2014-15 Pac-12 Conference Preview: #1 Arizona Wildcats
By Daniel Tran
2013 Season Results: 30-4 overall, 15-3 conference record. 1st place in the Pac-12, 75-71 loss vs. UCLA in Pac-12 Tournament Final, 63-64 Elite Eight loss vs. Wisconsin in NCAA Tournament
Key Losses: Nick Johnson (NBA Draft), Aaron Gordon (NBA Draft)
Key Returns: T.J. McConnell, Brandon Ashley, Kaleb Tarczewski, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson
2014 Recruiting Class (ESPN No. 6 in the nation): SF Stanley Johnson (5-Star, ESPN 100 No. 7), PF Craig Victor (4-Star, ESPN 100 No. 37), PG Parker Jackson-Cartwright (4-Star, ESPN 100 No. 57), C Dusan Ristic (4-star), Kadeem Allen (JuCo Transfer)
Some teams get all the breaks, don’t they? Despite losing two of their best players, the Arizona Wildcats are primed to dominate the Pac-12 Conference for the second straight year and make a deep run into the NCAA Tournament. How is this possible? Head coach Sean Miller.
After succeeding Lute Olson at the end of the 2008-09 season, it took Miller a year to bring the Wildcats back to relevance. In 2010-11, Miller led the Wildcats to their first 30-win season, Pac-12 title, and Elite 8 appearance since 2004-05. On top of all that Miller has delivered a top 10 recruiting class every year since 2011. It is not hard to see that Miller can sell his brand of basketball with the best of them.
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Perhaps not all the credit should go to Miller. It is the players that actually have to take the floor after all, and boy, does he know how to pick them.
The Arizona Wildcat 2014 recruiting class finished ranked 6th in the nation according to ESPN and after looking at the beasts that Miller brought in, it is not all that surprising that another Arizona recruiting class is once again in the top 10 recruiting classes of the nation.
Headlining the recruiting class is Stanley Johnson, Arizona’s one and only 5-star stud. Miller loves turning defense into quick offense and Johnson is the perfect player to set the tone defensively. According to DraftExpress, Johnson has grown to 6’8 and now has a gaudy 7’0 wingspan. With his length and outstanding motor on the defensive end, Johnson will be a menace for opposing teams. On offense, he does most of his damage exploding to the basket and finishing through contact, but can also hit a set jumper and make the extra pass. He has one-and-done written all over him.
Johnson isn’t the only player that will contribute from this recruiting class. Victor Craig isn’t a dominating presence, but his footwork and fundamental jump shot will help the Wildcats. Parker Jackson-Cartwright is a small point guard with big game. Though he measures 5’8, he has expert ball handling skills and distributes the ball very well. He should fit in nicely on the second unit. Center Dusan Ristic adds more size on the bench and NJCAA Player of the Year and transfer guard Kadeem Allen will be looking to move some of his 25.9 points per game last season at Hutchinson Community College to Arizona.
Though this 2014 recruiting class has received a lot of praise, the Wildcats returning players are still a big reason they will return to the top of the Pac-12 once again. Sophomore forward Rondae Hollis-Jefferson committed himself to improving his jump shot in the offseason and the first reviews have been positive. If Hollis-Jefferson can couple a consistent jumper with the athleticism and defensive intensity he displayed last season and you’re looking at a potential Pac-12 Player of the Year.
Joining him in the frontcourt will be junior forward Brandon Ashley who his coming off his best season with the Wildcats, averaging 11.5 points and 5.8 rebounds despite having current NBA players Nick Johnson and Aaron Gordon on the roster. Both he and Hollis-Jefferson will be depended upon to score while Stanley Johnson adjusts to the speed and physicality of the college game.
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Starting point guard T.J. McConnell returns for his senior year, bringing back his scrappy defense and his hawk-like court vision. McConnell finished third in the Pac-12 in steals (1.76) and assists (5.3) and will provide the same emotional on-court leadership he brought last year.
Though the pieces have changed a little bit, the winning strategy still stays the same: outwork the other team on defense, destroy them transition, and pick-and-roll the opposition into submission. The beauty of Arizona, even if their offense is inconsistent on any given night, their stifling defense will always be there to win them games.
Arizona has incredible length on defense with Johnson, Ashley, Hollis-Jefferson, and 7’0 Kaleb Tarczewski. Last season, the Wildcats led the Pac-12 in opponent field goal percentage, holding other teams to 38.7% shooting. Arizona also led the conference in defensive rebounding, grabbing 25.9 rebounds a game and 73.2% of all available defensive rebounds. With their current rosters length and intensity, Arizona should also at least equal that defensive excellence and improve their forced turnover numbers as well, creating easy opportunities for their athletes in transition.
The key factor that will determine how well the Wildcats will perform in the half court is the point guard position. T.J. McConnell and Parker Jackson-Cartwright will be leaned on heavily to create off the pick-and-roll to generate shots and easy looks. There isn’t a one-on-one stud that can create his own shot on this team, so look for the two point guards to really drive this offense.
Though they lost their two most productive players, head coach Sean Miller has recruited masterfully enough so that Arizona Wildcats will find themselves on the top of Mount Pac-12 once again. Reloaded and ready to go, Arizona has the horses to repeat it’s defensive dominance of the conference and make another deep run into the NCAA Tournament. All hail Sean Miller.
Projected Finish: 1st Place