Arizona Desert Swarm

Links: Arizona's NBA stars bring in the dough, football class among Pac-12 worst and baseball season upon us

2012-02-08T20:07:48Z

Universities often brag about how much their graduates contribute to society, and there's no more concrete way in judging that than by counting the dollars. So if the Arizona Wildcats basketball team was one school within the UA, they'd certainly be helping the university out. The Wall Street Journal (hat tip to Bruce Pascoe) broke down NBA players' total earnings by college, and the Wildcats finished No. 3 on that list. Since 1985, when the NCAA tournament expanded to 64 teams, Arizona alumni have earned a total of $737,802,141 in the league, just behind North Carolina and Duke in that order. There's a fairly steep drop-off as Pac-12 rival and No. 10 school UCLA brought in just below $500,000,000.
Jack Macgruder of FSAZ writes that finishing in the top four of the Pac-12 is huge, big and important when talking Pac-12 Tournament chances.

Our pal Mike Schmitz writes in the Daily Wildcat that Sean Miller is deserving of a Pac-12 Coach of the Year vote if this team slips into the NCAA tournament. Considering all of the injuries, suspensions, losses of players that could have returned after last year's Elite Eight run, etc., there probably won't be much arguing with that idea should Arizona make the push for the invite.

Alicia Jessop at Business of College Sports checked out the Arizona facilities with Athletic Director Greg Byrne. Check it out for pictures inside the training facilities, a stockroom full of Nike shoe boxes and of course, more pictures of the North End Zone project.

Jessop and crew also compiled a ranking of most expensive recruiting budgets by school. Arizona ranked No. 28 overall, and here's the lowdown on the Pac-12, where the Wildcats rank fourth in men's recruiting expenses and third in women's.

Baseball season is nearing, and while it's hard for me to write baseball sight unseen, you can check out the Fast Pitch podcasts from Zach Clark and Derrick Fazendin at zacharyeclark.com. The eighth edition of the podcast is up, and the two make some predictions while previewing the season.

Here's an in-depth breakdown of every football recruiting class in the Pac-12. Combining all of the major scouting services' rankings, Arizona is 11th out of 12 teams.

More than Foles or Wade, Criner has much to gain at the NFL Combine

2012-02-08T00:01:24Z

The obvious three former Arizona Wildcat football players were on the list to attend the NFL Scouting Combine that will take place from Feb. 23-26, and all three can surely use the combine to improve their stock after the UA struggled during their senior campaigns.

Quarterback Nick Foles, wide receiver Juron Criner and cornerback Trevin Wade didn't get the added benefit of team success, something that goes a long way in helping showcase their stock heading into the NFL Draft. No other Wildcats were invited, and that in itself is an indication that a 4-8 year for Arizona hurt players at an individual level as well.

While Foles may be the most coveted of the three and though Wade's the least-well known, it's Criner who could bump his stock up the most with a strong showing at the combine.

Let's start with the quarterback. Foles performed with rocky practice sessions on the South squad in the Senior Bowl, failing to show anything spectacular and often checking down with easy passes to receivers in the flats. He made up for it -- and didn't hamper the notion that he's a better gamer than practice QB -- in the Senior Bowl with 11-of-15 passing for 136 yards and a TD. He was also the only South quarterback who wasn't picked off.

Perhaps the combine won't be the best of friends to Foles in this case, but I don't foresee it hurting himself to any extent. Undoubtedly, Foles will show off his pure size and strength, something we often find NFL coaches and scouts overly-enamored about.

Where the record-setting Wildcat can really make some headway and work himself to the top of the second-tier of quarterbacks is with one-on-one interviews. There's no doubt he's mature enough and hard-working enough to make a name for himself in the NFL.

That said, the combine could do more for Wade and Criner, two athletic players who might be overlooked.

Remember, very few times his senior season was it Wade who was making mistakes in a messy secondary. After solid freshman and sophomore campaigns, Wade's junior season was spoiled by bad play and off-field mental lapses. He recovered his senior year and recorded 52 tackles, two interceptions and a ridiculous 13 pass break-ups -- for perspective, no other UA player had more than six.

Criner, however, has the most to gain from the NFL Combine, as he left his senior season on a slightly disappointing note. The wideout did have 11 touchdowns and 956 receiving yards, but an almost year-long media silencing, coupled with injuries and criticism from his coaches, put him in a hole that he could surely make up with a strong effort later this month.

As I told the guys over at State of the Texans a few weeks ago, Criner has the talent to make it in the NFL. The key for him is proving that he has the speed AND the physicality to separate from the new-age NFL cornerbacks. Furthermore, an injury-plagued career places question marks on his durability.

And that's where the combine will come in handy.

If Criner can make a case for himself as a pure athlete, it could go a long way in boosting his draft stock, meanwhile reminding everyone why some called him a second or third round draft prospect after his junior campaign.

Angelo Chol is the key to Arizona's run for an NCAA tournament bid

2012-02-07T17:26:49Z

The numbers don't put the Arizona Wildcats out of the chase for the NCAA tournament. Bruce Pascoe did a nice job of breaking down the various rankings -- a much-improved 62nd in RPI, 42nd in Sagarin and 38th in KenPom -- following a Bay Area sweep last weekend.

Nothing's guaranteed, and with a roster decimated by injuries and poor performance that took it from a 10-man rotation to seven, the luck isn't on coach Sean Miller's side.

But the poor run of luck just might have forced Miller and company into finding a sense of urgency. In doing so, it's forced Kyle Fogg to step up enough to earn the Pac-12 Player of the Week award after averaging 18.5 points and 4 assists in two huge victories.

More importantly, it's forced Arizona no other choice but to give Angelo Chol a look-see at the center spot.

And at the team's most lacking position, the move might've found a cure to all of the Wildcats' biggest problems.

Chol played 16 minutes against the California Golden Bears last Thursday, putting up eight points, four rebounds and two blocks in 16 minutes. Against the Stanford Cardinal two days later, he contributed four blocks in 20 minutes, time that the 6-foot-9 athlete hadn't seen since the second game of the year against Duquesne.

Now you wonder about Arizona's chances had Chol been this confident and solid against Colorado or Oregon, two losses that greatly hurt the Wildcats' position in the Pac-12 standings.

And sticking with the theme of pure numbers being the end-all, be-all, the case of UA's tournament chances are the same as the case of Chol's impact. Chol's specialties are blocks and dunks, and though those are two plays in basketball that are +/- two points on the scoreboard, they're often momentum swinging plays.

"The way he's been right now, it's a huge difference on the defensive end," Fogg said of Chol to the Daily Wildcat. "Guys see him block one shot, throw it into the second row, you think twice before you drive it in there and lay it up. That's a huge impact that a lot of people may not realize that he has on the floor."

Though he's out of position playing center, Chol's length can't be discounted as being a better discouraging defensive option than Jesse Perry and Solomon Hill, to no fault of their own.

Even if the Wildcats can't get hot when it counts in the Pac-12 Tournament in March, there's the opportunity to earn an at-large bid should they defeat the schools they're supposed to (USC, Washington State, ASU, Utah) that remain on their schedule. And if they can pull off a victory against two of three tougher schools in Colorado, Washington or UCLA, it might even be enough to finish in the top three teams in the conference.

Angelo Chol is the piece to the puzzle that can make that happen.

Arizona Wildcats football: Chaparral's Neal sets decision date

2012-02-06T19:56:13Z

Arizona Wildcats football: Chaparral's Neal sets decision date

Zona vs. Stanford: The short handed grades

2012-02-04T22:45:44Z

It’s fair to say our young wildcats are finally starting to find their groove. Not only are our upper classmen beginning to learn how to be leaders, but our under classmen are really starting to develop into some scary good talents. We only went 7 players deep today, and with some magical subbing from Miller, he managed to keep anyone from fouling out.

As a team there was plenty of fight and desire to go around, but at the same time there were some obvious negatives we will need to fix if we are going to make a legitimate run for the tournament. I will say right now though, if this team manages to go on a run and get into the tournament, nobody is going to want to play us. Our biggest weakness to start the year was the lack of size in the middle. With Chol’s development we are now able to compete far better with those teams who have big men inside.

As for team stats here are a few thoughts:

38.3% FG shooting for the game. That is not good enough. I understand Stanford has a very good defense, especially at home, but we need to be aiming around 45% to be at our most dangerous.
31.3% Three point shooting. I can live with that number, but I think with our shooters we should be consistently around 40%.
60% FT shooting. 15-25 They only had 12 FT attempts for the game. When you get that many more chances from the line and fail to take advantage of that, it usually spells disaster. There is no excuse for this. I expect Miller to really hit on this all week.
As always I am impressed we are able to out rebound a much bigger team 35-34.
Only 8 assists for the game isn’t nearly what we need as a team.
7 Blocks today. CHOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
11 turnovers. I always aim for under 10, but they weren’t glaring turnovers that immediately turned into points, so I can live with the 11 today.

Come join me after the jump for some well earned grades

Kyle Fogg: GRADE C Kyle made some big shots when needed, but he needs to do better than 3-9 shooting. Thank goodness for his 5-6 from the line though. I really wanted to give him a B however with 4 turnovers, I had to knock him down a grade.

Jesse Perry: GRADE B- Jesse does a great job of anchoring our back line, but for a big man to shoot 4-10 from the floor is not good enough. Can anyone tell me where his outside shot disappeared to? To start the year he was a threat to make any open jump shot, but now you might as well leave him open. I believe this lack of respect for the outside shot is really hurting his ability to drive to the hoop and get open lay ups.

Solomon Hill: GRADE B+ Man this guy is becoming a true leader. He only took 7 shots today, but it seemed like whenever we had to have a play made, we would go to Solomon. His 9 boards to lead the team was also a huge stat for us. My question to everyone, is he an NBA player?

Nick Johnson: GRADE B+ Nick is finally coming out of his slump, THANK GOODNESS. He shot 4-9 from the floor, which could use some improvement, but its nice to see him shooting with some confidence again. Plus seeing him rise in the air and throw down some dunks is always fun. I also have that great memory of a sweet block where his head almost hit the rim, man what a fun kid to watch play.

Josiah Turner: GRADE B I would have given Josiah a little bit higher grade, except for the fact he only had 3 assists. This really surprised me as it seemed like he constantly is setting players up. His spin move in the lane though was a true sign of his potential in the future. I really love how Josiah is really starting to buy into the team, and really show his desire to be a wildcat. I’m proud to have him here.

Brendon Lavender: GRADE C- Brendon got a decent amount of time out there today, but he didn’t really stand out one way or another. I do remember him passing up an open 3 point shot. Brendon you are an AMAZING three point shooter, SHOOT THE BALL.

Angelo Chol: GRADE A Before you question why the best grade goes to the player with the least amount of stats, remember I’m grading based on what I expect from the player. Chol the last few games has really come along, and even with the lack of stats he was a key part of our win today. Without him we absolutely lose this game. Watching him play is starting to get really exciting. His 4 blocks today were just amazing to watch. Can’t wait to see him the rest of this year and after his work over the summer, I can’t wait to see what type of player he is next year. Great job Chol.

Even short handed it was great to watch our Cats go out and win these two road games. As always if you have any thoughts about the grades please let me know. Thank you all for the support, and I can’t wait for the next game.

Sean Miller's coaching shines through with 56-43 victory over Stanford

2012-02-04T22:39:06Z

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. After watching the Arizona Wildcats pull off a 56-43 win against the Stanford Cardinal in Palo Alto on Saturday, all the mid-game cringing from Wildcat nation was probably well worth it.

Sean Miller's team shot 38.3 percent from the field and held the Cardinal to 24.6 percent shooting. Improving to 16-8 (7-4 Pac-12) on the season, Arizona used a late game push to out-execute Stanford despite dealing with obvious adversity and poor shooting.

With Kevin Parrom out for the season and Jordin Mayes dealing with his own foot injury, Miller only went seven deep in the rotation. Worsening the troubles was Solomon Hill finding himself in foul trouble. Going seven players deep and playing the offense-defense substitution game for much of the second half, Miller's coaching came through. By that, I mean both in his Xs and Os, and in his motivational tactics.

The play of Arizona's freshmen came through, and it was a necessity for the Wildcats to win their second straight and sweep the Bay Area schools.

Angelo Chol, with his second strong performance in a row, blocked four shots, and Josiah Turner ripped the Cardinal three times. The duo acted as the epitome of how Miller's coaching develops within his teams as seasons reach the end of the regular season.

Last year, that led to a surge into the Pac-12 and NCAA tournaments. This year, it might just be enough just to get there.

A diving steal by Turner and perfectly executed bounce pass while sitting on the ground led to a Nick Johnson dunk, and it capped a late push by Arizona to extend its lead going into the final minute.

And as the Wildcats did often last season, defined roles led to a victory despite no player having a dominant performance.

Kyle Fogg scored 14 to lead Arizona, Hill contributed 10 points, nine rebounds and three steals, and Johnson and Jesse Perry each hit double-figure scoring. Brendon Lavender hit two three-pointers off the bench -- he and Chol were the only bench players to see playing time -- the second of which pushed a five-point UA lead to eight.

Three things to note

Josiah Turner keeps getting better and better. A spin move on a drive in the second half was met by a help defender at the rim, but Turner's feel for the game shined brightly as he switched to his left hand to get the shot off before the defender had time to react. As usual, he was consistently in the passing lanes, but showed the ability to recover when he missed. His hounding man-to-man defense caused trouble in the Stanford backcourt and kept the Cardinal from getting into any sort of an offensive rhythm.
Despite Hill's foul trouble and the usual lack of size inside, Arizona did it's fair share of controlling the paint. With so many misses, though, it wasn't necessarily a good sign they out-rebounded Stanford by one. The Cardinal had 15 offensive boards, but seven blocked shots by UA helped ease second-chance points.
Arizona's free throw struggles continued on Saturday, as the Wildcats went 15-for-25 at the foul line. On the other hand, it goes to show that Arizona dominated the game to a bigger degree than the final 13-point deficit might have showed.

Gamethread: Arizona Wildcats at Stanford Cardinal

2012-02-04T20:00:37Z

Preview: Arizona can move up the Pac-12 ladder with a win at Stanford, Mayes x-rayed

2012-02-04T13:01:00Z

Time: 1 p.m. MST

TV: FSAZ

The Arizona Wildcats operate in spurts. Whether it was finding themselves down by 13 in less than 10 minutes of play to begin a contest against Cal, or a 30-8 spurt to end the half up by 11, Sean Miller's team doesn't do much by the book.

You don't know which team will show up or for how long, but of course it'd be a positive sign for the Wildcats should the latter face make an appearance for 40 minutes against the Stanford Cardinal today.

Sitting at 16-6 overall and 6-4 in the Pac-12, the Cardinal are tied with the 15-8 Wildcats in the standing. Both are two games back of the sole Pac-12 leader, Washington, and the games against the teams tied with them and above them become all the more monumental.

Many don't believe this is a single bid league, and most of that stems from a likelihood that the winner of the regular season won't be the winner of the Pac-12 Tournament. That means, should the conference gets a fair shake, perhaps it's a three-bid league only if the runner up in the conference isn't a winner of the tournament.

Gunning for that No. 2 spot is key, and Stanford and Arizona both have a shot at it.

The Cardinal are led by 6-foot-8, 230-pound senior Josh Owens and his 12.7 point and 6.2 rebounds per game. Though not blow-away statistics, the Cardinal and coach Johnny Dawkins run out a deep rotation of 10 players that average 10 or more minutes per game.

Like they did against Cal, the Wildcats aren't at a grave disadvantage from an athleticism standpoint. Where the Washington Huskies had skill, length and speed on their side, Arizona has shown that it can hold its own against well-executing teams rather than free-flowing, athletic ones.

Stanford fits that bill. If the Wildcats show up playing with their hair on fire, it'll be a good sign they could start a run at that coveted No. 2 spot in the conference.

Mayes X-rays positive, but no assurance it's not a break

Jordin Mayes underwent x-rays that showed no break on Friday, according to Bruce Pascoe. That said, the backup point guard will not suit upon against Stanford.

"Because that's the foot that he broke and he has a screw in it, and he has some pain, we're going to proceed with caution," UA coach Sean Miller told the Star today, when the Wildcats arrived at their team hotel after leaving Berkeley. "He doesn't have additional swelling, and he actually says he feels a little better this morning than he did when he hurt it which is a great sign."