A co-op community for Arizona Fans
http://beardownwildcats.com/
Redundant.PHXCATS wrote:Insert posts here about Larry Scott, complaining about the tip off time, unknowledgeable announcers, Bill Walton, refs trying to screw Arizona, etc.
Here's the link:gumby wrote:Good Pascoe interview with Miller in today's Star. Can't seem to log back in to grab link. Anyway, he has high praise for Ryan Anderson for hard work (reshaped his body) and leadership. Says he's not had a guy as willing to reach out to newcomers and lead while at Arizona. He is well liked by teammates.
Says Ray Smith is a bouncier Solo Hill. To play small forward and some 4.
Thinks our best days will be in February and March.
Trier a willing learner. Natural scorer who wants to work on rest of game. Likes that Anderson and Tollefsen gives team three guys who are Kaleb's age.
Oh, and he's considering doing some recruiting soon, but he wants to binge-watch "The Gilmore Girls" first. I dunno. Going soft!
Sam needs to talk to his buddy at CBS, Rothstein who has the Cats at third in the PAC, and possibly sliding to 4th or 5th. Cause, ya know, Oregon and Cal with all that talent and proven track records and all.Chicat wrote:Sam Vecenie (CBS Sports) mailbag:
http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketb ... his-season
Q: What are the keys for a great Arizona Wildcats season? - Dave Farley
A: I did a Pac-12 preview earlier this summer and still had Arizona on top of the league despite California and Oregon possessing more talented rosters offensively. Why is that? Honestly, it mostly has to do with trust in Sean Miller getting this deep, multi-faceted roster to play together on both ends.
It's fair to expect a drop-off on defense given who Arizona lost this offseason. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and T.J. McConnell were very much elite collegiate defenders. Stanley Johnson was also an elite defender when he was fully engaged, and Brandon Ashley was a big part of their pick-and-roll defense with his mobility and ability to hedge out on the perimeter. Still though, Miller is one of the best defensive coaches in the country, so you'd think they should be able at least carve out an above-average defense this year.
But because it might not be one of the top-three units in America this year, the key for the Cats will be getting more consistent offense. They relied an awful lot last season on McConnell to get them shots late in the offense, and he's gone now. The offense could really bog down though due to a lack of spacing when defenses keyed on him last year.
I'd look for two guys particularly to tell the story as to whether or not the offense will be good enough to make up for what could be a defensive drop off. First, Allonzo Trier was one of the best pure scorers in last year's recruiting class, and he'll be counted on to take on a heavy load while still taking better, more efficient looks than he did at times before getting to Arizona. It's not out of the question for him to lead the Pac-12 in scoring. Second, Kadeem Allen is a guy that people around the program have been excited about since he arrived on campus after winning JUCO Player of the Year in 2014. He's a 6-3 guard who will guard both the 1 and 2, but he's at his best on offense. He can really break down defenses from the perimeter, shoot a little bit from the outside, and he is also terrific at getting into transition. The jury's still out on him just due to a lack of track record at the high-Division I level, but if he can be the big-time player that many expect him to be the Wildcats should be fine. I'd also be remiss if I didn't mention their two big incoming transfers, Ryan Anderson from Boston College and Mark Tollefson from San Francisco. Both of these guys can step out and knock down jumpers, giving them a bit more of a spacing dimension than they had last year.
Overall, the Wildcats could be a more consistent offensive team this year due to better spacing and shooting. But will it be enough to make up for the departing talent? That's still a question that needs answering.
At times, absolutely.rgdeuce wrote:Defenses keyed on TJ last year?
KenPom notes that coaches who do this increase their chances of winning.Longhorned wrote:Sean Miller uses indirect object pronouns as subjects. Me wanted you all to know that.
Not sure he meant that this was the game plan. Just a good idea as the clock wound down, because he was the guy who would bail us out.rgdeuce wrote:Must have been the games I missed or was inebriated. I saw it in a few instances, but never to a level where it looked like that was the game plan (other than sag off TJ and make him shoot from outside). I remember it being in-game adjustments the few times I saw it.
RHJ was the most responsible for killing spacing last year. AG the year before.
I think it'll be a good one and one that definitely won't have spacing issues unlike the recent past, but we had a great offense last year efficiency wise and I don't see this team matching that, especially if the rumored starting lineup is accurate. This team will probably be very similar to the Lyons team outside of the heat checking point guard.Olsondogg wrote:Almost positive that this will be the best offensive team in the Miller Era.
I don't see this team being better than the 12-13 team offensively honestly.ChooChooCat wrote:I think it'll be a good one and one that definitely won't have spacing issues unlike the recent past, but we had a great offense last year efficiency wise and I don't see this team matching that, especially if the rumored starting lineup is accurate. This team will probably be very similar to the Lyons team outside of the heat checking point guard.Olsondogg wrote:Almost positive that this will be the best offensive team in the Miller Era.
Let's hope for the same outcome.Merkin wrote:No games east of Tucson the first 25 real games!
That's Duke worthy.
http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketb ... five-years4. ARIZONA WILDCATS
Outlook: Sean Miller has signed a top-six recruiting class each of the past five years, according to 247Sports, and won the Pac-12 each of the past two seasons while making the Elite Eight both times. Translation: Miller is dominating west of the Mississippi, and the only thing that could derail what he has going at Arizona would be if an A-level job opened east of the Mississippi and made an offer that lured him closer to his Pennsylvania roots.
Main Event wrote:The 15 programs best positioned to succeed over the next five yearshttp://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketb ... five-years4. ARIZONA WILDCATS
Outlook: Sean Miller has signed a top-six recruiting class each of the past five years, according to 247Sports, and won the Pac-12 each of the past two seasons while making the Elite Eight both times. Translation: Miller is dominating west of the Mississippi, and the only thing that could derail what he has going at Arizona would be if an A-level job opened east of the Mississippi and made an offer that lured him closer to his Pennsylvania roots.
And Ohio State I believe.Merkin wrote:Main Event wrote:The 15 programs best positioned to succeed over the next five yearshttp://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketb ... five-years4. ARIZONA WILDCATS
Outlook: Sean Miller has signed a top-six recruiting class each of the past five years, according to 247Sports, and won the Pac-12 each of the past two seasons while making the Elite Eight both times. Translation: Miller is dominating west of the Mississippi, and the only thing that could derail what he has going at Arizona would be if an A-level job opened east of the Mississippi and made an offer that lured him closer to his Pennsylvania roots.
Never heard anything about Miller moving closer to PA. He hates the cold weather, or so he said when he moved over from Xavier. Didn't 97 say that only UNC holds his interest?
I do.Main Event wrote:I don't see this team being better than the 12-13 team offensively honestly.ChooChooCat wrote:I think it'll be a good one and one that definitely won't have spacing issues unlike the recent past, but we had a great offense last year efficiency wise and I don't see this team matching that, especially if the rumored starting lineup is accurate. This team will probably be very similar to the Lyons team outside of the heat checking point guard.Olsondogg wrote:Almost positive that this will be the best offensive team in the Miller Era.
You may have a point about getting to the line, but I doubt the dropoff will be as much. I don't think we are suddenly going to become a perimeter team, and I would expect Zeus to get the ball inside more often (insert smartass comment about his hands). I don't have data in front of me about how the FT's compare year to year to year, but I am guessing they are pretty consistent year in and year out based on the sets that the coaching staff uses.Main Event wrote:I've already accepted we're not going to be nearly as good defensively especially if we're really throwing out PJC-Gabe-Tollefsen on the perimeter to start. Offensively we'll probably shoot it better but we're not getting to the line nearly as much as we did last year and we're asking a lot from PJC to create for guys who haven't shown they can create offense for themselves consistently.
I don't think that MIller will fall out of the top 20 in defensive efficiency from here on out. The team this year is much deeper and is more talented than the '12-'13 team imoChooChooCat wrote:'12-'13 we were 10th in offensive efficiency and 47th in defensive efficiency. I expect finishing something very similar to that in both departments.
Miller can be as much of a wonder coach on defense as humanly possible, but that doesn't mean he's not at the mercy of the talent he has on his team. Honestly who will defend the other team's best backcourt player or wing player? We had an easy obvious answer for that the past 2 years and sometimes we had 2-3 answers for that question. Next year's team???Airizona wrote:I don't think that MIller will fall out of the top 20 in defensive efficiency from here on out. The team this year is much deeper and is more talented than the '12-'13 team imoChooChooCat wrote:'12-'13 we were 10th in offensive efficiency and 47th in defensive efficiency. I expect finishing something very similar to that in both departments.
We have a ton of talent. Maybe they won't be as good as rondae, but Tollefsen (sp) Ray Smith Justin Simon Kadeem Allen all could be great defendersChooChooCat wrote:Miller can be as much of a wonder coach on defense as humanly possible, but that doesn't mean he's not at the mercy of the talent he has on his team. Honestly who will defend the other team's best backcourt player or wing player? We had an easy obvious answer for that the past 2 years and sometimes we had 2-3 answers for that question. Next year's team???Airizona wrote:I don't think that MIller will fall out of the top 20 in defensive efficiency from here on out. The team this year is much deeper and is more talented than the '12-'13 team imoChooChooCat wrote:'12-'13 we were 10th in offensive efficiency and 47th in defensive efficiency. I expect finishing something very similar to that in both departments.
That's the beauty of the pack line though. You can have a high performing defense with only above average athletes, as long as everyone is doing what they are supposed to. In a way it masks deficiencies. Now, will we always be a suffocating top-5 bunch? Maybe not, but yea top 20 seems achievable easy.ChooChooCat wrote:Miller can be as much of a wonder coach on defense as humanly possible, but that doesn't mean he's not at the mercy of the talent he has on his team. Honestly who will defend the other team's best backcourt player or wing player? We had an easy obvious answer for that the past 2 years and sometimes we had 2-3 answers for that question. Next year's team???Airizona wrote:I don't think that MIller will fall out of the top 20 in defensive efficiency from here on out. The team this year is much deeper and is more talented than the '12-'13 team imoChooChooCat wrote:'12-'13 we were 10th in offensive efficiency and 47th in defensive efficiency. I expect finishing something very similar to that in both departments.
Yeah. Rondae was/is an elite defender. 6'7 guys with speed and long arms like that don't come along often. But all the guys you've listed can get there.Airizona wrote:We have a ton of talent. Maybe they won't be as good as rondae, but Tollefsen (sp) Ray Smith Justin Simon Kadeem Allen all could be great defendersChooChooCat wrote:Miller can be as much of a wonder coach on defense as humanly possible, but that doesn't mean he's not at the mercy of the talent he has on his team. Honestly who will defend the other team's best backcourt player or wing player? We had an easy obvious answer for that the past 2 years and sometimes we had 2-3 answers for that question. Next year's team???Airizona wrote:I don't think that MIller will fall out of the top 20 in defensive efficiency from here on out. The team this year is much deeper and is more talented than the '12-'13 team imoChooChooCat wrote:'12-'13 we were 10th in offensive efficiency and 47th in defensive efficiency. I expect finishing something very similar to that in both departments.
More than one way to skin a cat. Maybe we've got no Rondae, but Rondae was not fear-inducing on the offensive end. He was efficient, which was great, but IMO he didn't create a huge amount of opportunity. He delivered on the opportunities that arose for sure, though. You put a Ray Smith or an Allonzo Trier in there you get a whole different dynamic.ChooChooCat wrote:Miller can be as much of a wonder coach on defense as humanly possible, but that doesn't mean he's not at the mercy of the talent he has on his team. Honestly who will defend the other team's best backcourt player or wing player? We had an easy obvious answer for that the past 2 years and sometimes we had 2-3 answers for that question. Next year's team???Airizona wrote:I don't think that MIller will fall out of the top 20 in defensive efficiency from here on out. The team this year is much deeper and is more talented than the '12-'13 team imoChooChooCat wrote:'12-'13 we were 10th in offensive efficiency and 47th in defensive efficiency. I expect finishing something very similar to that in both departments.
This.threenumberones wrote:That's the beauty of the pack line though. You can have a high performing defense with only above average athletes, as long as everyone is doing what they are supposed to. In a way it masks deficiencies. Now, will we always be a suffocating top-5 bunch? Maybe not, but yea top 20 seems achievable easy.ChooChooCat wrote:Miller can be as much of a wonder coach on defense as humanly possible, but that doesn't mean he's not at the mercy of the talent he has on his team. Honestly who will defend the other team's best backcourt player or wing player? We had an easy obvious answer for that the past 2 years and sometimes we had 2-3 answers for that question. Next year's team???Airizona wrote:I don't think that MIller will fall out of the top 20 in defensive efficiency from here on out. The team this year is much deeper and is more talented than the '12-'13 team imoChooChooCat wrote:'12-'13 we were 10th in offensive efficiency and 47th in defensive efficiency. I expect finishing something very similar to that in both departments.
Defensive EfficiencyOlsondogg wrote:You may have a point about getting to the line, but I doubt the dropoff will be as much. I don't think we are suddenly going to become a perimeter team, and I would expect Zeus to get the ball inside more often (insert smartass comment about his hands). I don't have data in front of me about how the FT's compare year to year to year, but I am guessing they are pretty consistent year in and year out based on the sets that the coaching staff uses.Main Event wrote:I've already accepted we're not going to be nearly as good defensively especially if we're really throwing out PJC-Gabe-Tollefsen on the perimeter to start. Offensively we'll probably shoot it better but we're not getting to the line nearly as much as we did last year and we're asking a lot from PJC to create for guys who haven't shown they can create offense for themselves consistently.
Defensively, I said I was concerned more than offense, but I am really not that concerned. I mean, we will likely still be a top 20 defensive team by the end of the year.
Help me out with your reasoning skills here.Main Event wrote:Defensive EfficiencyOlsondogg wrote:You may have a point about getting to the line, but I doubt the dropoff will be as much. I don't think we are suddenly going to become a perimeter team, and I would expect Zeus to get the ball inside more often (insert smartass comment about his hands). I don't have data in front of me about how the FT's compare year to year to year, but I am guessing they are pretty consistent year in and year out based on the sets that the coaching staff uses.Main Event wrote:I've already accepted we're not going to be nearly as good defensively especially if we're really throwing out PJC-Gabe-Tollefsen on the perimeter to start. Offensively we'll probably shoot it better but we're not getting to the line nearly as much as we did last year and we're asking a lot from PJC to create for guys who haven't shown they can create offense for themselves consistently.
Defensively, I said I was concerned more than offense, but I am really not that concerned. I mean, we will likely still be a top 20 defensive team by the end of the year.
14-15: 3rd
13-14: 1st
12-13: 47th
11-12: 41st
10-11: 88th
If we're a top 20 team defensively next year go ahead and build him a statue
Yeah top 20 is so achievable, any team that runs the pack line can do it. Just look at the empirical evidence! Should we post Xavier's adjD over Miller's last 3 years too while we're at it? It certainly won't be pretty for you top 20 defense crowd. We can also talk about the last two Wisconsin teams, while we're at it.Main Event wrote:Defensive EfficiencyOlsondogg wrote:You may have a point about getting to the line, but I doubt the dropoff will be as much. I don't think we are suddenly going to become a perimeter team, and I would expect Zeus to get the ball inside more often (insert smartass comment about his hands). I don't have data in front of me about how the FT's compare year to year to year, but I am guessing they are pretty consistent year in and year out based on the sets that the coaching staff uses.Main Event wrote:I've already accepted we're not going to be nearly as good defensively especially if we're really throwing out PJC-Gabe-Tollefsen on the perimeter to start. Offensively we'll probably shoot it better but we're not getting to the line nearly as much as we did last year and we're asking a lot from PJC to create for guys who haven't shown they can create offense for themselves consistently.
Defensively, I said I was concerned more than offense, but I am really not that concerned. I mean, we will likely still be a top 20 defensive team by the end of the year.
14-15: 3rd
13-14: 1st
12-13: 47th
11-12: 41st
10-11: 88th
If we're a top 20 team defensively next year go ahead and build him a statue
We were never a top 20 team defensively until we had great defensive players even with the packline, all of them are gone. So....Olsondogg wrote:Help me out with your reasoning skills here.Main Event wrote:Defensive EfficiencyOlsondogg wrote:You may have a point about getting to the line, but I doubt the dropoff will be as much. I don't think we are suddenly going to become a perimeter team, and I would expect Zeus to get the ball inside more often (insert smartass comment about his hands). I don't have data in front of me about how the FT's compare year to year to year, but I am guessing they are pretty consistent year in and year out based on the sets that the coaching staff uses.Main Event wrote:I've already accepted we're not going to be nearly as good defensively especially if we're really throwing out PJC-Gabe-Tollefsen on the perimeter to start. Offensively we'll probably shoot it better but we're not getting to the line nearly as much as we did last year and we're asking a lot from PJC to create for guys who haven't shown they can create offense for themselves consistently.
Defensively, I said I was concerned more than offense, but I am really not that concerned. I mean, we will likely still be a top 20 defensive team by the end of the year.
14-15: 3rd
13-14: 1st
12-13: 47th
11-12: 41st
10-11: 88th
If we're a top 20 team defensively next year go ahead and build him a statue
PJCOlsondogg wrote:Cool. Good to know you've already accurately predicted the skills of several players yet to actually suit up and play, as well as nailed what the metrics of a season yet to be played are. Fantastic stuff.
ahaha the bolded is the funniest thing I've read today, I'm sure Miller doesn't know what he is talking about when he constantly touts Zeus' defensive abilities. You should talk with Miller and let him know.ChooChooCat wrote:PJCOlsondogg wrote:Cool. Good to know you've already accurately predicted the skills of several players yet to actually suit up and play, as well as nailed what the metrics of a season yet to be played are. Fantastic stuff.
York
Tollefsen
Anderson
Zeus
That's the likely starting 5. Which one is a mystery in their defensive abilities at this point in their careers outside of maybe our 5'8 PG who will be a tad deficient defensively solely due to his lack of stature naturally. The rest all have ridiculous amount of experience and aren't exactly known as defensive specialists outside of maybe Zeus, which his defensive ability is debatable honestly.
In regards to the young guys only one has any hype as a defender (Simon) and his playing time at this point is a major question mark.
Top 20 defense here we come.
I like your reasoning as well, never having seen this "likely starting 5" ever play together, never seen them in practice together, never watched a game, practice, or anything resembling game play. Futhermore, you have already grasped the 2015-16 college basketball landscape that has yet to even start, enough to know for a fact that Arizona can't possibly be good at defense, based on prior years and prior programs. You've used what you've read from others enough to form an opinion to ridicule others that feel that, while not as good, AZ will still be one of the better teams in the country--defensively speaking.ChooChooCat wrote:PJCOlsondogg wrote:Cool. Good to know you've already accurately predicted the skills of several players yet to actually suit up and play, as well as nailed what the metrics of a season yet to be played are. Fantastic stuff.
York
Tollefsen
Anderson
Zeus
That's the likely starting 5. Which one is a mystery in their defensive abilities at this point in their careers outside of maybe our 5'8 PG who will be a tad deficiency defensively solely due to his lack of stature naturally. The rest all have ridiculous amount of experience and aren't exactly known as defensive specialists.
In regards to the young guys only one has any hype as a defender (Simon) and his playing time at this point is a major question mark.
Top 20 defense here we come.
Also, where do you get your info? Just whatever sounds good is your info?ChooChooCat wrote:PJCOlsondogg wrote:Cool. Good to know you've already accurately predicted the skills of several players yet to actually suit up and play, as well as nailed what the metrics of a season yet to be played are. Fantastic stuff.
York
Tollefsen
Anderson
Zeus
That's the likely starting 5. Which one is a mystery in their defensive abilities at this point in their careers outside of maybe our 5'8 PG who will be a tad deficient defensively solely due to his lack of stature naturally. The rest all have ridiculous amount of experience and aren't exactly known as defensive specialists outside of maybe Zeus, which his defensive ability is debatable honestly.
In regards to the young guys only one has any hype as a defender (Simon) and his playing time at this point is a major question mark.
Top 20 defense here we come.
Was this reply to me?Olsondogg wrote:Cool. Good to know you've already accurately predicted the skills of several players yet to actually suit up and play, as well as nailed what the metrics of a season yet to be played are. Fantastic stuff.