Championship Odds 20-1
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I really like what I see with the Wildcats basketball team this year. Not going to be easy getting past them this year in the Pac12. Head Coach Sean Miller has a ton of talent and some of the young talent is starter material. The size of this team is scary good and the depth at PG is great. The total number of starters he can play on any given night will be a big advantage for the Wildcats. It will also be a big help with switching up the lineup versus other teams. He can go big or small and the other team might not feel good entering the game with the preparation not knowing who Miller will start. That's a good issue to have if you are Miller heading into the season and into games this year. 20-1 odds seem kind of high to me. I think a 10-1 odds are more realistic for this team. A Elite 8 trip is very much in sight, but a Final Four appearance is in the cards. A 20-1 ticket is something we can work with as we get near the big dance.
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Head Coach : Sean Miller
His resume speaks for itself. If you watch him on the sideline you will say he does one of the finest jobs on the court. He is a hard grinder and his intense nature rubs off on his players. He always seems to get the best out of his players year in and out. He was a PG way back in the day with Pittsburgh and spent plenty of time as an asst coach with a number of schools. He did some great things with NC St and Xavier as an Asst Coach and then had Xavier marching to one of the top teams in the nation as the head coach. He was recognized by his hard work and knowledge for the game by Arizona back in 2009 and has remained the HC since his hire. He has a career .740 winning % as a head coach with a 307-108 record. His tournament record is pretty good as well as he supports a 17-9 record. He has plenty of conference championships to his record as well. His most recent would be the Pac12 championship back in 2015. Miller is a 3x NCAA "Coach Of The Year" also. He is a big difference maker and one of the coaches I like to watch work his magic when i can view the games on TV. Almost never miss a game when AZ can be seen on prime time.
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The Lineup:
It's almost impossible to even think of what the starting 5 could be. For sure 7'0 Dusan Ristic will be in at Center. Ray Smith will get the SF spot for sure and Allonzo Trier might get the SG spot. Still got about 6 other guys who might fill in the rest of the remaining two spots. All are quality and all will play and start at some point. It's a good problem to have.
PG - Kobi Simmons
Simmons was one of the top recruits in the nation at the PG spot. A sure fire 5*** recruit and the schools who wanted him failed. Kentucky & Ohio St. both wanted him, but Simmons chose to play for the Wildcats because he was almost guaranteed as a freshman to start. Looks like he made the right choice and this kid can ball. I remember watching him play in the all-american game a while back. Kids got some speed and fantastic ball skills. He was on the court with the best of the best coming out of high school into that all-american game and you noticed right off the bat this kid was one of the best on the court. A huge landing for the Wildcats and Miller. This kid will impress...I'd guess he gets 25+ minutes a night. He's young, but Miller has no choice but to play him because he is just that good. you will see.
SG - Allonzo Trier
Soph - Allonzo Trier is a great shooting guard and another all-american on this Wildcat roster. Last year Trier averaged about 14ppg. He has a lot of room to grow, but he won't be asked to do much on the offensive side of the ball. He is a shooter for the most part and getting rebounds and assists won't be his strong suit. he really won't be needed in those areas, but leaving him alone to shoot will hurt teams if they decide to leave Trier alone. He can shoot the 3 ball and a decent FT shooter as well. A terrific defender from what I've read and they need that in this conference. I think we see Trier swapped out from time to time from the starting lineup, but having him start or come off the bench will do enough damage for the Wildcats no matter his role. A team player for sure.
C- Dusan Ristic
Ristic is one of the monsters on this team. He will control the glass for the Wildcats, but can be a big scorer if need be. His time the last few years was limited due to the Wildcats have some very good big men the last few years. Ristic still played enough though to get comfortable with the team on the floor this year. He should get an uptick in minutes this year and he avg's around 10rpg and 1.5blk...Scoring will be an uptick as well in the area of 10-15ppg. A huge body in the middle that is going to be tough to move for any team. He will be noticed when you watch the Wildcats this year.
SF - Ray Smith
6'9 SF Ray Smith will be back in the starting rotation for the Wildcats...Smith was out for a few years with some knee injuries, but he is 100% healthy and ready to go...A big body for a SF and the size of this team is starting to pile up. Smith IMO will start almost every game this season. Smith has sat back and got his game on point now. A 5***** recruit out of Las Vegas can score and rebound with the best of them. His stat line is rather unknown as Smith hasn't played in a meaningful game for the Wildcats, but reports are that he will light up the scoreboard for the Cats this year. A heavy hitter driving to the basket and a kid that can be a valuable asset when needed at the FT line. Smith might see a limited role with the depth on this team, but being a starter will help him overall. A true team player that is committed to the Wildcats and whatever Coach Miller will try to do with him
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Best Of The Rest:
The title doesn't really fit. This team is loaded with everything they need. Like i said 5 or 6 of the guys listed below will start or may even start the season.
Lauri Makkanen - Another 7'0 monster who has a skill set that most won't be able to stop at this level. A true big man who can shoot inside and out. He will drop 3's on you at a very high %. Putting him down low with the other 7'0 Ristic makes the Wildcats interior almost impossible to penetrate. Almost every team will have no choice but to follow Makkanen out of the paint and that will leave plenty of space for the slashing guards on this team. This guy is just Freshman, but I won't be surprised to see him enter the NBA draft early. This kid will play a ton in the Wildcats rotation and will be a nightmare for other teams.
Kadeem Allen - Senior G who IMO will start the season for the Wildcats. Reports have suggested he won't, but I think Coach Miller will go with his more experienced lineup to start the season. Allen is still a quality player, but I'm worried as the time moves along he will see less time on the floor. Again this Wildcat team is so deep at the guard position it's tough to even let the senior play. Miller will get his minutes and production out of Allen no matter what. a good solid player that can defend well.
Rawle Atkins - Terrance Furguson - Chance Comanche
Parker-Jackson Cartwright - Keanu Pinder
Then we have these six guys. Again, any of these guys can start and will at some point. it depends what Miller decides to do. All these guys can shoot and the size of these guys alone is scary. It's hard to pinpoint which of these guys will play and when they will play. Comanche might start the season, but he can play big or small, it really doesn't matter because his talent level is that good. Rawle Alkins is in the same boat. A killer shooter who will be tough to stop down down as well. A big muscular kid that will body up any person on the other team. He can shoot the lights out and seeing him play a lot of minutes won't be a surprise. We still got about 3 other players that will play. 3*** recruits that are freshman, but i'll leave them be for now...Parker-Jackson will play and he got skills as well. he might even start at the g spot as he is the only true PG this team has, but it's not really an issue. i won't be surprised if coach Miller plays Allen and Cartwright to start the season at all. Pinder will play as well because of his experience and size. He might not draw any starts, but he will first the 2nd wave that comes off the bench and gets a healthy amount of minutes.
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McKale Center - Capacity 15.5k
A typical zoo atmosphere in CBB. One of the toughest places to play that never gets the recognition it deserves. Wildcats don't lose here often, in fact they might have lost 1 game the last two season here if my memory serves me correct. Just not an easy place to play and with a team filled with youth, this place will help this team through some tough games and grow these kids together. I won't be shocked if they lose one game at home, but going undefeated is in the cards for the Wildcats on the home court.
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The Schedule:
Obviously coming out of the Pac12 is never easy, but it does provide some challenges that will go a long way for the Wildcats. They open up the season at a neutral site against Michigan St. I hope the Wildcats lose this game because it will help them down the road. Problem is the Spartans in my rankings sits about 20th this season. Wildcats may win this game and they might even do it in impressive fashion, but beating Michigan St. won't help them until further down the road when Conf play begins IMO. The non-conf schedule is a bit of up and down. A great rounded out schedule for Coach Miller though to tinker with his lineup. He plays a few big teams and some high speed teams. That will help him until he gets to conference play. Pac12 is the Pac12...One of the toughest conferences in CBB and I feel that the only struggles the Widcats will have, will be on the road @ Oregon and @USC. The rest of schedule looks pretty good for them...No serious tough spots IMO.
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My Prediction: I think a common theme across the landscape for CBB this year will be youth. The NBA gained a ton of talent from the college ranks and most of the teams that are good lost a ton of talent. Recruiting this past year was way up and Arizona landed some very good players. Wildcats also have two key guys coming back off injury and that alone brings even more depth. Arizona might be one of the deepest, if not the deepest teams in the country at the Guard spot. Down low they have two towers that will work very well with each other. The other thing the Wildcats have is size. You won't find anyone on this team playing on the floor who is small this year. I'm not 100% sure, but i think they have 80% of the roster over 6'6. Rebounding over this team will be a chore and winning on the glass will almost be certain on a nightly basis. Big key for this team is getting it together. If Coach Miller can round out his starting 5 and his next 5, the Wildcats will be trouble mid season for the Pac12. I think he can do it and the Wildcats will be able to match-up with any team in the country. He has a ton of talent and getting them minutes might look to be an issue, but IMO Coach Miller will use the guys he needs for each particular game. So if player A only plays 12 one game, he might play 27 the next. That is a nice problem to have, but it also helps getting all the players to give max effort with buying into what he needs to do. Scoring won't be an issue for this team, but I think they look defense first. If the Wildcats struggle in any area it will be defense for the non-conf schedule until Coach Miller re-tools everything he needs. I can see the Wildcats playing it slow and low the first few games out looking for the guy who can step up and defend. Plenty of freshman on this team and some might think they won't play much...WRONG !!!.....I did enough research and watched enough of the lineup of freshman he has. Wildcats will play these kids an they are all out to make a name for themselves. Getting the entire team on the same page may take some time, but once they get the lineups figured out for what teams they face, they will be a big issue when they get rolling.
Final Prediction - 24-6 (Final Four) appearance.