While many debate whether Arizona and ASU are really rivals in basketball due to the one-sided nature of the rivalry, the players do not. Nick Johnson, Solomon Hill and Jesse Perry talked about the game, the rivalry and even threw a little gasoline on the fire.

Sean Miller then spoke to the media about the win over ASU.

Arizona got the win over Clemson after the game Sean Miller and Wildcat players Solomon Hill, Angelo Chol and Nick Johnson discuss the game. (more…)

The Wildcat players claimed that Sean Miller did not yell and scream after their 69-68 loss to Seattle Pacific, but it did take them nearly 30 minutes to get to the media room after the game. Solomon Hill and Jesse Perry addressed the media.

Wildcat coach Sean Miller came in next and was mostly calm about the night’s game. Here are his opening remarks and the first few questions.

One of the key factors in Arizona’s 69-68 loss to Seattle Pacific University was rebounding. The Wildcats were out-rebounded 29-20, but that was hardly the whole story.

The Wildcats’ four big men combined for just four rebounds, two less than starting small forward Solomon Hill and only two more than guard Brendon Lavender had in just eight minutes of play. In fact, Lavender had more rebounds than three of the bigs and had as many as starting power forward Jesse Perry.

“Tonight I look at our five position and I think we had one defensive rebound,” said Sean Miller. “It’s petty hard to win when you have just one defensive rebound from your five.” (more…)

The basketball season is still nearly five months away, but it is not too early to take an early look at how the roster shapes up. We’ll start by looking at the point guard position.

Jordin Mayes (Rick Faust/WildcatSportsReport.com)

So MoMo Jones is gone and the Wildcat may have more overall talent at the position than they did a year ago. Jones will not be easy to replace. He was a leader and one of the players who proved he could hit big shots, but he was not a pure point guard. Prior to the Pac-10 season he was struggling, so much so that during the Bethune Cookman game I said to the person next to me “I wonder which MAAC school he’ll play at next season?” Well, I said Manhattan, it turned out to be Iona. (I also said Long Island, but they are in the Northeast Conference.)

By season’s end, I had changed my tune. The Cal game made many believers and Jones was one of the Cats’ most visible players, but he still wasn’t a point guard.

In my opinion a sophomore Jordin Mayes and a freshman Josiah Turner are more talented than a sophomore Jones and a freshman Mayes. They will miss Jones, but the talent to be better is there. (more…)