances,” first-year UA coach Sean Miller said after Monday night’s 83-82 victory. “We’re not a very good team.”

He did add: “We’re working hard day to be better.”

OK. That’s something.

Still, the truth is, Lipscomb, a preseason co-favorite in the Atlantic Sun Conference, has a better chance of being in the NCAA Tournament than Arizona.

And that’s just kind of sad.

Through 10 games of the nonconference season, it is obvious that 5-5 Arizona does not have, will not have, an NCAA Tournament resume. The postseason door is open just a crack because the young Wildcats, if they can get everyone healthy (Jamelle Horne, Kevin Parrom), figure to have a reasonable chance of playing their best ball in March for the Pac-10 Tournament.

The league is so bad that maybe the Cats could get hot at the right time, run the table in Los Angeles and earn the league’s automatic berth to the NCAAs. If you’re clinging to hope, that’s it.

Miller has been saying since the day he arrived in spring that he was fully anticipating growing pains. He didn’t sell anybody on the promise of a 26th consecutive NCAA Tournament for the Wildcats.

What might have been interpreted as sandbagging can now be interpreted as truth.

TucsonCitizen.com’s Steve Rivera asked Miller after the game how much his team practiced late-game situations.

“We do,” he said, “but, like everything, we’re so far away from being good at it.”

Besides, he said, Arizona isn’t advanced enough to be working on special situations. It is still trying to get a grip on the most basic of fundamentals.

“If we didn’t win the game tonight, one of the things that is overwhelming that you would ask yourself is, ‘Why do they keep running around us like we’re not there?’” Miller said.

“I mean, I’ve been in 18 seasons as a coach, this is my sixth as the head coach … I don’t know if I have ever seen a team that has a harder time rebounding a miss. One of the reasons that the game went into overtime is they had a couple of loose-ball plays.

“I just really feel like I could put my suit on and get on the floor and get that ball. It’s not that hard. The ball’s there, you gotta dive on it. The shot goes up, you have to block out. Running fast, playing with great effort is really hard for our team. We’re just going to keep working on that.”

Horne, out with a foot injury (perhaps for more than a month), is the team’s best rebounder. Without him, the Wildcats were out-rebounded 37-31.

Lipscomb had 36 points in the paint and 18 second-chance points. Arizona had 22 and eight.

“When one player goes down,” Miller said, “it can really change what you do.”

That’s the fragile state of Arizona basketball. The Wildcats are young. They have no scorers to bring off the bench. Not terribly deep right now. Not overly skilled on offense. Still learning Miller’s man-to-man scheme on defense.

Many of the young players are learning how to deal with basketball adversity for the first time.

Add it up: No margin of error.

Well, very little margin of error — about one-tenth of a second at home against a small private college from Nashville.

“We just have a long way to go,” Miller said.

Yep. How do you feel about the NIT?