2017 Pac-12 Tournament: Wildcats snap losing streak against Ducks
The Arizona Wildcats won the 2017 Pac-12 tournament over the Oregon Ducks.
The Arizona Wildcats won the Pac-12 conference tournament last night with an 83-80 win over Oregon. Arizona was the two seed in the conference tournament, while Oregon was the top seed.
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Arizona enters the NCAA Tournament at 30-4, potentially earning as high as a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Wildcats will most likely not draw a seed lower than a two.
Arizona’s road in the conference tournament included two wins over top-5 teams ranked nationally. The Wildcats handled Colorado in a 14-point victory in the quarterfinal round, then defeated UCLA, the nation’s No. 3 team, by 11 before beating Oregon in the championship.
Sophomore Allonzo Trier led the Wildcats in both scoring and rebounding against the Ducks, posting 23 and eight respectively. Lauri Markkanen added 11 points, a drop in high near 16 points per game.
Arizona is generally a young team with one of the best backcourts in the nation. Sophomore guard Trier leads the team in points per game with 16.9. Trier missed the entire first half of the season due to suspension but has undoubtedly been an elite scorer when he has been on the floor. Trier adds 4.8 rebounds per game and 2.6 assists per game.
Freshman sensation Lauri Markkanen posts 15.8 points per game and a team-high 7.3 rebounds per game. The potential lottery pick in the 2017 NBA Draft logs the most minutes per game among the team.
Freshmen Rawle Alkins and Kobi Simmons, junior Parker Jackson-Cartwright and senior Kadeem Allen round out Arizona’s backcourt. Alkins posts 11.1 points per game along with five rebounds per game, while his freshman companion in Kobi Simmons averages 9.5 points per game. Junior Kadeem Allen averages 9.6 points per game and a team-high of 1.6 steals per game. Parker Jackson-Cartwright leads the team in assists with 4.3 dimes per game.
In the front court, Arizona has junior Dusan Ristic and sophomore Chance Comanche. Ristic, a 7-footer from Serbia, drops 10.8 points per game and over five rebounds per contest. Comanche averages 6.3 points per game.
As a club, Arizona is superlative on defense, where the Wildcats hold opponents to only 65 points per game, the second-best among Pac-12 members. Arizona shots 47.3 percent as a group and ranks as the nation’s No. 18 team in rebound margin.
The Wildcats are chasing their first Final Four in the Sean Miller era. Arizona has reached the Elite Eight three times under Miller, all of which were within the last five seasons.
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At best, Arizona draws a one seed on Selection Sunday. It is guaranteed that the Wildcats will have a seed no lower than a two.