Bear Down Wildcats

Seasons over. We lost. Nothing can change that. I'm already over it and looking forward. Can we convince Ashley or Tarc to stay? We won't be as good next year but we'll still be top 15-20 preseason. The Pac 12 is still mediocre so we should still win it. Lots to be decided between now and November but I think it'll be a solid rebuilding year. Conference title/s16 as a 4-5 seed kinda year.

Next years team can be great, we don't know how these stud freshman are going to take to the game and what kind of confidence they end up playing with. I'm still hoping for a Final Four next year. We should be able to turn up the pressure and score if the team has some chemistry.

Without knowing 100% which players are leaving and what we have coming in next year, and how the players red-shirting this year will look on the court next year....it's pretty hard to make any predictions.

That said, it's tough to imagine a team losing as many players as we're projected to lose and come back better or hell, even at the same level, as this year's team.

Who knows? Maybe next years team will miracle run like UConn.

97Cats said all 5 are gone before the tourney, but I imagine both BAsh and Zeus may rethink that since they are both so low on the draft charts. BAsh is even off now, and Zeus is only 3rd from the end.

I'm really looking forward to Trier, finally a true scorer. Same with Kadeem.

I love guards, excited for Trier - Allen - PJC - Simon - Yorkshire/Pitts. Very good guard tandems have a better chance to make deep runs in March, just like the 97 squad & the recent UConn teams for example.

Hopefully Bashley & Zeuszeuski feel they have something more to give in the college game (Bash highly unlikely though).

Merkin wrote:97Cats said all 5 are gone before the tourney, but I imagine both BAsh and Zeus may rethink that since they are both so low on the draft charts. BAsh is even off now, and Zeus is only 3rd from the end.

I'm really looking forward to Trier, finally a true scorer. Same with Kadeem.

Pretty much every board in see has both undrafted.

PieceOfMeat wrote:Without knowing 100% which players are leaving and what we have coming in next year, and how the players red-shirting this year will look on the court next year....it's pretty hard to make any predictions.

That said, it's tough to imagine a team losing as many players as we're projected to lose and come back better or hell, even at the same level, as this year's team.

Exactly........even if a graduate transfer big man comes in to fill in for the loss of Rabb going to Cal (which appears to be the easy money).....next year is gonna take some really good coaching and schemes I think. Will be very interesting to see where the scoring comes from next season assuming that the Starting 5 are gone.

Next season will really show us something about Miller. The circumstances and personnel situation for next year (less talent, smaller, younger) will test Miller's mettle. This is the type of great season that Lute would seemingly pull out of his ass against all expectations.

PieceOfMeat wrote:Without knowing 100% which players are leaving and what we have coming in next year, and how the players red-shirting this year will look on the court next year....it's pretty hard to make any predictions.

That said, it's tough to imagine a team losing as many players as we're projected to lose and come back better or hell, even at the same level, as this year's team.

Agreed. Until we know who is coming back any analysis of next year is futile.

If Miller can convince Tarc & Bash to return (this is not out of the question as both are facing Overseas careers at this point) we can still have a very potent team next year. Given our personnel that we do know is coming back, however, I believe that Miller has to change his offensive system and go to a 3 guard offense.

The Sweet 16 & Elite Eight will be held in Anaheim.

Well we seem to lose every time we play in los Angeles or Anaheim so I hope we play somewhere else

Irish27 wrote:The Sweet 16 & Elite Eight will be held in Anaheim.

Jesus No more So Cal!!!!

He might not be a banger but we still have Dusan right? For height/length & a little better offense at his position?(Did he even sniff the floor today?). What about Ryan Anderson? Guess I'll look up his stats. I get the impression we will have much more true scorers on the team next year, I just hope Miller learns not to be so dang rigid. Sometimes you've just got to adapt. (Still love having him as coach .... so far...)

Ristic did not play today, no.

OTOH, PJC, Pitts and York saw extended minutes, which hints at where the rotation will lean next year, front court or backcourt.

Not sure if I want Ashley or Zeus back or not at this point. Sure, they clog the middle, and they can have good games when they feel disrespected, but their defensive ceiling may have been hit (and be back on the way down), and it wasn't nearly enough to stop Kaminsky.

I just looked up Ryan's Stats. Seems like a capable replacement for Ashley?

Anderson will be a reliable starting 4.

The 5, OTOH, without Rabb especially, is the big gray area in the lineup right now.

catgrad97 wrote:Ristic did not play today, no.

OTOH, PJC, Pitts and York saw extended minutes, which hints at where the rotation will lean next year, front court or backcourt.

Not sure if I want Ashley or Zeus back or not at this point. Sure, they clog the middle, and they can have good games when they feel disrespected, but their defensive ceiling may have been hit (and be back on the way down), and it wasn't nearly enough to stop Kaminsky.

Oh I'm good with having scoring guards. .. A lot of our best most exciting teams had strong guards. Just noticed some people seemed concerned about our front court for next year.

catgrad97 wrote:Anderson will be a reliable starting 4.

The 5, OTOH, without Rabb especially, is the big gray area in the lineup right now.

You don't think Ristic will be OK with another year in the defensive system? His offense and rebounding is probably already ahead of Zeus.

So is sf. At the moment we have no one returning at that position and only Smith coming in who is more of a 2/3 and recovering from an injury. Sf is more of a question than center to me. Even if tarc returns I think we still need to get another recruit or transfer or juco player for the 3 spot.

UAEebs, I felt that way during conference play, but he faded badly in the postseason.

Miller playing Ristic like five against Xavier and neither he nor Korcheck any other minutes the last two games speaks volumes as to where he thinks Dusan's toughness and D are at right now.

And we could've used up quite a few more of those fouls on Kaminsky, without a doubt.

HATER!, I can say with 90 percent certainty that the 3 will be a third guard next season--and more than likely the season after that--not a wing.

UAEebs86 wrote:

catgrad97 wrote:Anderson will be a reliable starting 4.

The 5, OTOH, without Rabb especially, is the big gray area in the lineup right now.

You don't think Ristic will be OK with another year in the defensive system? His offense and rebounding is probably already ahead of Zeus.

I think his long arms will alter shots better than Zeus did. (Does?). And for the same reason will not miss as many bunnies.

catgrad97 wrote:UAEebs, I felt that way during conference play, but he faded badly in the postseason.

Miller playing Ristic like five against Xavier and neither he nor Korcheck any other minutes the last two games speaks volumes as to where he thinks Dusan's toughness and D are at right now.

And we could've used up quite a few more of those fouls on Kaminsky, without a doubt.

HATER!, I can say with 90 percent certainty that the 3 will be a third guard next season--and more than likely the season after that--not a wing.

Makes sense since we have like 5 shooting guards on the team next year. Pjc/York/Trier or Smith/Anderson/Ristic

Simon, Allen, Pitts, Trier or Smith and Comanche bench.

We need to get some other kind of 6'9"+ guy that can at least just be some 12 minute/5 point/3 rebound per game kinda guy next year whether it's transfer, grad transfer, or New recruit. Or hopefully tarc staying.

I think, from that respect, Miller's already made the adjustment to having shooters and quick guards all over the perimeter the next couple seasons.

I just don't know what we do about the 5 next year. Sure, it would be nice to get Zeus back, but is he going to be any more the answer in the middle to get Arizona to a Final Four than the last three seasons?

And then there's Ashley, who I feel frankly terrible about. His position's already been recruited over next year and he'll be lucky to be drafted at all if he chooses to go now.

But what else are his options? Make up for the development lost during his foot injury and all that time spent on the bench after three years' of bogus foul calls?

Just don't know what, if any, development you see out of our starting 4 or 5 if either choose to return.

No one is saying, yet they know.

http://tucson.com/sports/blogs/pascoe/u ... ?id=201408

Almost certainly not. Johnson has been widely expected to leave for the NBA draft and Arizona has been recruiting and planning as if a whole bunch of guys are going to go with him. You may even note below that Miller said "we're going to miss them" in reference to both senior T.J. McConnell and Hollis-Jefferson, a sophomore.

But none of the guys expected to leave, naturally, offered much about their plans for the future, their second-straight Elite Eight loss to Wisconsin still just sinking into their gut.

“Right now, I don’t know,” Johnson said. “It’s not really about future decisions. I’m a student. I attend school and I plan to graduate here. So I’ll just keep going to class.”

Ashley said he was “not worried about that right now,” and declined to say what kind of timetable he might have. Hollis-Jefferson wasn’t in much of a mood to discuss it either.

“Right now, I’m just still trying to get over this,” Hollis-Jefferson said, “and in due time, I’ll talk to my family and the coaching staff.”

I love Stan... But chase the money man.

RHJ is a unique player who I loved watching. He should declare early too.

Ashley and Tarc... I think both would be best served to stay in college.

At least they are saying the right things. I love that our team is made up of seemingly all nice good guys from Stanley down to drew Mellon.

ASUHATER! wrote:At least they are saying the right things. I love that our team is made up of seemingly all nice good guys from Stanley down to drew Mellon.

It's nice when the players don't talk like they can't wait to get out of the pit stop.

PieceOfMeat wrote:

ASUHATER! wrote:At least they are saying the right things. I love that our team is made up of seemingly all nice good guys from Stanley down to drew Mellon.

It's nice when the players don't talk like they can't wait to get out of the pit stop.

Only a pit stop for Johnson and Gordon. Everyone else has given us 2-4 years, usually 3. But I feel deep down a good feeling that either tarc nor Ashley returns. That could be the difference between just being good and making the tournament next year as a 6 seed or us being pretty darn good again. As long as we don't play in the west region.

A new starting 5 for next year, and another page turns in the novel of Arizona Basketball.

I can really say, as I pretty much do every year, that I thouroughly enjoyed watching this team play basketball. They played well tonight, in spite of several challenges. Give Wisconsin credit for hitting some amazing shots, but a loss in a game like this doesn't mean anything--except that a season, and a career of some great Wildcats is over.

This loss is different than last year. There wasn't a singular play that I could point to, saying "That's the reason why we lost". It was a fantastic display of shooting that did the team in. Nothing more, nothing less. When shots that shouldn't go in, do...well....what do you do? Frustrating? Sure...but better than having a bitter taste in your mouth that somehting was taken from you.

I am sad that it will be basically 7 long months until we see the Cats hit the floor. I am sad that I can't watch some of the best players to have Arizona written across their chest, suit up in red, white and blue anymore.

But most of all, I am happy to be a fan of Arizona basketball, and happy that there are countless other friends, family and fans just like me...feeling the same way I do right now.

Btw let's book it for 2017...Las Vegas, Sacramento, San Jose, Glendale...

With the talent coming in we will easily be good enough to make the tournament. I imagine that we will probably lose a little bit in regards to defense and rebounding. Replacing that frontcourt size and production will not be easy. We have some really good talent coming in next year. I feel pretty good about next year. I am not sure what the expectations will be. I really like our chances in 2017. If we continue with the monstrous class for 2017 (I see you Josh Jackson), have minimal roster turnover at the end of 2016, we could be looking at the most dominant team of the Sean Miller era that year.

Of course, we could always catch lightning in a bottle like UConn in 2011 and 2014 and win the whole damn thing next year . There are only a handful of schools in the country where any year they can make a deep tournament run. We are very lucky as fans.

So in the meantime we will sob, drink, and argue. But I know and believe that our best days are yet to come.

I think worst case next year is a like 22-9 regular season with a 2nd place conference finish and a loss in the 2nd round/s16 as a 6 seed or something.

The team will be so different next year, it is hard to say what to expect. What I do expect is an intense coach, a focused drive, and an improvement as the year goes along.

I'll be excited, in time. Tonight? Sad...

I think Tarc is the only one of the four in question that might realistically come back. I think Ashley is probably too worried about getting hurt again to come back for another year.

az91 wrote:I think Tarc is the only one of the four in question that might realistically come back. I think Ashley is probably too worried about getting hurt again to come back for another year.

Tend to agree but right now best case for Ashley is being drafted late 2nd by a good playoff team and either being sent to the d league or being the 5th guy off the bench.

i posted this in another thread earlier this season, but i still worry that pitts will leave for greener pastures next season. kind of a logjam at the sg position next year and it's tough to see where he will find minutes. does he take a redshirt year? is he even happy at the UofA? i have no idea, but i really hope he stays thru his sr year.

PG - PJC
SG - York
SF - Allen
PF - Anderson
C - Tarczewski

PG/SG/SF - Simon
SF- Ray Smith
SG - Trier
C - Ristic
C - Comanche

-----------------------------
Pitts - Transfer

-----------------------------

Guard rotation will be the most curious development. I think Pitts should leave myself.

i'd like to see him stay. pitts' story is the classic 3-* player who develops at Arizona over four years. he may not agree with that (the coaching staff, too), but we all know he's got a much higher ceiling than we've witnessed on the court. plus, the senior leadership will go a long way once york is gone. we'll see.

I'm excited to see all the ups and downs next year will bring. Gonna set up a huge 2016-2017 and hopefully we land Josh Jackson to go with that team

UAEebs86 wrote:

catgrad97 wrote:Anderson will be a reliable starting 4.

The 5, OTOH, without Rabb especially, is the big gray area in the lineup right now.

You don't think Ristic will be OK with another year in the defensive system? His offense and rebounding is probably already ahead of Zeus.

I'm excited for dusan to put in some work in the offseason and get the chris rounds treatment. seeing him up-close for the first time recently, i thought he actually looked like the bigger body, bigger presence on the floor than kaleb - even though they are listed at the same height & weight. and dusan is still growing.

Assuming nobody returns:

Ristic
Anderson
York
Allen
PJC/Simon

Comanche will have to contribute as backup to Ristic/Anderson. I am not sure Ray Smith will be ready to go and may have to redshirt.

Assuming Tarc Returns:

Tarc
Anderson
York
Allen
PJC/Simon

Under this scenario Miller may risk redshirting Comanche. Smiths health/condition may also drive him towards a redshirt year. If we play a 3 guard offense then I think Pitts may decide to stay as he will see substantial time off the bench. The most interesting competition may be between PJC/Simon at point guard. PJC looked a little weak (with poor handles at times) at the PG position. This may change with another year in the weight room.

Have no expectations for next season, but 17 is the year.

Thinking outside the box, you think anyone would notice if we created a Buffalo Bill style skin suit out of a player with remaining eligibility and put TJ in it?

ZONACAT wrote:PG - PJC
SG - York
SF - Allen
PF - Anderson
C - Tarczewski

PG/SG/SF - Simon
SF- Ray Smith
SG - Trier
C - Ristic
C - Comanche

-----------------------------
Pitts - Transfer

-----------------------------

Guard rotation will be the most curious development. I think Pitts should leave myself.

Agree with all of this. But I don't think Miller will push Pitts to leave. I think Miller sees in him the potential to be an elite defender, and defense might be in short supply next year with PJC and York at the guard spots and the possibility Zeus doesn't come back. Without Pitts we may be looking at a year where the team will have to beat the better teams with its offense.

I can't fathom a world where a talent like Allonzo Trier does not start at Arizona immediately. Miller has shown patience in regards to defensive lapses when the player tends to make up for it on the other end of the court. He did this with Stanley this year, although he did take him out here and there for those lapses, ultimately he left Stanley out there.

Starting five?

no more west region

CalStateTempe wrote:no more west region

Put it this way. I won't sweat it if we're shipped.

I say it every year, but too much focus on position numbers. Don't have to have a classic 3, especially with the three point line. Guards allowed to rebound.

Trier and Ristic are the guys who can make the season special. Otherwise, probably a year away from another dominant season

Olsondogg wrote:A new starting 5 for next year, and another page turns in the novel of Arizona Basketball.

I can really say, as I pretty much do every year, that I thouroughly enjoyed watching this team play basketball. They played well tonight, in spite of several challenges. Give Wisconsin credit for hitting some amazing shots, but a loss in a game like this doesn't mean anything--except that a season, and a career of some great Wildcats is over.

This loss is different than last year. There wasn't a singular play that I could point to, saying "That's the reason why we lost". It was a fantastic display of shooting that did the team in. Nothing more, nothing less. When shots that shouldn't go in, do...well....what do you do? Frustrating? Sure...but better than having a bitter taste in your mouth that somehting was taken from you.

I am sad that it will be basically 7 long months until we see the Cats hit the floor. I am sad that I can't watch some of the best players to have Arizona written across their chest, suit up in red, white and blue anymore.

But most of all, I am happy to be a fan of Arizona basketball, and happy that there are countless other friends, family and fans just like me...feeling the same way I do right now.

This is a great post ODogg. Wraps my thoughts way better than I'd be able to express them.