3. Arizona Wildcats
At the beginning of the season, calling Arizona a ‘sleeper’ team would be a joke, a mockery of the very idea. Then, things fell apart for the Wildcats in the Bahamas, forcing the need for an uphill climb ever since.
Outside of a two-game stretch against Washington and UCLA, Arizona has looked like their expected dominant selves in Pac-12 play. They’re a game and a half ahead of the Los Angeles schools in the Pac-12 standings, with four relatively easy games remaining on the schedule.
Much has been made of what will happen when small-ball teams face the twin towers of DeAndre Ayton and Dusan Ristic. Sure, it could wind up being a problem. But Ayton is athletic with a strong basketball IQ and can make more plays than teams will be expecting.
Besides, Sean Miller has plenty of smaller pieces that can be thrown on to the court at any given time. Allonzo Trier is an elite guard. Rawle Alkins is just beginning to discover how good he can be. Parker Jackson-Cartwright is quietly still in Arizona.
This could be the year Miller finally breaks through to the Final Four. This year could be even more if he pushes the right buttons.
Just like we wrote it up at the beginning of the year.