SB Nation - Jamelle Horne

Pac-10 Weekly Wrap: Finally, a quality win!

Nuss — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 20:50:33 -0000

More photos » by Joe Nicholson - AP

Why is this man smiling? Because he's been the best player in the Pac-10 for the conference's best team, that's why.

After a couple of weeks off, the Weekly Wrap is back. I wish I could say that a lot has changed in the three weeks since I wrote the last one of these, but unfortunately it hasn't. The Pac-10 did finally pick up a quality out-of-conference win -- from the most unlikely of sources in USC -- but it did little to offset the perception that this is a weak Pac-10 after numerous missed opportunities.

It's a perception that's not likely to change, despite the conference now being ranked the fifth strongest nationally by kenpom.com (just ahead of the SEC, if you can believe that). If you look at the standings, it's pretty easy to see why. The conference has about five good to really good offensive teams, about five good to pretty good defensive teams, but only two that combine the two (Washington, Cal and ASU). Everyone else is good at one or the other, leading to some pretty uneven performances.

There are some big games on the slate tomorrow night: Cal at Kansas, UW vs. Texas A&M, WSU vs. LSU, and Stanford at Texas Tech. If the Pac-10 is going to get more than just a couple of bids come March, it needs to plant a seed in the minds of the committee that it's just a young conference that is getting better as the season moves along. Winning most or all of those would do wonders for the perception of the conference.

If Cal can beat Kansas -- or, at least, lose a thriller -- all of a sudden, beating Cal in conference means something.

On to the rankings! There hasn't been a lot of movement the past couple of weeks, but I have a feeling that might change by this time next week.

1. Washington
Rank last week: 1
Record: 7-2

The Huskies are still on top, but I sure would feel a lot better about it if they'd actually beat someone away from Hec Ed during the nonconference season. The loss to Texas Tech was a toss-up, but losing in Los Angeles to Georgetown -- in the manner they did -- raises some serious questions about Washington's toughness without Jon Brockman in the middle.

There have been hints of it against other opponents (Montana, Cal-State Northridge), but the Huskies have been able to overwhelm those opponents with their athleticism. Not so against the Hoyas. They've got a tough one against Texas A&M tomorrow, but again, it's at home. In fact, the Huskies don't leave Hec Ed again until Jan. 8.

Bright spot: Quincy Pondexter is finally, truly, unequivocally delivering on the promise he held as one of the top recruits on the west coast lo these many years ago. (Just take a look at his individual stat rankings over at kenpom.com.) That he's not receiving more pub nationally probably is due to the lack of a signature game in a signature win for the Huskies. But if he keeps this up, it won't stay that way for long.

Question mark: Pop quiz time: Where do the Huskies rank in the Pac-10 in adjusted offensive efficiency? First? Third? Try fifth -- behind (in order) Cal, Arizona State, WSU and Oregon. This team has just frankly not been that great offensively, exceeding 1.10 points per trip just three times this year. This is something to keep an eye on, because while the Pac-10 has been bad, there are some really good defensive teams in there. USC showed this week what a great defensive team powered by a fluky shooting night can do to a good team.

2. California

Rank last week: 2
Record: 6-3

The Bears have played three games in three weeks -- their tilt with Kansas tomorrow will be their first in 13(!) days. They started off with a loss on the road to New Mexico -- certainly not a bad loss, per se, but not great for a team that many thought could be the dominant team in the Pac-10 -- then finished up with dominant wins over Iowa State at home and Pacific on the road. They haven't been on TV much in these parts, so I don't have much insight to add; I will be catching the ESPN360 replay of tomorrow's game on Wednesday, since I'll be at the WSU/LSU game.

Bright spot: Theo Robertson is back. Need I say more? An offense that's already very good will get even better -- if he can stay on the floor.

Question mark: Tomorrow night is bigger than big for Cal. If they can hang with -- or outright beat -- the Jayhawks, the Bears' ceiling likely becomes a No. 2 seed. If they get blown out? Maybe a No. 3, but more than likely a No. 4 or No. 5, since there just don't remain any chances for great wins on their schedule. (Sorry, Huskies -- you no longer qualify.)

3. Arizona State

Rank last week: 3
Record: 8-3

The Sun Devils just keep chugging along, showing that experience just might be the difference maker for this team. They did lose to Baylor at home, but only by three while giving up 69.0 effective field goal percentage. It's a loss that smacks of the kind of loss that teams featuring zone defense suffer from time to time. Of more import to me is the nice win against a good San Diego State team. Still pretty clearly the third best in the conference, and the Pac-10's best chance for a third at-large bid if they can separate themselves from fourth place once league play starts.

Bright spot: Derek Glasser has been doing his best Taylor Rochestie on steroids impersonation this year. They're similar in so many ways, but Glasser's shooting has been insane -- his offensive rating is currently 130.5 with a high assist rate. He's been better than I ever thought he could be.

Question mark: There's a saying in football that the defenses often start out in front of the offenses at the beginning of the year. Well, in college basketball it seems experience starts out in front of inexperience, and that's the case with ASU. Which makes me wonder: Will this team continue to get better? Or will they get passed by other teams that would seemingly have more talent as they gain more experience?

4. Washington State

Rank last week: 4
Record: 8-2

Well, the Cougs missed an opportunity at Gonzaga, got whipped by K-State and soundly beat Idaho and Portland State. The funny thing is that we all thought this was going to be a roller coaster. While there aren't any "good" wins on the slate, there aren't any bad losses, either. That's a pretty enormous testament to what Ken Bone is doing. If the Cougs cap the nonconference slate with a win over LSU, it has to be considered a rousing success. The Cougs are a solid No. 4 in these rankings.

Bright spot: Marcus Capers. Come back this afternoon to find out why. (We call that a teaser in the news biz!)

Question mark: The Cougs are one of those teams that feature a very good offense, but so-so defense. Hence, all the attention we pay to the defense -- it really could be the difference maker in terms of getting this team to the postseason. Signs point to the defense getting better, although some of that might be explained by simple regression in terms of opponents' 3-point shooting. We'll learn more tomorrow against a team that's as athletic as we are.

5. USC

Rank last week: 9
Record: 5-4

Too big of a jump here after whipping Tennessee at home, you say? Too much value placed on one very good shooting night from a bad offensive team, you say? Well, at least they've shown that they can do it, which is a heck of a lot more than we can say for most other teams. After all, look at five through 10 in this conference and tell me who deserves to be higher than USC.

That's what I thought.

Bright spot: It's not a total fluke the Vols shot just 2-of-22 from 3-point range against the Trojans -- they're 23rd nationally in effective field goal percentage allowed (although it has been built mostly on stingy 2-point defense). Kevin O'Neil is following the Bennett rebuild blueprint to a T: Play superlative defense until the offense catches up.

Question mark: Will the offense ever catch up this year? It has been positively horrendous at times, and one good night doesn't make us believe everything is OK.

6. Oregon

Rank last week: 6
Record: 6-4

They can't beat a decent team on the road (Mizzou, Portland) and can't beat a decent team at home (Montana, St. Mary's). I guess they get credit for nearly beating the Gaels, but I know most people were expecting a lot more out of this team -- especially Duck fans. There have even been rumblings that it's time for Ernie Kent to go. I'd like to take this moment to remind everyone that I said I thought the Ducks wouldn't be very good until next year, and I stand by that statement.

Bright spot: Freshman Jamil Wilson has a knack for rebounding (14.1 OR% and 19.3 DR%) and blocking shots (3.5%). So that's nice.

Question mark: Will Kent's job status become a distraction? Especially if they win their last two nonconference games (as they should) and then start off Pac-10 play 0-2 coming through UW and WSU on New Year's weekend (as they might)?

7. Arizona

Rank last week: 5
Record: 4-5

The Wildcats have played the second-toughest nonconference schedule in the Pac-10, and it shows. These guys needed a patsy-filled schedule as bad as anyone, and instead they've played the likes of Wisconsin, Vandy, UNLV, Oklahoma and San Diego State -- all losses. They played tough in Maui and play well at home, but their last two games on the road have been convincing losses (OU and SDSU).

Bright spot: Jamelle Horne is rebounding like a power forward (21.3 DR%), despite being roughly the size of Klay Thompson. It's part of the reason the Wildcats have been surprisingly effective on the glass despite none of their actual big men rebounding like big men.

Question mark: Five times this year, the Wildcats have scored less than .92 points per possession (1.0 being average). Four of those five were against the good teams on their schedule. That's a scary thought heading into conference play.

8. Stanford

Rank last week: 7
Record: 5-5

We know moral victories don't really count. But losing by one at home to Oklahoma State and by eight on the road at Northwestern -- two teams that should be in the top half of their conferences -- says something about the way Johnny Dawkins has his Cardinal fighting. They are not going to be an easy win for anyone once Pac-10 play starts.

Bright spot: Landry Fields is really good -- so good that I'd probably place him in the No. 2 spot behind Pondexter in the Pac-10 POY race at the moment.

Question mark: Will the Cardinal keep bringing their A-plus effort if they don't soon get a favorable result? They've got a chance to get one tomorrow against Texas Tech.

9. Oregon State

Rank last week: 8
Record: 5-5

No shame in losing on the road to Nebraska. But Illinois-Chicago? Really? It seemed like the Beavers finally had some things figured out after beating George Washington and Colorado. Then the pitiful effort on the defensive glass against the Flames. They now possess arguably the two worst losses in the Pac-10. This is a tough, tough team to figure.

Bright spot: The offense seems to be coming around -- above 53 effective field goal percentage in five of the last six games. That's pretty good.

Question mark: Now that the Beavers have kissed any chance of an at-large bid goodbye -- and make no mistake, that was the goal heading into the season -- will they pull it together enough to be consistently tough in the league?

10. UCLA

Preseason rank: 10
Record: 3-7

The Bruins are yet another victim of aggressive scheduling. Normally, that's not a problem for the Bruins, but it's led to them losing six of their last seven, five of those by double digits. I'm tempted to say this could happen to anyone with enough early defections, but can you honestly picture North Carolina or Duke or Kansas sinking to these depths under their great coaches? That's what's so weird about this.

Bright spot: The Bruins really do seem to be getting better, even if it's not reflected in the win column. I watched them play Notre Dame on Saturday, and while the Irish aren't exactly a great team, they're a solid Big East squad, and the Bruins competed. They do seem like they still care.

Question mark: Just how much potential is there for the Bruins to improve? Certainly, they're not as bad as they've shown. But I just don't see the kind of talent on the floor I once did. Unless Ben Howland knows something I don't know, this is a bottom half of the conference team, even if they start playing significantly better.

Arizona 91 - Colorado 87 Recap

SoCalStites — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 23:42:09 -0000

More photos » by Eugene Tanner - AP

28 days ago: Colorado's Shane Harris-Tunks (13) looks for teammate to pass to while being guarded by Arizona forward Derrick Williams (23) during an NCAA college basketball game Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2009 at the Maui Invitational in Lahaina, Hawaii. (AP Photo/Eugene Tanner)

Browse more photos »

Wow what a game! Some ugly plays at the end and some missed free throws allowed Colorado to scrap and claw their way into an overtime game. Foul trouble hurt the Cats again, with Nic Wise losing minutes early for the second consecutive game with two quick fouls. Arizona's shooting (52.6% from the field and 56% from behind the arc) was better than Colorado's (41.8% from the field and 27.8% from behind the arc); however, it was the large amount of fouls from Arizona that kept the Buffaloes in it. The Wildcats finished with 28 personal fouls, an unacceptable amount. The Sean Miller press defense is still a work in progress and right now is leading to more free throws than stops.

Last night Nic Wise did not play very well at all and looked lost at times, but in this one Wise came up huge down the stretch, scoring 16 of the last 19 points for the Wildcats and single-handedly led the Wildcats to victory. He finished with a career high 30 points, adding 4 rebounds and 6 assists. Derrick Williams continued to be a force tonight in the middle although it was nothing like last night's performance. He's still very raw and will require coaching from Miller for him to reach his full potential. He finished the game with 11 points and 9 rebounds. The defensive MVP for the game has to be Jamelle Horne and insane knack for blocks, one of his 6 blocks was highlighted with Jamelle yelling "BITCH" for the entire television audience to hear as he pounded it into the stands.

Also similar to last night's game against Wisconsin, was the closeness of the game to the very end. You have to tip your hat to the Colorado Buffaloes for a terrific effort. They played very well in this tournament and don't belong in the last place game. They're a tough minded team and look for them to beat up on Chaminade tomorrow.

With the victory, the Arizona Wildcats have earned a game against the #24 Vanderbilt Commodores for 5th place in the Maui Invitational. Although 5th place doesn't exactly sound like the ideal finishing spot, the chance for Arizona to face off against a good out of conference team is exactly why tournaments like the Maui Invitational are attractive options for the Cats and this is all we could ask for.

Poll

#24 Vanderbilt - Arizona predictions

Arizona by 5+

10 votes

Arizona by 5 or less

16 votes

Vanderbilt by 5 or less

7 votes

Vanderbilt by 5+

8 votes

41 votes | Poll has closed

BtB 2009-10 Pac-10 Preview

Chris Dobbertean — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 23:57:08 -0000

Last year, the Pac-10 was sneaky good on the national stage, sending 90 percent of its membership to the postseason with little preseason fanfare. However, the postseason ended up being a bit of a downer for the six teams who made the NCAAs, as only Arizona, who was probably the last team in the field of 65, made the second weekend. The College Basketball Invitational was a bigger success, as Oregon State and Stanford met in a semifinal. The Beavers won that matchup and ended up as champions--after they defeated UTEP in a three-game series. Oddly enough, Oregon State had to win the CBI to get to .500 for the year, which is a major accomplishment considering where the Beavers were before Craig Robinson's arrival.

All of that success came at a price for last year's contenders. Six Pac-10 players were selected in the first round of the NBA Draft: Pac-10 Player of the Year James Harden (Arizona State), All-Pac 10 first teamer Jordan Hill (Arizona), all-freshman selection DeMar DeRozan (USC), Jrue Holliday (UCLA), first team selection Darren Collison (also UCLA), and second teamer Taj Gibson (USC). Three more players, first-teamers Jeff Pendergraph (ASU), John Brockman (Washington), and Chase Budinger (also U of A), were selected in the second round. Of those nine, five were underclassmen.

That means the conference will have to try to replicate its success with only two all-Pac-10 first-teamers back (Patrick Christopher and Jerome Randle of California) and just two second-teamers, including Freshman of the Year Isaiah Thomas (UW), returning. That means those two teams, who unarguably lost the least, start out as the favorites. UCLA should fit in right behind, though they'll be young. Arizona should also be able to contend, though. much like the Bruins much depends on newcomers, and late signings at that. Oregon State, who should be even better in their second season in Robinson's system, could surprise more than West Coasters this time around, especially as most of their roster is intact. Among the remaining five teams, things are muddled. That mess may become clearer during the non-conference season.

The league also turned over 30 percent of its coaches during the offseason. I'll discuss those changes in each team's individual write up after the jump.

First, here's a look at the final 2008-09 Pac-10 standings.

Pacific-10 Conference Standings

(updated 4.4.2009 at 12:56 AM EDT)

	Conf		Overall
	W	L	W	L
Washington Huskies	14	4	26	9
UCLA Bruins	13	5	26	9
Arizona St. Sun Devils	11	7	25	10
California Golden Bears	11	7	22	11
USC Trojans	9	9	22	13
Arizona Wildcats	9	9	21	14
Washington St. Cougars	8	10	17	16
Oregon St. Beavers	7	11	18	18
Stanford Cardinal	6	12	20	14
Oregon Ducks	2	16	8	23

Now here are my picks for the 2009-10 season, presented in reverse order. If a team's name is a link, click it to go to that school's SBN site, where you'll find in-depth, team-specific analysis during the season.

Stanford (last NCAA: 2008) Johnny Dawkins' task wasn't going to be easy this season, as he had to replace his two leading scorers (Anthony Goods and Lawrence Hill) and his starting backcourt (Goods and Mitch Johnson). His task was made more difficult when start recruit Andy Brown was lost for the season with a torn ACL. Today, Dawkins indefinitely suspended guard Jeremy Green (6.4 ppg, 45.6% from 3, 2.1 rpg) for violating team rules further reducing the Cardinal roster. The best news for Dawkins is that senior forward Landry Fields (12.6 ppg, 6.6 rpg) is still around. He and 6-9 center Josh Owens (6.9 ppg, 3.6 rpg) will anchor the frontcourt, but inexperience in the backcourt could lead to Stanford spending a second straight year near the bottom of the league. The Cardinal will play in Cancun over Thanksgiving, where they'll face Virginia, then either Cleveland State or Kentucky.

USC (last NCAA: 2009) Tim Floyd left not long after he interviewed for the opportunity to be Lute Olson's replacement at Arizona. Replacing Floyd is...Kevin O'Neill, who was the coach-in-waiting in Tucson during the 2007-08 season. He faces a serious rebuilding project, as the Trojans second, third, and fourth leading scorers--Gibson, DeRozan, and Daniel Hackett of a year ago are all gone. Leading scorer Dwight Lewis (14.4 ppg, 3.3 rpg) is back, however, to anchor a frontcourt that should be respectable, as 6-9 UNC transfer Alex Stephenson is newly-eligible and 6-6 Marcus Johnson will be back from a shoulder injury. They'll join returnees Leonard Washington (6.1 ppg, 4.2 rpg) and Nikola Vucevic (2.6 ppg, 2.7 rpg). The backcourt is a major question mark though, as junior Donte Smith and freshman Percy Miller (aka Lil' Romeo) will compete with Charlotte transfer Mike Gerrity for the point guard spot that was supposed to be filled by Lamont Jones. The Trojans will spend Christmas in Hawai'i, which should be a winnable tournament, even in a down year.

Arizona State (last NCAA: 2009) The Sun Devils return three starters, most notably senior point guard Derek Glasser (8.8 ppg, 4.8 apg). However, the two starters who left are big pieces to replace, Harden and Pendergraph. Herb Sendek will have to rely on several returnees who saw little playing time last season and a boatload of newcomers, led by 7-2 Russian center Ruslan Pateev and 6-2 local product Demetrius Walker, to replace all of that production. Sendek's team should once again be one of the best in the country defensively (if the newbies buy into his system), but the big question will be can he get enough scoring. The Sun Devils host the West regional of the NIT, where Cal State-Northridge and TCU appear to be their biggest obstacles to getting to New York.

Washington State (last NCAA: 2008) Like the rest of the teams in what I'm projecting as the Pac-10's second division for this year, the Cougars lost significant scoring punch at the end of last season. In this case, their top two scorers are gone, Taylor Rochestie (13.2 ppg, 4.5 apg) and Aron Bynes (12.7 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 1.3 bpg). As you can see, the Cougs' former point guard and center brought more to the table than just points. So the challenge for former Portland State head coach Ken Bone in his first year as Tony Bennett's replacement is to find players who can fill those gaps, all while complementing 6-6 sophomore G Klay Thompson (12.5 ppg, 4.2 rpg), one of the best shooters in the conference. 6-8 sophomore and 6-9 Australian freshman Brock Motum will be called on to fill Bynes' spot, while Thompson will be supported by a couple of youngsters in the backcourt--Reggie Moore and Xavier Thomas. The Cougars head north for Thanksgiving. They'll compete in a Great Alaska Shootout group that includes hosts Alaska-Anchorage and Nicholls State. If they win both of those, they'll probably face Oklahoma in the final.

Oregon (last NCAA: 2008) Despite all the rumors to the contrary, Ernie Kent is still the head man in Eugene. Sure the Ducks only won 8 games during all of last year, including only two in the league, but that was with a team that featured eight freshmen. This year's Oregon outfit should be a bit more experienced, and may be even better next year, as leading scorer Tajuan Porter (15.4 ppg) and Joevan Catron (7.2 ppg, 6.6 rpg) are the only seniors on the roster. There's also only one junior, 6-5 swingman LeKendrick Longmire (9.9 ppg. 3.7 rpg). Kent really needs to get someone to play at the point, however, with JC transfer Malcolm Armstead the best hope. One of his teammates at Chipola CC, 6-7 F Jeremy Jacob is also expected to be a major contributor to the frontcourt alongside Catron, Longmire, and 6-10 C Michael Durnigan (8.4 ppg, 4.6 rpg). The Ducks will host a four-team round-robin very early in the season, where Colorado State should be their main competition for the title.

Arizona (last NCAA: 2009) Sean Miller left Xavier to replace Russ Pennell who replaced Kevin O'Neill who filled in for Lute Olson. His first couple of tasks in Tucson have to be considered major successes, as he kept 5-10 guard Nic Wise (15.7 ppg, 4.6 apg) from joining Hill and Budinger in the NBA. Then, he snagged a late recruiting class that should help keep the Wildcats competitive in the Pac-10. 6-6 Solomon Hill and 6-10, 255 pound C Kyryl Natyazhko will provide support to Jamelle Horne (6.8 ppg, 5.1 rpg) in the frontcourt. Two New Yorkers 5-11 Lamont Jones and 6-6 swingman Kevin Parrom could bring a whole new dimension to the Cats' game. The new look Wildcats get their first real test in Maui, where they open with Wisconsin and could face old tournament rival Gonzaga in their second game.

Oregon State (last NCAA: 1990) The Beavers edged toward respectability last year, claiming the CBI crown, beating Stanford in 3 or 4 meetings (the one loss was arguably the most crucial, in the Pac-10 tourney), and sweeping Cal (though they did provide the Ducks one of their two league triumphs). When I saw them play in their first game of last season, I thought it would be a very long season for Craig Robinson's squad. But they grew throughout the year and now they'll try to take the next step nationally. Point guard Rickey Claitt (7.4 ppg, 2.5 apg) is gone, but point center Roeland Schaftenaar (10.5 ppg. 4 rpg, 3.3 apg) is back. So is leading scorer Calvin Haynes (13 ppg, 3 rpg) and the Tarver brothers, starting PG Josh (3.9 ppg. 1.5 apg) and Seth (8 ppg, 5.4 rpg). The newcomers are a promising group as well. They include two Aussie forwards, Angus Brandt and Rhys Murphy, 6-7 forward Joe Burton, and guards Jared Cunningham and Roberto Nelson. Richmond transfer Chris Richard is also eligible this season, and he'll help bolster the backcourt. The Beavers will open their regular season in Lubbock as part of a four-team tournament. They'll challenge host Texas Tech for the title.

UCLA (last NCAA: 2009) A team that lost four of its top five leading scorers probably shouldn't be rated third in this league, but considering the roster changes and inexperience that hound teams four through 10, the Bruins sit here for the moment. Of course, Ben Howland's team could start slowly, as they've turned into the walking wounded during preseason practices. Forward Nikola Dragovic (9.4 ppg, 4.3 rpg) and G/F Michael Roll (6.7 ppg) are the Bruins two leading returning scorers, and Drew Gordon (3.6 ppg, 3.4 rpg) will undoubtedly get better with more time on the court. This season, Howland's freshmen, led by 6-9 swingman Tyler Honeycutt, 6-8 F Reeves Nelson, and 6-8 Mike Moser, are going to have to carry a lot of the load. The Bruins will anchor the 76 Classic, where they'll open with WCC contender Portland before facing a tough second opponent, Butler or Minnesota.

California (last NCAA: 2009) Mike Montgomery started to earn the trust of Cal fans last season, but if he can bring a Pac-10 crown to Berkeley, Golden Bear fans maybe, just maybe, able to stop seeing him as a Stanford guy. In a league decimated by player departures, Cal only lost only center Jordan Wilkes (4.7 ppg, 4 rpg). Their four leading scorers are back: Randle (18.3 ppg, 5 apg), Christopher (14.3 ppg, 2.1 apg), 6-6 F Theo Robertson (13.1 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 2.5 apg), and 6-8 F Jamal Boykin (9.6 ppg, 6.4 rpg). Montgomery's biggest challenge is getting more out of his bench, which is led by hardworking guard Jorge Gutierrez. He also needs to find a replacement for Wilkes. That could be 6-7 JC transfer Markhuri Sanders-Frison, but 6-10 Sudanese prospect Bak Bak could be an intriguing player for the Bears. Cal heads east for the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic, where they'll open with a Syracuse team who will have homecourt advantage at MSG. The winner of that tilt faces North Carolina or Ohio State. A trip to Lawrence to face Kansas also looms large.

Washington (last NCAA: 2009) Lorenzo Romar lost two key players off last year's Pac-10 champs, Brockman and G Justin Dentmon (14.5 ppg, 2.5 apg, 1.5 spg), but he recruited well. 6-3 Tacoma product Abdul Gaddy should slide into Dentmon's spot on the roster. Gaddy will focus on the point, while Thomas will play more in the 2 slot. Inside, 6-7 Clarence Trent will support senior Quincy Pondexter (12.1 ppg, 5.6 rpg), and 6-9 junior Matthew Bryan-Amaning (6 ppg, 4 rpg) should increase his contributions. The main challenge for UW will be replacing Brockman's prowess on the boards. He averaged nearly 12 a game, and it will be no small feat to replace them. The Huskies host a four-team round-robin tournament to open the season, featuring Belmont, Portland State, and Wright State. They also play Georgetown in this year's edition of the Wooden Classic.

It was a tough choice, but I'm picking Washington to edge Cal in the league race this season. The Huskies will hold Pac-10's auto bid in my 2009-10 Final Preseason Bracket, which I will release on November 9. Tune back in then to see my first guess at the number of bids the conference could receive in what might be a down year. Now, to wrap up this preview, here is my preseason All-Pac-10 team, featuring the best returning players from last season.

Preseason All-Pac-10 Team

Player of the Year: Jerome Randle, 5-10 G, Sr. (California)

Remainder of the Team
Patrick Christopher, 6-5 G, Sr. (California)
Quincy Pondexter, 6-6 F, Sr. (Washington)
Isaiah Thomas, 5-8 G, So. (Washington)
Nic Wise, 5-10 G, Sr. (Arizona)

Poll

Who is your pick to win the Pac-10 this season?

Arizona

8 votes

Arizona State

4 votes

California

28 votes

Oregon

2 votes

Oregon State

5 votes

Stanford

1 votes

UCLA

36 votes

USC

1 votes

Washington

363 votes

Washington State

4 votes

452 votes | Poll has closed

Season Retrospective: Jamelle Horne

dcrockett17 — Mon, 18 May 2009 18:00:14 -0000

This is the fourth installment of a series of player-by-player look-backs at the 2008-2009 Wildcats basketball team. Click the links to see previous installments.

Chase Budinger

Jordan Hill

Nic Wise

Horne played the most minutes of any Wildcat not named Budinger, Hill, or Wise this past season.

Key Stats. In just under 29 minutes per game Horne was something of an athletic "glue guy" for the team. Unfortunately, he had two outright end-of-game brain locks that cost Arizona chances to win. Despite obvious holes in his game, especially on offense, he managed to be a solid contributer. Statistically, Horne looks a bit better to the naked eye than he does on paper. His statistical profile (thanks to DraftExpress) over the first two years borders on dreadful. It was honestly much worse looking than I anticipated. His shooting is very poor (TS%: 48% as a frosh and 49% as a soph), owing mostly to the fact that he really doesn't have a well-developed game. He's not much of a three point threat. Nor is he a strong enough ball handler to be a slasher. Thus, he doesn't get to the FT line very often.

My big issue with Horne's offense is that despite his limitations he's a gunner. His FGAs/possession (95% as a frosh and 86% as a soph) are... umm... not modest. (Yes, you're reading that right. As a frosh Horne shot the ball on 95% of his possessions, and 86% this past season. And it's not like Horne is a post player. He's a jump shooting swingman.) I'd be a bit more charitable about his shot selection were he a better rebounder. Seven-plus pace-adjusted boards per40 isn't horrible for a swingman, but it's far from elite. For a guy with Horne's explosive athleticism and long arms he should be a better rebounder. The thing is, Horne's a high motor player. He just hasn't chosen to emphasize going to the glass.

Because I like Horne, I want to say "well, stats don't capture what he brings to the table," and there is some truth to that. (I'll return to that point.) However, he should be better in many statistical categories, like TS%, rebounding, and assists. About his only real positive statistical contribution is that he doesn't turn the ball over. Even that's sorta damning with faint praise. In Horne's case, he rarely tries to pass. So his turnovers are misleadingly low.

Overview. Having said all that, I still like Jamelle Horne. When I first saw him play I had visions of him developing into the next Richard Jefferson. He's really more like Washington's Quincy Pondexter. Both are long, athletic players that had to move to the wing to play at a high major program. Neither has developed ball skills, and consequently both struggle to play perimeter halfcourt offense. Horne's real value, like Pondexter's, is his defensive versatility. Horne doesn't block many shots or create steals but he's an excellent position defender--a VERY underrated skill that is difficult to capture with conventional stats. Because he can guard any SG or SF, along with many PGs and undersized PFs he gives a coaching staff a lot of options defensively. He's a useful guy to have around.

The big issue with Horne is that right now his offense is so dreadful that it's hard to believe his poor shooting alone doesn't offset virtually anything he produces defensively. Arizona's coaching turmoil has impacted his development perhaps more than any other player. He has obvious athleticism and skills, but he just hasn't developed offensively. Coach Pennell would have loved for Horne to step up and become the 4th starter, but his play never warranted it.

Looking Forward. My sincere hope is that Miller's staff can help develop him, but the prospects are not fantastic when you consider a couple factors. First, gone are any grandiose notions of him turning into Richard Jefferson. He doesn't have that kind of talent, and he will already be 21 in November. He's basically who he's going to be as a player right now in the sense that it's unlikely he's going to add new skills. He has to concentrate on improving the ones he has. Second, when you consider that Miller has recruited wing talent expected to contribute right away, odds are that Horne won't get the attention he needs to reach is potential. But, that's high profile college sports for you. Not nearly as much teaching goes on as one might hope.

Things don't have to end poorly for Horne, who can still develop into a very useful player while improving his draft prospects. It's just that now is the time to recognize what he is and what he isn't. He has two virtually identical seasons under his belt and they strongly suggest that he doesn't excel at any one area offensively, and that much of his value is on the defensive end. That's the player he is right now, and at 20 going on 21 it will be very difficult for him to reinvent himself. It might be wisest for him to concentrate on enhancing his skills. The surest route to the NBA for him is through defense and better rebounding. That's where Horne should start. He must also, however, continue to develop into a more efficient offensive player so that he's no such a liability in the halfcourt. That almost certainly will begin with shooting less.

Arizona Breakdown

Mike Rutherford — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 17:02:46 -0000

It's not the power conference team most expected Louisville to meet this evening, but let's take a deeper look at the only thing standing between the Cardinals and a second straight trip to the Elite Eight.

What Arizona Does Well

1. Be Talented

Though the Wildcats are the lone remaining double-digit seed in the Tournament, point guard Nic Wise, forward Chase Budinger and big man Jordan Hill might be as strong a trio as any of the other 11 teams still playing can field. Hill and Budinger are expected to be selected in the first round of the NBA Draft if they choose to leave school a year early, the former widely projected to be a top ten selection, and Wise's play over the last six weeks has him also wondering whether or not sticking around for his final collegiate season is the best choice.

In games where the big three has scored at least 15 points apiece, Arizona is 8-0.

2. Be Efficient On Offense

Though 'Zona loves to get out and score points in transition, they're also superb when it comes to getting the right shot out of their half-court sets. The Wildcats rank 16th in the country in offensive efficiency (111.5), 23rd in field goal percentage (47.7%) and 21st in three-point field goal percentage (39.1%).

They haven't settled for bad shots all season, a trend that must continue against one of the best defensive teams in the country.

3. Press

Like Louisville, Arizona loves stealing cheap points with backcourt pressure. They aren't deep at the guard position, but that doesn't stop Russ Pennell from trying to utilize every bit of his team's athleticism for 40 minutes.

4. Run The Floor

Louisville may not have faced a frontcourt as athletic as Hill, Budinger and Jamelle Horne all season. The three stand 6-10, 6-7 and 6-7, respectively, and are all capable of sprinting to the offensive end of the floor, catching the ball on the fly and finishing the play. U of L's bigs struggled to get back some in each Big East Tournament game, a point that I'm sure has been emphasized throughout this week.

5. Get Back On Defense

This goes hand-in-hand with No. 4, but it's hard to score points off of missed shots and turnovers when facing a team with a frontcourt as big and athletic as Arizona's. Hill is far and away the team's best shot blocker, and a healthy chunk of his rejections come in transition.

6. Shoot Free-Throws

The Wildcats shoot just below 74% from the free-throw line as a team, good for 30th best in the country. Nic Wise, Chase Budinger, Jamelle Horne and Zane Johnson are all right around or above 80% from the charity stripe.

What Arizona Does Not Do Well

1. Be Deep

Yes, 'Zona's top three players are as good as any in the Tournament, but the reason they were the last or second-to-last at-large team selected is because of the lack of support they have for Wise, Hill and Budinger.

Each of the Wildcats' big three averages over 35 minutes of floor time per game, with Budinger leading the way at 37.7 mpg. Horne and two guard Kyle Fogg don't see the bench much either, in fact, all five starters played at least 32 minutes against Cleveland State, and the same would have likely held true against Utah had Horne not gotten into foul trouble.

No reserve outside of Zane Johnson has seen double-digit minute playing time in the month of March. That's a major concern for a pressing team going up against a pressing team whose major strength is its depth.

2. Defend Out Of The Zone

The Wildcats have utilized both man and zone defenses over the course of the season, but they'll likely throw a healthy dose of 2-3 at U of L this evening in an attempt to save some legs. The bad news for 'Zona is that when in zone, they struggle to defend the perimeter and prevent dribble penetration into the lane.

Statistically, Arizona is the worst defensive team remaining in the Tournament, allowing opponents to shoot nearly 50% from the floor. They don't force many turnovers and don't seem particularly interested in defending the three-point line. Louisville has gained the reputation of a streaky shooting team, but they've been pretty good from outside this season against teams that have left their shooters un-marked.

3. Box Out

Despite its athletic forwards, second-chance points have been surprisingly easy to come by for opponents of Arizona this season. Samardo Samuels, Earl Clark and Terrence Williams have been crashing the offensive glass with increased intensity this postseason, something that could play a huge role in a game where depth-perception could very well lead to poor outside shooting.

4. Defend Out-Of-Bounds Plays

This would be a much bigger deal if we had any.

5. Have Rick Pitino

From a coaching standpoint, an Arizona victory over Louisville tonight would be the equivalent of Douglas knocking out Tyson.

Rick Pitino is 8-0 in the Sweet 16, winning those games by an average of 21 points. Two years ago, Russ Pennell was singing in a church choir.

I'll take our guy.

6. Play Well Late In Close Games

I'll let this video do the talking.

7. Have History On Its Side

The Wildcats are the 22nd team seeded 12th or lower to reach the Sweet 16 since 1985. Only Missouri in 2002 advanced to the Elite Eight.

Individuals

Jordan Hill F, 6-10 (18.4 ppg/11.0 rpg)

There haven't been many times this season when Earl Clark has been on the floor with a player whose next-level prospects are higher than his, but that will be the case when he faces off against Jordan Hill this evening.

The 6-10 Hill can do just about everything: finish on the break, finish off the pick, knock down short jumpers, block shots, explode off the floor, pass out of the post. Though he's improved tremendously over the last three seasons, his biggest flaws remain poor footwork in the post and an inability to stay out of foul trouble.

His natural ability and still untapped potential have NBA scouts drooling, but he's still prone to committing silly fouls and making poor decisions with the ball in his hands. The good news for Arizona is that an up-tempo game like the one expected tonight is where Hill flourishes and is able to mask his still relatively low basketball IQ.

Expect to see Earl Clark and Terrence Williams go right at Hill from the wings of the zone, because Arizona has no chance to spring the upset if the big man doesn't play at least 30 minutes.

Chase Budinger F, 6-7 (17.9 PPG/6.3 RPG)

About as naturally gifted an offensive player as there is in college basketball, Budinger could have bolted for the pros after either his freshman or sophomore season, but surprised a bevy of people by choosing to stay in Tucson.

The bouncy Budinger is more than capable of beating fellow forwards off the dribble, and is an accurate shooter from three feet beyond the college three-point line. He's a tremendous elevator, making his jump shot nearly impossible to block if he has created any separation at all.

Budinger's main weakness has been and continues to be his play on the defensive end. He doesn't move very well laterally, which puts him at an extreme disadvantage when matched up with forwards who are prolific off the bounce (see: Williams, Terrence; also: Clark, Earl). Rebounding is another area he's never appeared particularly concerned with, although he has improved his average this season to a career-best 6.3 rpg.

The flaws listed in the previous paragraph are probably what have kept him in college for three years, but he's still a guy more than capable of having a night where he scores 35-40 points and leads his team to a victory over a better squad.

Nic Wise G, 5-10 (15.7 PPG/2.4 RPG)

Though Budinger and Hill nab the vast majority of the accolades, it's floor general Nic Wise who is the most important player on Russ Pennell's team.

Wise's play over the last few weeks has elicited comparisons to former 'Zona great Mike Bibby, and while he certainly has a long way to go to make those comparisons accurate, he does use the high screen - Bibby's forte - about as well as any point guard in college basketball.

Wise leads Arizona in free-throw percentage (85.5%), three-point field goal percentage (42.4%), assists (4.6 apg) and steals (1.5 spg). He's deadly on the drive and when given too much space from the outside. He can create his own outside shot off of the pick against a man defense, and find the open space against a zone. He's leading the Wildcats in scoring in the NCAA Tournament (21 points against Utah, 29 against Cleveland State) and is averaging a team-high 21 points in the month of March.

Pound-for-pound, the muscular wise is probably 'Zona's best defender. He spearheads the Wildcat press and isn't afraid to pressure opposing ballhandlers in the halfcourt.

How fresh Wise is and whether or not he has any legs on his jump shot during the final ten minutes of the game will be paramount.

Jamelle Horne F, 6-7 (6.9 ppg/5.1 rpg)

To have any hope of making the NCAA Tournament for the 25th straight year Arizona had to have a third forward step up and be able to play big minutes, and Horne has been able to do just that in his sophomore season.

Horne is another tremendous athlete who excels in transition, and, like Budinger and Hill, he's an explosive leaper. He's greatly improved his jump shot and is now fully capable of knocking down the mid-range jumper as well as the occasional uncontested three-pointer.

Horne isn't very muscular, a fact which directly correlates with his low rebounding numbers. He also goes through periods of time where he appears lazy on the defensive end, something he can't do against a team with wings as talented as Louisville's.

Kyle Fogg G, 6-2 (6.2 ppg/2.5 rpg)

Fogg, a freshman, wasn't expected to be thrust into a starting role this quickly, but the mass exodus of Wildcats during the preseason Lute Olson drama left Pennell with no choice. To his credit, Fogg has responded, scoring in double figures eight times on the season and playing 30 or more minutes in eight of Arizona's last ten games.

Fogg is a good, not great, shooter whose confidence has blossomed along with the season. He doesn't handle as much of the ballhandling duties as you'd expect a two guard to, but he's capable of taking some of the pressure off of Wise and Budinger if need be.

He isn't a player who's going to kill you by hitting shots off of the bounce or locking down your top scorer, but he knows his role on the team and plays it as well as he can.

Zane Johnson G, 6-5 (4.6 ppg/1.8 rpg)

Johnson is the only Arizona reserve who has seen major minutes during the latter portion of the season. He's able to play a number of positions, which allows the starters to take turns on the bench while he stays in the game.

Though he generally leaves the scoring to the big three, Johnson isn't afraid to occasionally let it fly from deep, despite his awkward shooting style. He has hit at least one three-pointer in 17 of Arizona's last 21 games.

While calling him a "little guy" is a stretch, he does not match up with the Louisville frontline favorably.

Brendon Lavender G, 6-3 (0.6 ppg/0.2 rpg)

Lavender has seen his court time increase down the stretch partly because of the off-the-court issues plaguing fellow freshman guard Garland Judkins. He's played in each of Arizona's last ten games, but has scored just four points over that span.

Alex Jacobson C, 6-11 (1.1 ppg/1.2 rpg)

The freshman big man is a major work in progress who will only see the floor if Hill and Horne both run into major foul trouble.

Garland Judkins G, 6-3 (2.4 ppg/0.9 rpg)

A talented scorer in high school, Judkins has been suspended three times during his freshman season and hasn't seen the floor in the NCAA Tournament.

Conclusion

Arizona's big three is a more talented offensive trio than Louisville's big three, I'm willing to admit that, but the Wildcats' lack of depth and propensity for defensive lapses still leave them with an enormous mountain to climb this evening.

The Cards are going to be able to get open looks tonight, but how well they'll be able to shoot in a football stadium is a major issue. If they aren't hitting from the outside, then Samuels, Williams and Clark have to take advantage of 'Zona's reluctance to rebound and string together a bounty of second-chance points.

I realize Arizona's lack of depth wasn't a factor in their up-and-down win over Cleveland State, but Louisville isn't Cleveland State, and the Wildcats haven't faced the kind of constant ball pressure they're going to see tonight. For 'Zona to have a shot, I really think they need to build a big lead early with Budinger and Wise hitting everything they throw up and U of L's shooters starting ice cold, and then hope they can hold off the Cards in the last ten minutes of the game. If things are tight for the first 30 or 35 minutes, then Louisville should have an enormous advantage in crunch time.

Arizona vs. Cleveland State Recap

joenewby4040 — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 12:46:40 -0000

Final - 3.22.2009	1	2	Total
Cleveland St. Vikings	25	32	57
Arizona Wildcats	35	36	71

Complete Coverage >

Sweet. One. Six. Arizona completed their first and second round thrashings by beating Cleveland State 71-57. The Cats jumped out to a quick 7-0 lead in the first minute and a half and never looked back. The Cats got another solid performance from the big three and a fourth finally emerged. Jamelle Horne cashed in by hitting for 15 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 blocks. He played 38 minutes and was 5-11 from the field. On the flip side, Kyle Fogg played 37 minutes and had a horrible stat line. He had 2 points on 2 field goal attempts, 5 rebounds and four steals. However, Fogg has definitely ramped up the defense in the last 5 games.

Arizona employed their zone defense and was able to eliminate the inside threat from Cleveland State. The Vikings were forced to shoot over the Cats and started the game 0-11 from three point land and finished 3-23 (13%) for the game. Cleveland State's J'Nathan Bullock said,

"I couldn't find my shot," Bullock said. "Some nights that happens. It's tough when it happens in the second round of the NCAA tournament. When you play a zone, you have to make your open shots. We weren't able to do that."

Meanwhile, the Cats shot 50% from the field, going 22-44. They only took 11 shots from beyond the arc, hitting on three of them. Arizona was an incredible 24-28 from the FT line, connecting on 85%. Nic Wise was incredible, scoring 21 points on 5-7 shooting from the field and making 10-10 free throws. He also had 8 assists and 5 rebounds. Chase and Jamelle each contributed 15 points, while Jordan Hill had 16 points and 8 rebounds.

The Outcome was: Incredible. Nobody thought the Cats would make it to the sweet 16. The Cats came out this past week and had great showings against Utah and Cleveland State to send them into the third round. Wake Forest's surprise loss in the first round definitely opened the door for the Cats in the second round, as the Demon Decons would have proved to be a nightmarish matchup for us. Hey, who cares? We still dancing..

The Offensive MVP: Nic Wise. The dude is clutch. He only took 7 shots from the field. Why so little? Because he was getting hacked every other time he shot or he was dropping dimes to his teammates, showing up in his stat line with 8 assists on the day. At one point, they were trying to deny him the ball on every inch of the court just so they didn't have to deal with him. Silly Vikings.

The Defensive MVP: Anyone with long lanky arms. Chase. Jamelle. Jordan. Our zone defense was very effective against Cleveland State. We challenged almost every shot and the Vikings stat line is low for a reason, not just that they couldn't hit. We are going to have to watch out against Louisville though, because they aren't going to be phased by a hand in the face. Their forwards are just as tall and lanky as ours and can elevate to get good looks.

Bench: Why do I still do this? Poor Zane Johnson. 12 minutes, 1 attempt, 2 free throws. Why does he only shoot three pointers when he comes in? Maybe he would get off the bench if he could show some ability to drive to the hoop. We may need Fendi, Zane, and Brendon against Louisville if we get into foul trouble.

Stat of the Game: Nic Wise FT shooting and Jamelle Horne's whole line. Nic Wise was 10-10 from the charity stripe on Sunday. This guy is crazy. At least we know who to get the ball to when we are winning and need to make our FT's late in the game. I was also very impressed with Jamelle Horne's whole performance. The Cats are almost unbeatable when we have 4 guys scoring in double digits. I initially thought Kyle Fogg was going to come out the stronger of the two, but Jamelle is peaking right now and it's really fun to watch.

Overall: What else is there to say. We are in the Sweet 16 and people didn't even think we should be in the Tournament. Also, we are the only team left from the Pac-10 standing. USC laid a serious egg yesterday against Michigan State and Washington was my biggest disappointment of the weekend. Congrats to Coach Pennell and the whole squad.

Next up: Louisville, Friday, March 27, 2009 at 4:07 MST.

Arizona Wildcats Keys to the Game

joenewby4040 — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 13:08:04 -0000

			FG			3PT			FT			Rebounds			Misc
	G	M	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	Off	Def	Tot	Ast	TO	Stl	Blk	PF	PPG
Jordan Hill	31	35.8	7.5	13.8	54.8	0.0	0.0	0.0	3.4	5.3	65.0	4.1	7.0	11.0	1.4	2.8	0.8	1.8	2.9	18.5
Chase Budinger	32	37.6	6.1	13.0	47.2	2.0	4.9	41.0	3.7	4.5	81.8	1.5	4.8	6.3	3.4	2.4	1.4	0.4	1.8	17.9
Nic Wise	32	36.3	4.9	11.0	44.9	1.9	4.5	42.4	3.3	4.0	83.6	0.3	2.1	2.4	4.6	2.8	1.5	0.1	2.4	15.1
Jamelle Horne	32	28.8	2.5	5.9	42.9	0.4	1.5	29.8	1.3	2.0	64.1	1.7	3.5	5.2	1.3	1.3	0.7	0.4	2.7	6.8
Kyle Fogg	32	23.2	1.8	4.0	45.7	0.7	1.7	40.0	1.8	2.3	78.1	0.8	1.5	2.3	1.7	1.2	0.7	0.0	1.7	6.2
Zane Johnson	30	19.5	1.6	3.7	43.6	1.1	2.8	40.0	0.4	0.6	76.5	0.4	1.5	1.9	1.0	0.7	0.4	0.1	1.9	4.8
Garland Judkins	18	12.6	0.9	2.2	40.0	0.0	0.2	0.0	0.6	1.0	61.1	0.4	0.6	0.9	1.2	1.2	0.3	0.1	0.9	2.4
Fendi Onobun	27	6.4	0.4	0.8	45.5	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.4	0.8	47.6	0.2	0.6	0.8	0.3	0.2	0.1	0.1	1.0	1.1
Alex Jacobson	24	7.0	0.5	1.0	44.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.2	0.3	57.1	0.7	0.5	1.2	0.1	0.4	0.0	0.2	0.8	1.1
David Bagga	6	1.7	0.3	1.0	33.3	0.3	0.7	50.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.2	0.2	0.0	0.2	0.0	0.0	0.2	1.0
Brendon Lavender	25	4.7	0.2	0.6	42.9	0.0	0.2	16.7	0.2	0.2	66.7	0.0	0.1	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.3	0.0	0.5	0.7
D.J. Shumpert	3	3.0	0.0	0.3	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.3	1.0	1.3	0.3	0.7	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
	32	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.4	1.3	2.8	0.0	0.1	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0

We've already had a snapshot of the Utes and a candid Q&A with Stephen from BlockU. Let's focus our attention on our own team and put out some keys to victory for today's match up

David vs. Goliath Seriously, that may be a little much. Jordan Hill as David? Only in terms of heigth. Luke Nevill is 7'2" and Jordan is 6'10". This will be an incredible matchup for both teams. Nevill has the ability to shoot over Jordan and Hill has the ability to move up and under Nevill with his ball handling skills. If either big men gets into foul trouble, their team is going to suffer immensely. As we broke down in the Q&A, Nevill and Hill play almost the same anchor role on their respective teams. If Jordan gets into trouble, Alex Jacobson is our next likely sub, coming in at 6'11".

Fourth Man The charade is over. We squeaked into the tournament and now it's time for someone to step up and be our fourth guy. Earlier in the year, I thought that was going to be Zane. He showed signs of consistency, only to become a non-factor almost immediately. Kyle Fogg averaged close to 15 points a game for three consecutive games, only to shoot less than 4 attempts the next few games. I think that Pennel's adjustment to make Jamelle Horne the fifth guy on the floor over Zane Johnson has been an excellent move. He has the ability to shoot a three, use his long arms to play incredible defense and grab boards, and also throw down monstrous dunks that have sparked the Cats on more than one occasion. My wish for someone to step up has me hoping that it will be Kyle Fogg. He seems to have a natural ability to also create opportunities for others while he is scoring himself, while Jamelle is more of a scorer's mentality. At this point, I don't care who does it. Just do it.

Jekyll or Hyde? Calling Chase Budinger. Are you there? Wait, which one am I speaking to. Am I speaking to the Chase Budinger who averages 17.9 ppg and shoots 41% from beyond the arc or am I speaking to the Chase Budinger who laid an egg against Arizona State in the Pac-10 Tournament. In all seriousness, he needs to come to play. He is an NBA player who needs to show that he can have a bad game and not let it affect him going forward. His disastrous performance in the Pac-10 Tourney hopefully lit a small fire under him and he should be ready to play today. His presence on the floor for defense, pushing the point, driving to the hoop and creating is immeasurable and I expect him to have a huge game against the Utes. Shaun Green for the Utes is 6'8" and will probably match up with Chase today and vice versa.

To Press or Not to Press Arizona has used the press this year, to my dismay, in almost every game of the season. I am not sure why Pennel keeps insisting on tiring out his guys when his bench is so thin. How many turnovers have we had from it? Does it really take any other team out of rhythym? Arizona State sure didn't have a problem with it, beating our press consistently with Glasser running around like a chicken with its head cut off and creating opportunities on the offensive side of their end. The press allowed opposing teams to get a 2-1 or a 3-2 many times this year, leading to either a bucket or an offensive rebound on their part because our guys weren't able to get back in time. I vote NO on the press. Always have, always will (This year). With a bench like ours, every minute counts.

WESTERN KENTUCKY Did y'all see that game last night? Foreshadowing.....

Game Notes

Snapshot of Utah Utes

joenewby4040 — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 14:12:10 -0000

Info

	Utah
Seed	5
Record	24-9
Conference Record	15-4

SOS	34
RPI	13
KenPom	25

Starters and Key Players

Player	Yr	Size	Ppg
Luke Nevill	Sr.	7'2"	16.9
Lawrence Borha	Sr.	6'3"	11.7
Shaun Green	Sr.	6'8"	10.4
Tyler Kepkay	Sr.	6'0"	10.1
Carlon Brown	So.	6'5"	9.4
Luke Drca	Jr.	6'5"	7.8
Jordan Cyphers	Fr.	6'4"	3.2
Kim Tillie	Jr.	6'10"	3.1

The Utah Utes reign from the Mountain West Conference, winning the conference championship 52-50 over San Diego State. They went 24-9 on the season and 15-4 in conference play. The Utes started off the season on shaky ground, falling to Southwest Baptist 79-80 on their first game of the year. They lost three in a row to Idaho State, California, and Oklahoma to bring their season win loss to 5-4. The Utes started gelling around this point and won 15 of their next 17.

The Utes are led by Senior Luke Nevill, who averages 16.9 ppg and 2.7 blocks per game. He is definitely a force to be reckoned with and will be the tallest player the Cats will face all year.

Nevill will try to wreak havoc.

The Utes have an array of other players who contribute on a nightly basis. Lawrence Borha is a guard, who averages 11.7 ppg. Shaun Green and Tyler Kepkay also average over 10 ppg. Carlon Brown averages 19.4 ppg and 3.2 assists as well.

The Utes have won four in a row, including two games against TCU, Wyoming, and San Diego State. They have also lost two of their last road games, at BYU and at New Mexico State.

			FG			3PT			FT			Rebounds			Misc
	G	M	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	Off	Def	Tot	Ast	TO	Stl	Blk	PF	PPG
Luke Nevill	33	32.0	5.9	9.8	60.7	0.0	0.0	0.0	5.1	6.4	79.1	2.0	7.1	9.1	1.3	2.5	0.4	2.7	2.8	16.9
Lawrence Borha	33	31.4	3.8	8.4	45.8	2.0	4.9	40.7	2.0	2.4	84.8	0.7	2.6	3.3	1.5	2.0	0.6	0.3	2.3	11.7
Shaun Green	33	29.0	3.4	7.2	47.0	2.2	5.5	40.3	1.5	2.0	73.1	1.2	3.8	4.9	1.8	1.2	1.1	1.0	2.6	10.4
Tyler Kepkay	33	30.3	3.3	8.2	40.6	1.3	3.8	34.1	2.1	2.5	84.1	0.2	2.3	2.5	1.2	1.5	0.5	0.0	2.1	10.1
Carlon Brown	33	29.5	3.6	7.9	45.8	0.2	0.9	19.4	1.9	2.8	68.8	1.2	4.0	5.2	3.2	2.1	0.7	0.4	2.0	9.4
Luca Drca	30	25.5	2.3	5.1	45.4	1.1	2.8	38.8	2.1	2.7	80.0	0.2	2.4	2.5	3.5	2.5	1.0	0.1	2.7	7.8
Jordan Cyphers	22	5.7	1.0	2.3	42.0	0.6	1.7	35.1	0.7	1.1	66.7	0.1	0.5	0.7	0.1	0.3	0.2	0.0	1.0	3.2
Kim Tillie	30	15.6	1.0	2.4	39.7	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.1	1.3	85.0	1.7	2.8	4.5	0.6	1.0	0.5	0.3	2.6	3.1
Morgan Grim	16	5.6	0.3	0.6	55.6	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.1	0.1	100.0	0.3	0.6	0.8	0.2	0.3	0.1	0.4	0.8	0.7
Jonathan Downie	6	1.3	0.2	0.2	100.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.2	0.0	0.0	0.2	0.3
Jace Tavita	25	6.8	0.1	0.4	33.3	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.1	33.3	0.1	0.6	0.7	0.6	0.6	0.0	0.1	1.0	0.3
Tre Smith	1	2.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
	32	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.8	1.6	2.4	0.0	0.2	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0

Arizona vs. Arizona State Part Tres

joenewby4040 — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 01:30:42 -0000

Next Game

Arizona Wildcats
@ Arizona St. Sun Devils

Date: Thursday, March 12, 2009
Time: Noon PDT
Location: Staples Center (19,282), Los Angeles, Calif.
Radio: Wildcat Radio Network (Brian Jeffries/Ryan Hansen)
TV: FSN (Barry Tompkins/Dan Belluomini)

Complete Coverage >

ARIZONA STATE SUN DEVILS

Arizona State is a #4 seed heading into tomorrow's tournament, up against #5 Arizona. The Sun Devils have lost 3 of their last 4, but could easily have won 2 of those games. They have definitely secured a place in the Tournament and are looking for their first Pac-10 Tournament Championship. The Sun Devils are armed with three potent weapons and a plethora of other feisty starters and bench players that have given the Cats trouble this year. James Harden, the Pac-10 Player of the Year, leads the Sun Devils, while his supporting cast of Jeff Pendergraph controls the paint and dead-eye Rihard Kuksiks can be potent from beyond the arc. The Sun Devils have also enjoyed incredible play out of Derek Glasser and Jamelle McMilan off of the bench. When these guys are on, they are tough to beat.

Enemy #1

The Sun Devils lost three out of their last four games, two of which went into overtime. The first was a loss at Washington 73-70 and the next was to Washington State 51-49. The Sun Devils returned home to Tempe, only to be beaten on their home court by Stanford 74-64. Fortunately for the Sun Devils, their play throughout the year has landed them as a lock for the NCAA Tournament, and their falter at the end of the year won't cost them too much in terms of seeding. The negative side to that is they draw Arizona in the first round of the Pac-10 Tournament who desperately needs a strong showing to solidify their chances of playing after the Pac-10 Tournament.

Look for the Sun Devils to move the ball around the perimeter in order to get Harden or Kuksiks a good look from outside. If it's not there, they should dump inside to Pendergraph and try to get him going. As we have looked at all week, Jordan is going to have to play Pendergraph one on one. We can't afford to double team the Sun Devils while their sharpshooters sit outside and wait to unload. If Arizona's gameplan of shutting down Pendergraph, while effectively challenging three pointers does work, look for Harden to try and take over by cutting to the hoop. These guys are loaded, ready, and can drop serious bombs. Let's take a look at their stats so far this season:

			FG			3PT			FT			Rebounds			Misc
	G	M	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	Off	Def	Tot	Ast	TO	Stl	Blk	PF	PPG
James Harden	30	35.7	6.6	13.2	50.4	1.7	4.6	36.2	5.9	7.8	75.2	1.4	4.0	5.4	4.1	3.4	1.7	0.3	2.8	20.8
Jeff Pendergraph	30	32.7	5.6	8.4	66.5	0.0	0.0	0.0	3.3	4.2	77.2	2.7	5.8	8.5	1.0	1.2	0.5	0.9	2.6	14.4
Rihards Kuksiks	29	32.5	3.7	8.0	45.9	2.8	6.2	45.6	0.6	0.8	75.0	1.0	3.0	4.0	1.4	1.3	0.5	0.2	2.6	10.8
Derek Glasser	29	32.2	2.0	5.5	37.1	1.2	3.0	40.9	2.7	3.2	84.8	0.4	1.7	2.0	4.9	2.2	1.0	0.0	1.6	8.0
Ty Abbott	30	29.2	2.3	6.7	34.0	1.0	4.4	22.7	0.7	1.1	66.7	0.6	3.5	4.1	1.6	1.5	1.0	0.4	2.2	6.3
Jamelle McMillan	29	19.6	1.8	4.2	42.3	1.1	2.9	36.5	0.4	0.7	57.9	0.3	1.7	2.1	1.8	1.2	0.7	0.1	2.0	5.0
Jerren Shipp	30	13.7	1.0	2.3	42.6	0.4	1.3	31.6	0.5	0.8	66.7	0.6	1.0	1.6	0.9	0.4	0.4	0.0	1.2	2.9
Eric Boateng	27	8.0	0.8	1.4	59.5	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.3	0.6	43.8	0.8	1.1	1.9	0.2	0.3	0.2	0.2	1.1	1.9
Taylor Rohde	16	4.6	0.3	0.9	33.3	0.1	0.4	16.7	0.1	0.2	33.3	0.3	0.3	0.6	0.2	0.3	0.1	0.0	0.4	0.8
Kraidon Woods	9	2.6	0.1	0.1	100.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.4	1.1	40.0	0.1	0.0	0.1	0.0	0.4	0.0	0.0	0.2	0.7
Nico Fricchione	4	1.3	0.0	0.3	0.0	0.0	0.3	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Virgil Sanders	1	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
	29	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.9	1.4	2.2	0.0	0.1	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0

ARIZONA WILDCATS

The Arizona Wildcats are also on a downward slope, losing 4 of their last 5 games in a variety of disgusting fashions. Their achilles heel of the last 10 games has been their three point defense, which we discussed in detail here. As far as their players go, the big three of Nic Wise, Chase Budinger, and Jordan Hill have each enjoyed incredible success over the season, especially the latter half. Arizona was counted out this year by many, but after an unfortunate face stomp in the Houston game, the Cats got their act together and went on a 7 game winning streak, beating Washington and UCLA during that span.

The Cats have struggled to find their fourth and fifth players who can contribute quality minutes and really bring the whole team together as a unit. At one point, the guy was Zane Johnson, who displayed some great shooting and defensive efforts. His luster faded and recently it has been Jamelle Horne who has been the fifth starter, alongside Kyle Fogg as the fourth guy. This combination seems to be a better fit, with Zane coming off of the bench, giving Horne more minutes.

Better fit than Zane. He's the fifth, for sure.
(Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)

The Cats are still strongly considered on the "bubble" for making the Tournament on Selection Sunday and many think that they need to win at least one game in the Pac-10 Tournament to be a lock for the NCAA Tournament. Their 19-12 record is impressive, with non-conference wins against Kansas and Gonzaga along with wins over UCLA and Pac-10 regular season champs, Washington.

Look for the Cats to try and speed the tempo of this game. I would hope that the press would be eliminated, as the Sun Devils have played Arizona twice this year, and had no problems beating it either time. Our bench is not deep enough to get into foul trouble, or be winded from press mumbo jumbo. I am also anticipating better three point defense out of our guys tomorrow and hope that Pennell has been hammering that all week. Jordan Hill is going to have to match up on Pendergraph one on one to allow the rest of the Cats to match up with their guys. Easy task if you ask me. Let's take a look at the Cats stats this season:

			FG			3PT			FT			Rebounds			Misc
	G	M	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	Off	Def	Tot	Ast	TO	Stl	Blk	PF	PPG
Jordan Hill	30	35.7	7.5	13.5	55.4	0.0	0.0	0.0	3.5	5.3	65.0	3.9	7.0	11.0	1.4	2.9	0.8	1.9	2.9	18.5
Chase Budinger	31	37.5	6.2	12.9	48.2	2.0	4.7	42.9	3.7	4.6	81.7	1.5	4.9	6.4	3.4	2.4	1.5	0.5	1.8	18.2
Nic Wise	31	36.3	4.9	10.9	45.0	1.9	4.5	42.4	3.3	4.0	83.1	0.3	2.1	2.4	4.6	2.9	1.5	0.1	2.4	15.0
Jamelle Horne	31	28.5	2.5	6.0	42.2	0.4	1.5	26.7	1.3	2.1	64.1	1.6	3.5	5.1	1.3	1.4	0.7	0.4	2.7	6.7
Kyle Fogg	31	23.0	1.9	4.1	46.8	0.7	1.7	40.7	1.8	2.4	78.1	0.8	1.5	2.4	1.7	1.2	0.7	0.0	1.7	6.4
Zane Johnson	29	19.6	1.6	3.7	44.3	1.2	2.8	41.5	0.4	0.6	76.5	0.4	1.4	1.8	1.0	0.7	0.4	0.1	1.9	4.9
Garland Judkins	18	12.6	0.9	2.2	40.0	0.0	0.2	0.0	0.6	1.0	61.1	0.4	0.6	0.9	1.2	1.2	0.3	0.1	0.9	2.4
David Bagga	5	1.8	0.4	1.0	40.0	0.4	0.6	66.7	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.2	0.2	0.0	0.2	0.0	0.0	0.2	1.2
Alex Jacobson	23	7.3	0.5	1.1	44.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.2	0.3	57.1	0.7	0.6	1.3	0.1	0.4	0.0	0.2	0.8	1.1
Fendi Onobun	27	6.4	0.4	0.8	45.5	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.4	0.8	47.6	0.2	0.6	0.8	0.3	0.2	0.1	0.1	1.0	1.1
Brendon Lavender	24	4.8	0.3	0.6	42.9	0.0	0.3	16.7	0.2	0.3	66.7	0.0	0.1	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.3	0.0	0.5	0.7
D.J. Shumpert	3	3.0	0.0	0.3	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.3	1.0	1.3	0.3	0.7	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
	31	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.5	1.3	2.8	0.0	0.1	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0

Keys to the game:

Don't Press Your Luck. Please. Don't press ASU. They know how to beat it. They will wear us down. They will force us to double and create fast breaks. We don't have the bench to keep up with running around all night. I voted to ditch the press this week, FYI.
Kuksiks' Arch. Got to get out to guard the three ball. Step in front of screens. Fight through screens. Extend the zone. Whatever it takes, Arizona should do it and make ASU beat us other ways.
Pennell's the Man. I think that Russ Pennell has done a terrific job in a number of ares for the Cats this season. I hope that he has made the necessary changes during the few days off to prepare for ASU and can make the changes during the game. Surely ASU will be ready for us to guard agaisnt the three pointer and will try to change their attack as well. It's going to be a chess match to start out. I hope Pennell comes out on top.

GAME NOTES

Arizona's Lack of Three Point Defense

joenewby4040 — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 22:53:53 -0000

Arizona Alum Dan Forde asked the question yesterday: How about defending the three point shot? Let's take a look at Arizona and how they have played over the last couple of weeks and dive deeper in what happened on their wins and losses:

DATE	OPPONENT	WIN/LOSS	THREE POINT DEFENSE %
1-31-09	Washington State	Win	9-26 (34.6%)
2-5-09	Oregon State	Win	8-22 (36.4%)
2-7-99	Oregon	Win	12-30 (40%)
2-12-09	USC	Win	10-17 (58.8%)
2-14-09	UCLA	Win	9-25 (36%)
2-22-09	Arizona State	Loss	13-30 (43%)
2-26-09	Washington State	Loss	9-22 (40.9%)
2-28-09	Washington	Loss	6-15 (40%)
3-5-09	California	Loss	16-30 (53.3%)
3-7-09	Stanford	Win	15-33 (45.5%)

For the season, the Cats opponents shot 35.6% on three pointers. In their four game losing streak, the Cats gave allowed their opponents to shoot 44-97 (45.4%). During their six wins above, the Cats only allowed their opponents to shoot 54-128 (42.2%). Based on their season average, the Cats are not doing their job defending the three pointer in the last 10 games, winning or losing. Allowing a team to shoot 42.2% is not as bad as 45.5%, but it's not good either.

So why did Arizona win six of those games? Well, one of them was against Oregon, who still lit up Arizona for 40% beyond the arc. The others? Good defense against Washington State on January 31. We held Oregon State in check on February 2. USC was lucky. Nic hit a three pointer with :43 to seal that one. UCLA was held in check. Stanford? We scored 101 points. Anyone would win a game where you score that much.

As this article here displays, Arizona is having great difficulty breaking through screens to defend the three point shot. Arizona players continue to be screened and continue to step behind the screens instead of in front of them. It is unbelievable to me that we are having this much trouble guarding the perimeter. Not every team has the luxury of Jordan Hill sitting on their block. Why do we continue to double team guys that Jordan is covering? Let the man play defense by himself and stick to your guy. Last I checked, we didn't get beat by a center making 50% of his jump shots. We are getting killed on the outside and something has got to stop before this guy gets us on Thursday:

How about the Cats implement a 1-1-3 zone with Nic on the point, Kyle at the FT line, and Jordan, Chase and Zane/Jamelle on the baseline?

The idea behind the 1-1-3 zone is to have your guard force their point guard to one side of the court and a simultaneous shift occurs for your second man on the free throw line, which would be Kyle Fogg. He rotates towards the first pass and Jordan, Chase and Zane/Jamelle all rotate in kind. This type of zone would benefit the Cats because of Nic's height disadvantage and the incredible reach of Chase Budinger and Zane/Jamelle rotating to the open men. I would like to see something like this implemented for the next game. Jordan has got to hold his own against Pendergraph to allow the others to concentrate on their zones/men.

If there is one thing that has not hurt the Cats in the last 10 games, it has been cutters or 10-12 ft jumpshots. Fast breaks and three pointers seem to be doing the trick just fine. With Jamelle and Chase's lanky arms, I am not sure how anyone would be able to get a good look implementing some sort of 1-1-3 or 2-3 extended zone. If we decide to play man to man, we cannot double too early and definitely don't need to double on Jordan Hill's man.

It's time for Russ Pennell to address the problem and make the necessary changes. I am not sure how he has been practicing this week for Arizona State, but they have two guys who can light it up from outside (Kuksiks and Harden) and more who lit us up when we went to Tempe (Glasser and McMilan). I also think that it is time to ditch the press. We only have a 6 man team and there is no need to gas our players in a press, which ASU has seen twice and has beat consistently twice, when your guys don't even have enough energy to break through a screen on defense.

Poll

Should Arizona ditch the press in the Pac-10 Tournament?

Yes

7 votes

No

7 votes

14 votes | Poll has closed