Grant Jerrett dunks for two points vs. Ohio State in the NCAA Tournament. Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

The NBA draft lottery was held Tuesday night, spawning a fresh round of mock drafts.

Arizona wing Solomon Hill and power forward Grant Jerrett just got done participating in last week’s NBA Draft combine, so scouts and media were able to get a good look at each and further evaluate their skills.

Hill, all along, has been considered second-round material, and the new mock drafts reflect a holding pattern.

Jeff Goodman of CBSSports.com moved Hill up four spots to No. 52, going to Minnesota. Wrote Goodman: “Big-time athlete who could become a defensive stopper. Has really improved his perimeter shot.”

DraftExpress.com pegs Hill at No. 56 to Detroit.

It’s with Jerrett that things are more up in the air. His curious decision to leave after his freshman season had some wondering if he would be drafted at all.

(more…)

Mark Lyons goes up for two points in the second half against Ohio State. Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

LOS ANGELES — The Arizona Wildcats’ final game was classic Mark Lyons.

The senior point guard did not have an assist but he scored 23 points to cap a superb NCAA Tournament in which he made 26 of 44 shots and poured in 73 points in three games. He has three turnovers in the Thursday loss to Ohio State in the Sweet 16 — not bad against the Buckeyes’ defense.

This was Lyons’ third time playing in the Sweet 16, the first two coming at Xavier before he transferred to Arizona this season as a graduate student. He also was part of a Xavier team that reached the Sweet 16 while he redshirted as a freshman while academically ineligible.

“The only thing I regret is not getting past the Sweet 16 because I’ve been here so many times and I just feel like I can’t get over that hump,” he said.

“I played with a great bunch of guys this whole year who had a lot of faith in me, and I’m just happy they accepted me to come into their program and try to help them win.”

Lyons averaged a team-high 15.6 points per game this season.

“I don’t know if he’ll ever play in anyone’s NBA,” said UA assistant coach Book Richardson. “But I do know as talented as he is, he’ll have an opportunity to take care of himself in basketball.”

ONE MORE SWEET 16
Senior Solomon Hill has become quite familiar with the intro video at McKale Center in which former Arizona Wildcats tout the accomplishments of the program.

The video will have to be updated before next season to include the phrase “15 Sweet Sixteens” … and perhaps Hill is the man to deliver those words. He just wishes he didn’t have to speak before Derrick Williams utters “nine Elite Eights.”

Said Hill: “Yeah, that would be cool, but in the back of my mind there’s Derrick and trying to get the Final Four one after him, or possible getting that Elite Eight one, getting in a position where it’s our time to say it. That would have been pretty cool. You never want to be anything less than that.

“You talk about being on the video after Derrick, that’s greatness. But we have to settle for a Sweet 16.”

HE SAID IT
“That was about as high-powered a college basketball game as I’ve been a part of. You look at the plays the Arizona players made, the plays that the Buckeyes made. They’re up 11, we get up 10. Just a battle.” — Ohio State coach Thad Matta

IN A RHYTHM
Before LaQuinton Ross made his game-winning 3-point shot, he was 5 of 5 from the free throw line. “When you make your free throws, you’re in rhythm,” said Arizona senior Solomon Hill. “I think that’s what he was in that rhythm to knock down a three.”

TERRIFIC THOMAS
Forward Deshaun Thomas led Ohio state with 20 points, making 7 of 14 shots from the field, including 3 of 6 from 3-point range. He was, as expected, the most gifted offensive player on the court, looking like the All-American he is.

“He’s a natural scorer,” said Hill, who drew the primary defensive assignment. “He doesn’t need to dribble the ball to score.”

HI, LUTE!
The Arizona pep band dusted off an old tradition, yelling, “Hi, Lute!” as former Arizona head coach Lute Olson made his way to his seats about a dozen rows up opposite the teams’ benches. Olson responded to the band’s waves.

To the fans thank you, to my teammates and especially to my seniors, thank you for everything, I couldn’t of asked for a better year

— Grant Jerrett (@grant_jerrett) March 29, 2013

LaQuinton Ross hits the game-winning shot. Photo by Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports

LOS ANGELES — This is the way it ends. This is the way it always ends when you’re not cutting down the nets. In a quiet locker room, elbows on your knees, hands on your head, eyes becoming red.

The end hit the Arizona Wildcats suddenly on Thursday night, with a 3-point shot like a dagger from Ohio State’s LaQuinton Ross with 2.1 seconds left. From 11 points up, to 10 points down, to a tie game on the final possession … to heartbreak.

And so Grant Jerrett sat in the Los Angeles Kings locker room at Staples Center, white towel covering his face, hands on his head, struck by the finality of a 73-70 loss to Ohio State in the Sweet 16. Fellow freshman post player Kaleb Tarczewski spoke to Jerrett’s right. The team’s other freshman post, Brandon Ashley, conducted interviews to his left.

For nearly 20 minutes, Jerrett barely moved. How many times he must have replayed the final, fateful play.

“No one died,” he said, when he finally lifted the towel and spoke to reporters for a couple of minutes, “but when you play basketball and you really love it, it hurts a lot.”

(more…)

Sean Miller has cause to tout the Pac-12. Photo by Harry How/Getty Images

SALT LAKE CITY — The Pac-12 can take a bow on the opening day of the NCAA Tournament.

The league, generally thought to be under-seeded in the tourney, went 3-0 on Thursday. Oregon, egregiously seeded at No. 12, upset No. 5 Oklahoma State. Cal, another 12 seed, knocked off No. 5 UNLV.

And the Wildcats took care of business with their win over 11th-seeded Belmont.

“It’s a statement that all of us who coach in the league were hoping that we could make,” Arizona coach Sean Miller said. “You get respect by what you do in this tournament.

“I know as a coach how hard that 18 game schedule was. You’re playing against terrific players, some incredible coaches, and teams that can win. And I believe we have the ability as a conference to continue to win here in March.”

(more…)

Solomon Hill answers a question at a press conference Wednesday afternoon in Salt Lake City. Photo by Steve Dykes-USA TODAY Sports

SALT LAKE CITY — President Barack Obama filled out his NCAA Tournament bracket on ESPN for the fifth consecutive season, and one of his early upset picks is Belmont over Arizona.

“They’re small,” Obama said of the Bruins, “but they shoot lights out.”

The general response of Arizona’s players: Whatever.

“He’s lost Arizona in the last two elections, so he probably has it out for us a little,” said senior Solomon Hill. “It really doesn’t matter to me.”

Belmont has been a trendy upset pick, so if that serves as an iota of extra motivation, so be it.

Guard Nick Johnson, asked if he cared about the president’s pick, said: “Can’t say that I do. I definitely would have liked him to pick us, but we just have to go out there and play our game and prove him wrong.”

Sixth-seeded Arizona plays No. 11 seed Belmont in the NCAA Tournament on Thursday at 4:20 p.m. Tucson time.

Obama picked Florida, Indiana, Louisville, and Ohio State to make his Final Four, with Indiana winning it all.

Last season, he tabbed North Carolina as the champ, but the Tar Heels lost in a regional final.

“I don’t think his bracket has really worked out for him,” Hill said.

Solomon Hill has struggled with his 3-point shot in the past 10 games. Photo by Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Arizona plays Belmont in the NCAA Tournament on Thursday — a game that shows up on many “upset watch” lists — and here are 20 numbers to help get you ready:

0 — All-time victories, in five tries, in the NCAA Tournament for Belmont.

0.7 — Percent chance of the Arizona Wildcats winning the NCAA championship, as determined by Nate Silver at his blog on the New York Times website. So you’re telling me there’s a chance.

1 — Number of eligible players for Belmont taller than 6-7 (and 6-11 Chad Lang barely plays). Arizona has four players taller than 6-7 and could — should — come away with a double-digit rebounding edge. “We have a great chance against them, especially with our height and our ability to rebound the ball,” said Arizona senior Solomon Hill.

3 – Former Arizona players in the NCAA Tournament: Iona senior guard Momo Jones, Kansas senior center Jeff Withey and Colorado State sophomore guard Daniel Bejarano.

4 — Losses in five tries when Arizona plays on March 21, the date of its NCAA tourney opener against Belmont.

(more…)

Solomon Hill is one of the Pac-12′s top all-around players. Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images

Arizona seniors Solomon Hill and Mark Lyons were selected first-team All-Pac-12 in a vote of league coaches, the conference announced Monday.

Ten players are selected to the first team; five to a second team.

Arizona sophomore guard Nick Johnson earned honorable mention honors to the all-defensive team. Center Kaleb Tarczewski was honorable mention to the all-freshman team.

Lyons is averaging a team-high 14.9 points and 2.97 assists per game.

Hill, earning a first-team nod for the second consecutive season, is averaging 13.6 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game. He’s the Cats’ second-leading 3-point shooter, making 38.4 percent (48 of 125).

Here is a look at the Pac-12 postseason awards:

(more…)

Nick Johnson scored all 12 of his points in the second half. Photo by Casey Sapio-USA TODAY Sports

This was the team that beat Florida, that beat Miami, that beat San Diego State, that was ranked as high as No. 3 in the nation.

The Arizona Wildcats, after a sleepy opening 12 minutes, ran Washington out of McKale Center on Wednesday night, winning 70-52 and showing all the pieces that can make them dangerous in March.

The 3-point defense wasn’t “pathetic” — which is the word coach Sean Miller repeatedly used Tuesday in describing his team’s recent effort in that area.

The Cats didn’t back-slide in the second half, another Miller criticism.

They were physical, out-rebounding Washington by six.

They got scoring punch and balance from several players.

They didn’t have to deal with any drama … and, man, was that nice.

“It was a fun game,” said senior forward Solomon Hill, who led Arizona with 19 points, 14 of which came in the first half. “One thing we talked about before the game was to have fun. I think we had gotten away from that.”

(more…)

Sean Miller is especially questioning his team’s defense of late. Photo by Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Arizona Wildcats coach Sean Miller isn’t one to panic. At least publicly.

His summation Thursday night of the state of the team — “20-4,” he said succinctly — serves both as an affirmation of Arizona’s success and as a shield to criticism.

Hard to argue with the record, right?

But this hardly seems like a time to be yelling, “Scoreboard!”

The ninth-ranked Wildcats have lost two in a row — at home to Cal and Thursday night’s game at Colorado, 71-58 — and haven’t looked good in the process.

The Bears outscored Arizona 17-2 at the start of the second half and led by double digits.

The Buffs outscored UA 20-4 during a 9 minute, 41 second stretch that spanned halftime and led by as many as 15.

“We played hard,” Miller said in his postgame press conference Thursday. “It wasn’t as if I was yelling at our guys to play harder.”

(more…)

Allen Crabbe hit 12 of 15 shots in the best offensive performance against Arizona this season. Photo by Casey Sapio-USA TODAY Sports

Allen Crabbe’s last basket was like most of his other 29 points: A thing of beauty.

With Arizona having climbed back within 71-69 on a 3-point shot by Mark Lyons with 2:02 to go, McKale Center rocking, eager to see another comeback from the Cardiac Cats, Crabbe answered with the play of the game.

He had the ball near the top of the key, and dribbled right. Arizona’s Solomon Hill was erased on a screen, leaving the defensive assignment to 6-10 freshman Grant Jerrett. Crabbe took the ball to the baseline, elevated, hung in the air, and put up a contested floater over Jerrett.

The ball took a bounce off the rim … and fell in.

It was that kind of night for Crabbe.

Arizona, now trailing by two possessions, missed three shots near the rim on its next possession, followed by Justin Cobbs going the other way for a layup. No McKale miracles for Arizona. Cal squashed the comeback attempt and won 77-69 in a game in which Crabbe scored 31 points and made 12 of 15 shots.

(more…)