Busting Brackets
Fansided

Arizona Basketball: 5 reasons why Wildcats will win Pac-12 in 2019-20

By Holden Walter-Warner

PORTLAND, OR - MARCH 19: The Arizona Wildcats mascot cheers against the Texas Southern Tigers during the second round of the 2015 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Moda Center on March 19, 2015 in Portland, Oregon. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images)
PORTLAND, OR - MARCH 19: The Arizona Wildcats mascot cheers against the Texas Southern Tigers during the second round of the 2015 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Moda Center on March 19, 2015 in Portland, Oregon. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
5 of 6
Next
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 24: Max Hazzard #2 of the UC Irvine Anteaters reacts in the second half against the Oregon Ducks during the second round of the 2019 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at SAP Center on March 24, 2019 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Yong Teck Lim/Getty Images)
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 24: Max Hazzard #2 of the UC Irvine Anteaters reacts in the second half against the Oregon Ducks during the second round of the 2019 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at SAP Center on March 24, 2019 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Yong Teck Lim/Getty Images) /

2. Incoming transfers

Every year, an impact transfer makes a difference for several top-tier teams. This upcoming season, Arizona should have several of them.

Chief among them is Max Hazzard. You May remember the combo guard from last year’s NCAA Tournament. He was the one leading UC Irvine over Kansas State in one of the tourney’s biggest upsets; Hazzard finished the game with 19 points, including five three-pointers.

Last year’s Big West Tournament MVP averaged 12.5 points per game on 38.7 percent shooting from 3-point range. Hazzard will provide an immediate offensive thread on the perimeter as a graduate transfer.

Stone Gettings – presumed member of the All-Name Team – joins the fold as well. The Cornell transfer didn’t play last season under NCAA transfer rules.

Despite a year away from the court, Arizona can feel confident in what they’re getting from Gettings. The forward was a Second Team All-Ivy League performer in 2017-18, averaging 16.7 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. He can pop it from three, dish the ball (2.9 assists per game), and hold his own on the defensive end.

Arizona secured two other transfers in the offseason who will be ineligible until the 2019-20 season.

Gettings and Hazzard could both slide in as starters and make instant impacts for a program in need of fresh blood.

Home/Arizona Wildcats