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Pac-12 Tournament Predictions: Arizona is King of the Hill

By Daniel Tran

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Feb 28, 2015; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Arizona Wildcats forward Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (23) and forward Stanley Johnson (5) box out Utah Utes forward Jordan Loveridge (21) during the second half at Jon M. Huntsman Center. Arizona won 63-57. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports

Championship Final

No. 1 Arizona Wildcats vs. No. 3 Utah Utes: The Pac-12 regular season title was basically determined by a matchup between these two teams, and now the Pac-12 Tournament Champion will be as well. Not surprisingly, the two best defensive teams in the conference are facing off for its greatest prize.

Utah has ridden the brilliant play of Player of the Year candidate Delon Wright to what will be their first NCAA Tournament berth since 2009. However, it was the addition of little known Austrian center Jakob Poeltl that has really pushed Utah over the top.

Poeltl has been an easy target for Wright to hit in the middle of defense. His 7’0”, 230-pound frame has allowed him to shoot an impressive 71.4 percent from the field during conference play. However, the Arizona Wildcats have their own 7’0” center to counter him.

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    • Junior center Kaleb Tarczewski may not have the shot blocking numbers that Poeltl does, but he provides a similar frame to make things more difficult for the freshman. Not only does Arizona have Tarczewski to counter Poeltl, but also the rest of the deep Arizona team provides a counter to the Utah team.

    Underrated senior guard T.J. McConnell gave Wright fits in their last game, forcing him to shoot 30 percent from the field. The guard-forward combo of Stanley Johnson and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson also was assigned to keep Wright in check while also shutting down Brandon Taylor and Jordan Loveridge, resulting in a 31.6 percent shooting performance from the field from the two players.

    No matter how talented Utah is, Arizona is more talented at every position. That kind of depth would be frustrating for any team to face. Utah will fall Arizona in the championship game.

    Pac-12 Champion: Arizona Wildcats

    Next: Big Ten Tournament Preview: Last Chance to Dance for Bubble Teams

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