Arizona Basketball: 2019-20 keys to victory for Wildcats hosting Utah Utes

2. Freshmen trio is learning about Pac-12 play

Conference play in the Pac-12 is tough.  The Wildcats’ freshmen found that out when they let the second game of their Oregon road trip get away from them against the Beavers.

At Oregon State, the score was a 49-49 tie with 12 minutes remaining when the Beavers outscored the Wildcats 33-16 down the stretch.  Having a freshman-led team was also evident when they lost the game at Oregon in which they led by six with less than two minutes to go in regulation.

The Wildcats have three freshmen leading the scoring for Arizona with 6’11 Zeke Nnaji (16.5 ppg, 8.5 rpg), 6’3 Nico Mannion (14.3 ppg, 6.3 apg), and 6’6 Josh Green (13.0 ppg, 5.1 rpg).  They are the only three from Arizona averaging in double figures.

On the good side, the Wildcats have battled back from large deficits in their losses to #1 Gonzaga (84-80) and #2 Baylor (63-58).  For Mannion, even though he was held to 7 points at home against Gonzaga and 9 at Oregon State, he did average 9.5 assists and 2.5 turnovers in those games.

Nnaji is learning to stay out of foul trouble.  The center fouled out of three games this year, including back-to-back games against Wake Forest and Baylor in early December.  He has now only committed four fouls in three Pac-12 games.

Green had his worst game since Baylor at Oregon State but had been very consistent in the five games in between.  Green seemed to hit a wall at Corvallis and should be able to bounce back at home.