NCAA Basketball: 10 takeaways from Week 3
By Taylor Sturm
Things might get worse for Arizona
The Arizona Wildcats’ start to the 2017-18 season can be summed up in one word: Yikes.
After three dominating performances to begin the season, the Wildcats lost three straight games to NC State, SMU, and Purdue. This is the first time in school history that the team has lost three games before December, and that is not a good sign for the future of this expected National Championship contender.
The bad news is that Arizona faces a tough stretch of games that include the Alabama Crimson Tide and Texas A&M Aggies, two teams that will definitely win if Arizona continues to play as they have. Throw in a road game against an undefeated UNLV team, and the Wildcats might be looking at five losses heading into conference play.
However, the good news is that Deandre Ayton and Allonzo Trier have been absolutely amazing so far this season, the rest of the team will catch up, Rawle Alkins will return down the road, and the Wildcats will bounce back.
Better news is that the Pac-12 looks terrible outside of USC, so the Wildcats shouldn’t fear missing the Big Dance due to their dismal start to the season.
This team will bounce back, and I have a feeling that they’re back to playing their best basketball sooner rather than later.