Arizona Wildcats
Pac-12 (31-3, 16-2)
Arizona came into the 2014-2015 campaign with very high expectations. For the most part, Coach Sean Miller’s squad has lived to up those expectations. There have been some bumps along the way, yet this team is exactly where everybody thought they would be at the beginning of the season…a serious threat to reach the Final Four in Indianapolis.
Big Wins: 12/6 Gonzaga (66-63), 1/8 at Oregon (80-62), 2/28 at Utah (63-57)
Bad Losses: 12/23 at UNLV (67-71), 1/11 at Oregon State (56-58), 2/7 at Arizona State (78-81)
Coach: Sean Miller
Why They Can Surprise:
The Wildcats have some serious talent on their roster. Freshman forward Stanley Johnson is the most talented of them all, averaging 14.1 points and 6.6 rebounds. Johnson may be listed as a 6-7 forward, but he is a shooting guard and often plays at that spot for Coach Miller. He has to be matched up against a smaller defender and he can shoot over them or power his way to the basket. It is tough to put an athletic 6-7 forward on Johnson when the opposition also must worry about 6-7 forward Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, 6-9 forward Brandon Ashley and 7-0 center Kaleb Tarczewski. Arizona will start Johnson and all three of those other big guys or at least have those four on the floor together at times. That is a matchup nightmare for every single team in the country. But the most important player on the roster is point guard T.J. McConnell. He can score when needed, but more importantly, McConnell is a smart, tough floor general who knows how to run this team effectively.
Why They Can Disappoint:
There is not much bad to say about the Wildcats. They have a more natural shooting guard available in Gabe York and Parker Jackson-Cartwright is capable of filling in for McConnell for a few minutes here and there when needed. Yet, in retrospect, Arizona has had a pretty easy go of things this season. Beating Gonzaga is a huge win this year, but Utah was the only other top team they have played all season long. Are these guys really as good as we think? We haven’t truly seen what they can do. Now we will learn if all of this talent is playing together enough to reach the Final Four and beyond.
Probable Starters:
T.J. McConnell, Senior, Guard, 9.8 ppg, 6.4 apg, 3.8 rpg, 2.1 spg
Stanley Johnson, Freshman, Forward, 14.1 ppg, 6.6 rpg
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Sophomore, Forward, 10.9 ppg, 6.8 rpg
Brandon Ashley, Junior, Forward, 12.3 ppg, 5.4 rpg
Kaleb Tarczewski, Junior, Center, 9.1 ppg, 5.1 rpg
Key Roleplayers:
Parker Jackson-Cartwright, Freshman, Guard, 3.1 ppg, 1.9 apg
Elliott Pitts, Sophomore, Guard, 3.6 ppg
Gabe York, Junior, Guard, 9.1 ppg, 1.3 apg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 76.6 (20th in nation, 1st in conference)
Scoring Defense: 58.9 (17, 3)
Field-Goal Percentage: 49.1 (6, 1)
Field-Goal Defense: 39.2 (28, 3)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 4.9 (300, 12)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 35.6 (111, 4)
Free-Throw Percentage: 69.6 (151, 6)
Rebound Margin: 8.7 (3, 1)
Assists Per Game: 14.1 (70, 4)
Turnovers Per Game: 11.4 (59, 3)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
2014 NCAA Second Round win over Weber State
2014 NCAA Third Round win over Gonzaga
2014 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over San Diego State
2014 NCAA Regional Final loss to Wisconsin
2013 NCAA Second Round win over Belmont
2013 NCAA Third Round win over Harvard
2013 NCAA Regional semifinal loss to Ohio State
2012 NIT First Round loss to Bucknell
2011 NCAA Round of 64 win over Memphis
2011 NCAA Round of 32 win over Texas
2011 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Duke
2011 NCAA Regional Final loss to Connecticut
2009 NCAA Round of 64 win over Utah
2009 NCAA Round of 32 win over Cleveland State
2009 NCAA Regional Semifinal loss to Louisville
2008 NCAA Round of 64 loss to West Virginia
2007 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Purdue
2006 NCAA Round of 64 win over Wisconsin
2006 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Villanova
*all team stats through 3/8
See All Men’s Basketball Postseason Capsules
