Bear Down Wildcats

Not in the field?

This mean no Vegas bubble?

I would assume so, get ready for a boring schedule.

ChooChooCat wrote:get ready for a boring schedule.

Yep. No Illinois game either.

IndianaZonaFan wrote:

Not in the field?

Elite

Any word on who’s sticking out to the staff in early workouts?

Jet

NickyBCats wrote:Any word on who’s sticking out to the staff in early workouts?

Tubelis and Akinjo. The team goes as far as those two take them.

ChooChooCat wrote:

NickyBCats wrote:Any word on who’s sticking out to the staff in early workouts?

Tubelis and Akinjo. The team goes as far as those two take them.

And generally what would be your guess as to that?

We basically continuing our general fringe top 25ness?

SCCats wrote:

ChooChooCat wrote:

NickyBCats wrote:Any word on who’s sticking out to the staff in early workouts?

Tubelis and Akinjo. The team goes as far as those two take them.

And generally what would be your guess as to that?

We basically continuing our general fringe top 25ness?

That is my guess, yes. One more year with this core though and we could hit big pending of course on a tourney sanction.

ChooChooCat wrote:

SCCats wrote:

ChooChooCat wrote:

NickyBCats wrote:Any word on who’s sticking out to the staff in early workouts?

Tubelis and Akinjo. The team goes as far as those two take them.

And generally what would be your guess as to that?

We basically continuing our general fringe top 25ness?

That is my guess, yes. One more year with this core though and we could hit big pending of course on a tourney sanction.

Makes sense, that was my thought as well. It would be the most Arizona Basketball thing ever if we get a tourney ban in the year we have our best roster in a handful of years...absolutely cursed

ChooChooCat wrote:

NickyBCats wrote:Any word on who’s sticking out to the staff in early workouts?

Tubelis and Akinjo. The team goes as far as those two take them.

Hopefully we can be solid defensively. I would reckon that determines our tourney fate. Koloko, Brown, Tubelis, Mathurin, Terry, Baker, Brown and Akinjo all have the physical attributes to be plus defenders. Hopefully the extra prep time lets that come out immediately.

We’re Co Hosting a MTE event with GCU. Both of us will host Grambling and Sam Houston State.

For many keeping tabs on college basketball, the Arizona program has to be one of the more head-scratching groups out there. Head coach Sean Miller heavily dipped into the international pool leaving fans with little to no prior exposure to their new squad. However, what Miller’s quietly compiled is a talented group with varying skillsets to help build his program for immediate success.

Ira Lee and Christian Koloko are back from the 2019 roster but were given very small minutes behind Zeke Nnaji, Chase Jeter, and Bill Walton’s favorite player Stone Gettings. Lee has been a low usage guy for the Wildcats since he stepped foot on campus, but his production and efficiency if afforded a longer leash could pay dividends for the team. He’s a physical player who can create havoc on the glass at both ends and doesn’t mind playing through contact to score in the paint.


Koloko on the other hand proved to be a solid rim protector last season, averaging a block per game with only 8.3 minutes a night. His overall role should expand in 2020 without Nnaji, Gettings, and Jeter on the roster, but he will still have to fight for touches on a guard-dominant squad and amongst bigs with developed offensive skillsets.

Freshmen Daniel Batcho of France and Azuolas Tubelis of Lithuania are the program’s pair of international frontcourt signings this offseason. Batcho’s skillset is much less refined compared to Tubelis, but he has experience at the FIBA level and could make quick adjustments this season. He is very active on the glass and gifts himself easy looks around the rim, but he is still likely to be 4th or 5th in the rotation next season.


Tubelis on the other hand may not have the 5-star ranking possessed by Nevada transfer Jordan Brown, but he may be the readiest frontcourt player on the 2020 roster. He has excellent footwork in-and-around the basket to score on his defender and is a high-level passer. His offensive game is a bit more traditional, but that may complement the high number of guards on this year’s roster.

Tubelis is likely to share the frontcourt with Brown, but the latter received limited minutes with the Wolfpack prior to transferring. Brown has a similar game to Zeke Nnaji but has not been given the opportunity to fully showcase it. He will be a competitive piece for the Wildcats prior to the season beginning and has a good chance to earn a spot in the starting lineup.


This year’s group of frontcourt options for Arizona is underrated, but only in name. Coach Miller will not have to excessively worry about this collection of forwards producing on the court.

https://bustingbrackets.com/2020/10/15/ ... on/amp/13/" target="_blank

If I had to guess the starting lineup today it would be:

Akinjo
Baker
Terry
Tubelis
Brown

I think Kerr is the better player vs Baker, but his frame is going to hold him back from starting (off the bat at least). Terry is just a guess over Mathurin, that could go either way, with the possibility of both starting next to each other as the season goes on as well. I’m pegging Terry there as he’s a great passer to compliment Akinjo’s ball dominant style. As far as reserves go Kerr, Brown, Mathurin, Lee, and Koloko. I have no idea how Batcho can get minutes on this team.

Is your guess Choo that we are better than expected? It might be my fandom but I think we will be.

ChooChooCat wrote:If I had to guess the starting lineup today it would be:

Akinjo
Baker
Terry
Tubelis
Brown

I think Kerr is the better player vs Baker, but his frame is going to hold him back from starting (off the bat at least). Terry is just a guess over Mathurin, that could go either way, with the possibility of both starting next to each other as the season goes on as well. I’m pegging Terry there as he’s a great passer to compliment Akinjo’s ball dominant style. As far as reserves go Kerr, Brown, Mathurin, Lee, and Koloko. I have no idea how Batcho can get minutes on this team.

Thank you.

Have you heard anything about Mathurin and Terry relative to their development? Every other position has a veteran or two to fall back on. Wing...seems wide open. Mathurin/Terry are the most natural SF's, or we could go 3 guards with Kerr or Brown.

I would love to know how we're shaping up on D. That's the area I think makes the differerence in our tourney ability.

azcat49 wrote:Is your guess Choo that we are better than expected? It might be my fandom but I think we will be.

We’ll be good, how good depends on how far Akinjo/Tubelis can carry us and what Sean Miller can do coaching wise.

Spaceman Spiff wrote:

ChooChooCat wrote:If I had to guess the starting lineup today it would be:

Akinjo
Baker
Terry
Tubelis
Brown

I think Kerr is the better player vs Baker, but his frame is going to hold him back from starting (off the bat at least). Terry is just a guess over Mathurin, that could go either way, with the possibility of both starting next to each other as the season goes on as well. I’m pegging Terry there as he’s a great passer to compliment Akinjo’s ball dominant style. As far as reserves go Kerr, Brown, Mathurin, Lee, and Koloko. I have no idea how Batcho can get minutes on this team.

Thank you.

Have you heard anything about Mathurin and Terry relative to their development? Every other position has a veteran or two to fall back on. Wing...seems wide open. Mathurin/Terry are the most natural SF's, or we could go 3 guards with Kerr or Brown.

I would love to know how we're shaping up on D. That's the area I think makes the differerence in our tourney ability.

Mathurin is further along physically, while Terry is further along basketball wise, although Mathurin isn’t that far behind there. I have no idea about defense honestly. Still too early.

ChooChooCat wrote:

azcat49 wrote:Is your guess Choo that we are better than expected? It might be my fandom but I think we will be.

We’ll be good, how good depends on how far Akinjo/Tubelis can carry us and what Sean Miller can do coaching wise.

Oh.

ChooChooCat wrote:

Spaceman Spiff wrote:

ChooChooCat wrote:If I had to guess the starting lineup today it would be:

Akinjo
Baker
Terry
Tubelis
Brown

I think Kerr is the better player vs Baker, but his frame is going to hold him back from starting (off the bat at least). Terry is just a guess over Mathurin, that could go either way, with the possibility of both starting next to each other as the season goes on as well. I’m pegging Terry there as he’s a great passer to compliment Akinjo’s ball dominant style. As far as reserves go Kerr, Brown, Mathurin, Lee, and Koloko. I have no idea how Batcho can get minutes on this team.

Thank you.

Have you heard anything about Mathurin and Terry relative to their development? Every other position has a veteran or two to fall back on. Wing...seems wide open. Mathurin/Terry are the most natural SF's, or we could go 3 guards with Kerr or Brown.

I would love to know how we're shaping up on D. That's the area I think makes the differerence in our tourney ability.

Mathurin is further along physically, while Terry is further along basketball wise, although Mathurin isn’t that far behind there. I have no idea about defense honestly. Still too early.

Can always play Baker at the SF position along with two guards in a smaller line-up with a need for proven ball handling at the 3. Oooohh the proven ball handler three guard line-up... Akinjo, Terrell Brown, and Baker... lots of combinations, tbd on how Miller uses them and how likely he is to stay fluid throughout the season.

YoDeFoe wrote:

ChooChooCat wrote:

Spaceman Spiff wrote:

ChooChooCat wrote:If I had to guess the starting lineup today it would be:

Akinjo
Baker
Terry
Tubelis
Brown

I think Kerr is the better player vs Baker, but his frame is going to hold him back from starting (off the bat at least). Terry is just a guess over Mathurin, that could go either way, with the possibility of both starting next to each other as the season goes on as well. I’m pegging Terry there as he’s a great passer to compliment Akinjo’s ball dominant style. As far as reserves go Kerr, Brown, Mathurin, Lee, and Koloko. I have no idea how Batcho can get minutes on this team.

Thank you.

Have you heard anything about Mathurin and Terry relative to their development? Every other position has a veteran or two to fall back on. Wing...seems wide open. Mathurin/Terry are the most natural SF's, or we could go 3 guards with Kerr or Brown.

I would love to know how we're shaping up on D. That's the area I think makes the differerence in our tourney ability.

Mathurin is further along physically, while Terry is further along basketball wise, although Mathurin isn’t that far behind there. I have no idea about defense honestly. Still too early.

Can always play Baker at the SF position along with two guards in a smaller line-up with a need for proven ball handling at the 3. Oooohh the proven ball handler three guard line-up... Akinjo, Terrell Brown, and Baker... lots of combinations, tbd on how Miller uses them and how likely he is to stay fluid throughout the season.

The one thing that gives me pause there is Brown shot the 3 very poorly for Seattle. For a small guy, I worry about spacing the floor with him out there.

Choo, thanks. That seems a lot like their HS profiles. Terry was a skilled guy, but not very physically developed or athletic. Mathurin was physically much larger and more explosive, but not the ballhandler or passer Terry was.

Spaceman Spiff wrote:
The one thing that gives me pause there is Brown shot the 3 very poorly for Seattle. For a small guy, I worry about spacing the floor with him out there.

Personally I'm not excited about Brown at all.

Akinjo 25
Baker 20
Krissa 20
T Brown 10

Mathurin 25
Terry 20

Lee 10
Batcho 5
A Tubelis 25
J Brown 25
Koloko 15

Almost all CSM teams have at least one player pushing or playing over 30 minutes. Guessing Akinjo is that player. At the expense of Brown, imo. Brown has always felt like insurance/practice/favor to Terry situation. Not a rotation player. I think all three of the guards will spend time on and off the ball. Should be interesting to see how CSM organizes them. I think mathurin's physical presence will be more needed than Terry's distribution. Also, Mathurin's shot does not look broken, based on the recent practice video (large grain of salt of course). Bigs are hard to tell with extended minutes, but A Tubelis sounds like he could be in for as many as he can handle. Koloko will certainly have the opportunity for more minutes, just need to see it to believe w/ regards to his fouling. Brown sounds like he has the toughness CSM likes in the post so expect him to start and play a lot.

Excited to see this group on the floor. Other than being thin on the wing, on paper this feels like a pretty balanced Miller team. If one of Mathurin/Terry turns out to be a plus defender we could definitely outplay our current expectations.

BEAR DOWN

ChooChooCat wrote:Personally I'm not excited about Brown at all.

Is anyone? Guy is a chucker who shoots poorly (41% FG, 29% 3 PT last season) on 18.8 shots a game. As many mid major transfers find out, it's a much different game shooting in Power 5 conferences. Ask TJ McConnell who was a superb shooter at Duquesne.

ChooChooCat wrote:

azcat49 wrote:Is your guess Choo that we are better than expected? It might be my fandom but I think we will be.

We’ll be good, how good depends on how far Akinjo/Tubelis can carry us and what Sean Miller can do coaching wise.

Do I detect some measured confidence, Choo? Think I already said this upthread, but this roster feels more loaded with wild cards than any in recent memory. If the transfers and freshmen have some swag and toughness, maybe we can surprise some people. But I'm not holding my breath. I think this is a bubble team at best, probably 4th or 5th in the Pac.

On Brown, maybe Jeter is a decent comparison? Both guys were overrated as HS seniors and transferred after their freshman year. Brown is taller and probably has better upside. Jeter also had injuries impact his development. But both guys transferred into AZ early in their college careers. Like Jeter, Brown will likely play four years of college.

Beachcat97 wrote:

ChooChooCat wrote:

azcat49 wrote:Is your guess Choo that we are better than expected? It might be my fandom but I think we will be.

We’ll be good, how good depends on how far Akinjo/Tubelis can carry us and what Sean Miller can do coaching wise.

Do I detect some measured confidence, Choo? Think I already said this upthread, but this roster feels more loaded with wild cards than any in recent memory. If the transfers and freshmen have some swag and toughness, maybe we can surprise some people. But I'm not holding my breath. I think this is a bubble team at best, probably 4th or 5th in the Pac.

On Brown, maybe Jeter is a decent comparison? Both guys were overrated as HS seniors and transferred after their freshman year. Brown is taller and probably has better upside. Jeter also had injuries impact his development. But both guys transferred into AZ early in their college careers. Like Jeter, Brown will likely play four years of college.

I think this year's team will be better than last year's. I don't know how much better, but the team play overall should be improved.

ChooChooCat wrote:

Beachcat97 wrote:

ChooChooCat wrote:

azcat49 wrote:Is your guess Choo that we are better than expected? It might be my fandom but I think we will be.

We’ll be good, how good depends on how far Akinjo/Tubelis can carry us and what Sean Miller can do coaching wise.

Do I detect some measured confidence, Choo? Think I already said this upthread, but this roster feels more loaded with wild cards than any in recent memory. If the transfers and freshmen have some swag and toughness, maybe we can surprise some people. But I'm not holding my breath. I think this is a bubble team at best, probably 4th or 5th in the Pac.

On Brown, maybe Jeter is a decent comparison? Both guys were overrated as HS seniors and transferred after their freshman year. Brown is taller and probably has better upside. Jeter also had injuries impact his development. But both guys transferred into AZ early in their college careers. Like Jeter, Brown will likely play four years of college.

I think this year's team will be better than last year's. I don't know how much better, but the team play overall should be improved.

I feel like last year's team underachieved as much or more than any Miller's had at AZ. 10-8 in the Pac was pretty disappointing, and we either would've been a pretty low seed or missed the tourney altogether.

I'm hoping for better FT and 3FG shooting. Feel like we were especially bad in those two columns, which are normally two of our strengths.

Merkin wrote:

ChooChooCat wrote:Personally I'm not excited about Brown at all.

Is anyone? Guy is a chucker who shoots poorly (41% FG, 29% 3 PT last season) on 18.8 shots a game. As many mid major transfers find out, it's a much different game shooting in Power 5 conferences. Ask TJ McConnell who was a superb shooter at Duquesne.

I'm more positive about Brown. You're right he was a low efficiency volume shooter at Seattle and he won't play here with that. He was a positive in basically all other areas, though. He had a 2-1 a/to ratio despite heavy usage, he was a very good rebounder for his size and was a plus defender, although not a lockdown guy.

I see that through the lens of his role. He's a backup guard. In the same way I'd have liked Justin Coleman or PJC a lot more as a backup than a starter, you can have more limited guys as backups. Brown needs to know he has to be more selective and efficient as a shooter to keep his role because Kriisa, Mathurin and Terry are in the mix for thise same minutes.

In short, if he plays to his strengths for 10-15 mpg, he can contribute just fine.

baycat93 wrote:Akinjo 25
Baker 20
Krissa 20
T Brown 10

Mathurin 25
Terry 20

Lee 10
Batcho 5
A Tubelis 25
J Brown 25
Koloko 15

Almost all CSM teams have at least one player pushing or playing over 30 minutes. Guessing Akinjo is that player. At the expense of Brown, imo. Brown has always felt like insurance/practice/favor to Terry situation. Not a rotation player. I think all three of the guards will spend time on and off the ball. Should be interesting to see how CSM organizes them. I think mathurin's physical presence will be more needed than Terry's distribution. Also, Mathurin's shot does not look broken, based on the recent practice video (large grain of salt of course). Bigs are hard to tell with extended minutes, but A Tubelis sounds like he could be in for as many as he can handle. Koloko will certainly have the opportunity for more minutes, just need to see it to believe w/ regards to his fouling. Brown sounds like he has the toughness CSM likes in the post so expect him to start and play a lot.

Excited to see this group on the floor. Other than being thin on the wing, on paper this feels like a pretty balanced Miller team. If one of Mathurin/Terry turns out to be a plus defender we could definitely outplay our current expectations.

BEAR DOWN

On Mathurin, his release is fine. His biggest issue on the shot is a tendency to fall back and to his left. That inconsistent base is one of the issues Nico had last year. One simple way he can fix is by not shooting off the dribble, because that's where the issue is most pronounced for him. If he only shoots catch and shoot J's where he's square and has his base going towards the rim, he should at least be solid.

Having that situation on the perimeter with so many guys in the mix, I hope it pushes people to separate. The good way that resolves is by people recognizing their strengths and playing to them to get time. I think we know what we get from Akinjo and Baker and the rest is a mystery.

On Akinjo, I like that we have Kriisa and Brown to play him with. He's a scoring point more than a pure distributor, and the major thing we lack is scoring punch. We need that firepower and Akinjo is easily our most reliable perimeter scorer. Letting him play both on and off the ball is a good situation.

I am intrigued and excited to see what Jordan Brown brings to the table. Former 5 star kid that we put in a lot of effort for and then he hardly plays for a good Nevada team.

The year sitting had to be hard but I think it did him wonders learning our system and refining his game. Hoping he is rewarded and has a great year

azcat49 wrote:I am intrigued and excited to see what Jordan Brown brings to the table. Former 5 star kid that we put in a lot of effort for and then he hardly plays for a good Nevada team.

The year sitting had to be hard but I think it did him wonders learning our system and refining his game. Hoping he is rewarded and has a great year

This strikes me as the big thing with Brown. He was a 5 star based on length and athleticism, but his game was never super developed. Hopefully the year (plus Covid practice time) lets him round out his skills and add some muscle.

If he could be the athlete that Jeter wasn’t, I would be pleased with that. Jeter had a nice game but had lost his lift and he had to be crafty. I have no idea if he can protect the rim or get the tough bucket inside but I will be watching and rooting for the kid.

I know he will look good against all the cupcakes we have lined up early so it might not be until conference play we can see where he really is

azcat49 wrote:If he could be the athlete that Jeter wasn’t, I would be pleased with that. Jeter had a nice game but had lost his lift and he had to be crafty. I have no idea if he can protect the rim or get the tough bucket inside but I will be watching and rooting for the kid.

I know he will look good against all the cupcakes we have lined up early so it might not be until conference play we can see where he really is

It's a miniscule sample size bc he only played 10 mpg, but at Nevada, his rebounding and blocks were average for a big guy. His TO% was way too high.

He looks like a decent athlete, which is why I hope he added some muscle. From what I've seen his rebounding and blocks limitations are primarily that he had trouble maintaining a strong base. He had a block rate slightly below Ayton, who was not a dominant shot blocker.

Hopefully the year to develop let him process the game better to cut down on to's and have a defined offensive game. The potential is there, especially because we're kind of handling 4 and 5 by committee this year. If we need a rim protector, we'll play Koloko.

Koloko, talk about being excited. I think he could average 4 blocks a game if he gets 30 minutes a game. I know he probably will get 20-25 with Tubelis getting the most of the three 4/5 guys we have.

We will need our bigs to be a threat offensively down low. Tubelis would seem to be our best bet but we need someone else to step up when he is out

azcat49 wrote:Koloko, talk about being excited. I think he could average 4 blocks a game if he gets 30 minutes a game. I know he probably will get 20-25 with Tubelis getting the most of the three 4/5 guys we have.

We will need our bigs to be a threat offensively down low. Tubelis would seem to be our best bet but we need someone else to step up when he is out

Tubelis's highlights reminded me of a slightly smaller Domanatas Sabonis. Very fluid and agile. Not really a jump shooter, but great touch and hands midrange and around the basket. I think he easily looks like our best offensive threat as a big.

Koloko, I'm also hoping he's grown. He's another guy who needs a more powerful base, but his length and instincts on D can't be taught. He was even very good about maintaining distance on perimeter switches. If he can get stronger and develop an offensive identity, he has a very high upside.

I hope Koloko's here for 4 years. The thought of him as a junior and senior makes me happy.

Spaceman Spiff wrote:

azcat49 wrote:If he could be the athlete that Jeter wasn’t, I would be pleased with that. Jeter had a nice game but had lost his lift and he had to be crafty. I have no idea if he can protect the rim or get the tough bucket inside but I will be watching and rooting for the kid.

I know he will look good against all the cupcakes we have lined up early so it might not be until conference play we can see where he really is

It's a miniscule sample size bc he only played 10 mpg, but at Nevada, his rebounding and blocks were average for a big guy. His TO% was way too high.

He looks like a decent athlete, which is why I hope he added some muscle. From what I've seen his rebounding and blocks limitations are primarily that he had trouble maintaining a strong base. He had a block rate slightly below Ayton, who was not a dominant shot blocker.

Hopefully the year to develop let him process the game better to cut down on to's and have a defined offensive game. The potential is there, especially because we're kind of handling 4 and 5 by committee this year. If we need a rim protector, we'll play Koloko.

When Brown got on campus last year he was 210lbs. He's 240lbs today.

ChooChooCat wrote:

Spaceman Spiff wrote:

azcat49 wrote:If he could be the athlete that Jeter wasn’t, I would be pleased with that. Jeter had a nice game but had lost his lift and he had to be crafty. I have no idea if he can protect the rim or get the tough bucket inside but I will be watching and rooting for the kid.

I know he will look good against all the cupcakes we have lined up early so it might not be until conference play we can see where he really is

It's a miniscule sample size bc he only played 10 mpg, but at Nevada, his rebounding and blocks were average for a big guy. His TO% was way too high.

He looks like a decent athlete, which is why I hope he added some muscle. From what I've seen his rebounding and blocks limitations are primarily that he had trouble maintaining a strong base. He had a block rate slightly below Ayton, who was not a dominant shot blocker.

Hopefully the year to develop let him process the game better to cut down on to's and have a defined offensive game. The potential is there, especially because we're kind of handling 4 and 5 by committee this year. If we need a rim protector, we'll play Koloko.

When Brown got on campus last year he was 210lbs. He's 240lbs today.

Nice.

Not to be talking to myself all the time, but I like Arizona basketball. My uneducated thoughts on lineups.

Starters and mpg:

Akinjo, 30-35.
Baker, 20-25.
Terry/Mathurin, 18-23.
Tubelis, 28-33.
J. Brown, 25-30.

Bench rotation and mpg (I'm making no attempt to figure out if this actually equals 200 mpg):

Kriisa, 13-18.
T. Brown, 13-18.
Mathurin/Terry nonstarter, 18-23.
Lee, 13-18.
Koloko, 13-18.

Good luck to Batcho and Goerner in finding time. I'm not sure I see it happening for either.

Upsides: For a newish team, Akinjo, Baker, Lee, J. Brown and Koloko have a year plus in the system. T. Brown is a grad transfer and Kriisa and Tubelis have international experience. Add in extra practice time due to Covid and we can be further along than most would think.

Defensive potential. Koloko, Tubelis, Brown, Mathurin, Baker, Brown and Akinjo are all potential plus defenders. Terry could get there with some physical development. Hopefully that aspect comes together re: my first downside.

Downsides: Where does the scoring come from. Akinjo has shown he can put up points, but his efficiency wasn't stellar. T. Brown put up points with bad efficiency at a low major. Beyond that, we have a bunch of unknowns. Tubelis looks good, but who knows who will be producing points.

Unknowns: Lineups. I feel confident in Brown, Tubelis and Akinjo maintaining starting roles. Beyond that...a lot of questions marks about who plays and in what configurations.

The upside is we have a lot of flexibility in lineups and looks. We can go big, small, play multiple ballhandlers...just how well can we do it.

Spiff/Choo, what are your thoughts on this group related to rebounding strength. I think they may be very good in this area. The best Miller teams were relentless on the glass, grabbing a high % of defensive rebounds and getting a high % of offensive boards.

azcat49 wrote:Spiff/Choo, what are your thoughts on this group related to rebounding strength. I think they may be very good in this area. The best Miller teams were relentless on the glass, grabbing a high % of defensive rebounds and getting a high % of offensive boards.

We have the physical ability to be good, but development is needed.

Brown had a 11.7 rebound % at Nevada, which is not great for a guy his size. Hopefully physical maturity will help, because he should be a better rebounder than that.

Koloko's 16.3 rebound % was better, but he's another I think has a higher ceiling. Those two guys being closer to their physical ability would help a lot. Tubelis seems to have the tools, but I've only seen highlights, and it's hard to tell.

An underrated advantage is we have some perimeter guys who rebound well. Terrell Brown had the same rebound % as Jordan Brown as a frosh despite being 10 inches shorter. Akinjo and Baker are also solid for smaller guys and this is an area Mathurin and Terry have a lot of potential in.

In short, I think the potential's there, but Jordan and Koloko developing is a big part of getting to where we win the rebounding battle consistently.

Well I think this will be an important (like every year) piece to being really successful. I don’t see a great perimeter 3 ball shooting team. I think Kerr and Baker will lead us in that area but I have a feeling we will be better on the interior than maybe expected.

Maybe with better rebounding we can get out more and run. Of course I am talking about a Sean Miller team so what was I thinking

Spaceman Spiff wrote:Not to be talking to myself all the time, but I like Arizona basketball. My uneducated thoughts on lineups.

Starters and mpg:

Akinjo, 30-35.
Baker, 20-25.
Terry/Mathurin, 18-23.
Tubelis, 28-33.
J. Brown, 25-30.

Bench rotation and mpg (I'm making no attempt to figure out if this actually equals 200 mpg):

Kriisa, 13-18.
T. Brown, 13-18.
Mathurin/Terry nonstarter, 18-23.
Lee, 13-18.
Koloko, 13-18.

I imagine Kriisa is really going to cut into Akinjo's minutes if he is as good as stated. How do you think Akinjo is going to react if that happens? His actions at Georgetown where he wanted to be the both the handler and scorer are well known.

Merkin wrote:

Spaceman Spiff wrote:Not to be talking to myself all the time, but I like Arizona basketball. My uneducated thoughts on lineups.

Starters and mpg:

Akinjo, 30-35.
Baker, 20-25.
Terry/Mathurin, 18-23.
Tubelis, 28-33.
J. Brown, 25-30.

Bench rotation and mpg (I'm making no attempt to figure out if this actually equals 200 mpg):

Kriisa, 13-18.
T. Brown, 13-18.
Mathurin/Terry nonstarter, 18-23.
Lee, 13-18.
Koloko, 13-18.

I imagine Kriisa is really going to cut into Akinjo's minutes if he is as good as stated. How do you think Akinjo is going to react if that happens? His actions at Georgetown where he wanted to be the both the handler and scorer are well known.

I'd think he'd cut Baker and/or T. Brown's minutes first. Akinjo is the only perimeter player we have who's shown he can score a fair amount at decent efficiency.

Kriisa and Akinjo can play the sort of dual PG alignment Miller's been setting up for now for years. I don't think it's an accident all 4 of our guards are capable of playing PG.

This is again just my non-insider knowledge, but Akinjo is easily the most guaranteed productive perimeter scorer we have, and that is a necessity this year. If Kriisa's good, I think he pulls minutes from a source other than Akinjo because we need that firepower.

Edit: I know Boeheim criticized Akinjo, but my counter to that would be that Akinjo made Georgetown competitive. Without him, G'town lost their last 7 in a row and 13 of their last 18. McClung was injured for some of them, but even there, G'town was 2-5 in the last stretch McClung played consistently.

Someone needs to post all the players pics with their names in this thread.... I don't think I know what 90% of them look like.

Alieberman wrote:Someone needs to post all the players pics with their names in this thread.... I don't think I know what 90% of them look like.

Dalen Terry looks like a really tall 12 year old.

Alieberman wrote:Someone needs to post all the players pics with their names in this thread.... I don't think I know what 90% of them look like.

https://arizonawildcats.com/sports/mens ... all/roster" target="_blank

dmjcat wrote:

Alieberman wrote:Someone needs to post all the players pics with their names in this thread.... I don't think I know what 90% of them look like.

https://arizonawildcats.com/sports/mens ... all/roster" target="_blank

This confirms our roster composition is 50% players whose names I'm scared I'm mispronouncing and 50% guys named Brown.