2017-2018 Arizona Basketball

[Spaceman Spiff]

Well, in fairness, no one (including me) said that Syracuse's zone works all the time. You went to impressive lengths to bash Syracuse/Boeheim. Hard to bash a guy who's been to three FFs in the past 15 years. That zone works. And it's especially effective in the tourney because Cuse is likely to face teams who haven't seen that defense at all during the year. If Boeheim's system deters some players who see the zone as restrictive or boring, it may also attract gritty players like Gerry MacNamara.

Did the zone get Syracuse to their only Natty in 2003? Because my recollection is that it was Carmello Anthony balling the fuck out that carried them. Pretty sure he was a number one or number two recruit in the country and that was a team of freshman and sophomores - not a recipe for defensive prowess.

Melo, Warrick and McNamara's huge tourney carried them.

I like how we crown Syracuse for 3 FF's in 15 years when they've missed the tourney 4 times in that same period. People are shitting bricks about Miller having a 1 seed, 2 2 seeds and a 5 seed in the last 4 years. If Miller missed the NCAA's once every four years when the program's been all his for decades, this board wouldn't just shut down like the error message I got today, it would literally melt off the earth.

[Alieberman]

Trier
Alkins
Randolph
Lee
Ayton

Trier is not a pg.

PJC
Trier
Alkins
Lee
Ayton

That's the lineup I want to see most often.

[Longhorned]

Trier
Alkins
Randolph
Lee
Ayton

Trier is not a pg.

PJC
Trier
Alkins
Lee
Ayton

That's the lineup I want to see most often.

PJC against the Beach is the point guard I want to see most often. Can he defend and run the offense against quality competition away from McKale? If yes, we're golden, but I'm still waiting for that yes.

[Alieberman]

Like it or not PJC is by far the best pg on our team.

[TatetheGreat]

Trier
Alkins
Randolph
Lee
Ayton

Trier is not a pg.

PJC
Trier
Alkins
Lee
Ayton

That's the lineup I want to see most often.

Yes, with Barcello and Ristic first off the bench. Everyone after that is a wash, so whomever looks best in practice.

[RondaeShimmy]

Trier
Alkins
Randolph
Lee
Ayton

Trier is not a pg.

PJC
Trier
Alkins
Lee
Ayton

That's the lineup I want to see most often.

Ristic will start every game, but that should be the close game lineup

We're probably only a 7 deep team right now, maybe 8 if Akot gets it together

[CalStateTempe]

Get barcello as much burn as possible because we need him as a serviceable pg come march.

[Longhorned]

Like it or not PJC is by far the best pg on our team.

Absolutely, but what's the point when the best point guard isn't contributing to defense and running the offense? I believe in Miller, and it will be interesting to see him turn PJC into a consistently effective point guard against good teams on neutral and hostile floors this season. Conversely, putting your five best players on the floor without a real point guard is a pig in a poke, though I never forget that Miller knows what he's doing and I'm a guy typing in my pajamas next to a Christmas tree.

[Frybry02]

I'm excited to see this lineup vs ASUs 4 guard lineup:

PJC
Barcello
Trier
Alkins
Ayton

[rgdeuce]

Like it or not PJC is by far the best pg on our team.

Agree

[RondaeShimmy]

Hes absolutely calling out his players again in a 30+ pt win

Wow

I guess the game thread wasn't negative enough

[RondaeShimmy]

[rgdeuce]

Was nice to see these guys show a marked improvement in defense, focus and effort tonight. Still had their moments, but you can tell Miller got back to the basics in the preceding practices and the team listened. The rebounding basics are still not there outside of Ayton, though Ristic's improved effort was noticeable. We greatly need one of the not-Ayton freshmen to step up and be a consistent player - Ira Lee is the clear front runner here and I like the energy and raw toughness he brings to the floor. Good call by Alieberman.

Biggest takeaway from tonight, which all of us already knew: we are a much better team when Trier takes whats there and only picks his moments. Think the turnovers will improve once he gets used to passing again. Same with the interior lobs to Ayton, clearly another thing that sunk in during practice. I liked PJC tonight and the play of the game to me, was when he got snuffed on a drive and rather than moping, sprinted 3/4 of the length of the court and stole the ball from behind, leading to fast break points. That's a TJ play.

[CalStateTempe]

Like it or not PJC is by far the best pg on our team.

Agree

yup. (finishing up the game on delay)

[rgdeuce]

Hes absolutely calling out his players again in a 30+ pt win

Wow

I guess the game thread wasn't negative enough
]

You lose three in a row, the coach has you. For a while. It wont stop til he gets his way now. Thats one reason why three losses in November isnt always the end of the world.

[Olsondogg]

Was Allonzo listening?

[prh]

Hes absolutely calling out his players again in a 30+ pt win

Wow

I guess the game thread wasn't negative enough
]

You lose three in a row, the coach has you. For a while. It wont stop til he gets his way now. Thats one reason why three losses in November isnt always the end of the world.

Agreed about the timing and one more thought: Nick Saban says a lot of similar things (especially about following the press), he'll put them on blast, he doesn't care. Unfortunately for him, they didn't lose until the worst possible time this year. Same concept as why basketball teams that start a season undefeated (and occasionally reach the tourney undefeated) don't ever win it all. There's only so much a coach can drill into players while they are winning, eventually it takes losing for the points to hit home.

[TatetheGreat]

From those clips it sounds like guys aren't buying in. It's especially concerning that even the older guys aren't giving full effort. We clearly lack the leadership of years past but I've never seen a Miller-coached team so tuned out. Perhaps there is frustration with his coaching style and schemes? We will have a serious problem next season if some of these frosh transfer or turn pro.

[Longhorned]

I think it’s all just a bunch of Millerspeak and we’ve heard it before in November and December.

[PieceOfMeat]

I think it’s all just a bunch of Millerspeak and we’ve heard it before in November and December.

yep

[TatetheGreat]

I think it’s all just a bunch of Millerspeak and we’ve heard it before in November and December.

Good point. Best to judge only what we see on the court. Saturday will be a good test.

[rgdeuce]

I think it’s all just a bunch of Millerspeak and we’ve heard it before in November and December.

Has a history of working too.

[CalStateTempe]

Complete agree with everything Coach said.

Its almost as if he read the board before the pressor.

Nails on the topics re: PJC, Rawle, Leadership, freshmen development. Lots of messages behind the words in those clips.

We may have a difficult year, but it won't be for Miller not knowing where the issues and weaknesses are.

[CalStateTempe]

Not saying he mailed in it, but it almost sounds as if he's seen things go on in practice and scrimmage and when things weren't working in the Bahamas, Miller was all "Fine do it your way" and made the trip a huge giant teachable moment.

[Beachcat97]

If Miller missed the NCAA's once every four years when the program's been all his for decades, this board wouldn't just shut down like the error message I got today, it would literally melt off the earth.

Not if he also had three FFs and a national title during that span.

[azcat49]

Those videos of Miller is why he is a 1000x better than RR. Compared their last press conferences or any post game. And I am a football guy. Coach Miller is coaching

[Bangkok Wildcat]

Those videos of Miller is why he is a 1000x better than RR. Compared their last press conferences or any post game. And I am a football guy. Coach Miller is coaching

Agreed....This presser was definitely better than previous ones after the losses.....He’s calling out a team that sorely needs to pull its head out and put the effort on D.

Also, I don’t think it’s just ‘Miller-speak’.....I think he’s definitely preparing for a possibly rough couple of weeks ahead if this team doesn’t get it’s act together. Man, it could get really ugly soon.....

[CalStateTempe]

That's how I took it as well. He's seeing all the same stuff we are seeing plus he has the insight from practice and he knows we are in for a world of hurt unless buy in starts happening.

Talked a lot about growth and development, but that also depends on the starting point where they make a play or two in the conference vs being a standout.

[CatFanOneMil]

Yea I don't really think I believe in "Miller speak"...he is ALWAYS respectful of whomever we play and he is ALWAYS honest about his assessment of where he thinks the team is, and frankly he seems to always be right.

[Longhorned]

Yea I don't really think I believe in "Miller speak"...he is ALWAYS respectful of whomever we play and he is ALWAYS honest about his assessment of where he thinks the team is, and frankly he seems to always be right.

Millerspeak is a real and well-studied phenomenon. He waited until Arizona crushed an opponent before he fully unloaded what these players have needed to hear since the Bahamas. Similarly, rankings don't mean anything when you're highly ranked, but all of the sudden they mean a lot when you're unranked because your focus on individual plays instead of the hard work that benefits the team means your play won't be on SportsCenter.

The truth most fully relates to the effect Millerspeak makes, not the cause that gave rise to what's said.

[Spaceman Spiff]

If Miller missed the NCAA's once every four years when the program's been all his for decades, this board wouldn't just shut down like the error message I got today, it would literally melt off the earth.

Not if he also had three FFs and a national title during that span.

I disagree. We would be happy for the four successful years and in the down years the "Fire Sean Miller" thread would grow by thousands of posts. People would say he was complacen, stagnant, every pejorative you can think of.

Shoot, we've been in the Sweet 16 4 of the last 5 years and people are talking about being ready to move on. Lute Olson made the Sweet 16 in 4 of 5 years only ONCE while here and we're building a statue of him. Miller does it and we talk about how he has a ceiling and can't win big ones.

[Spaceman Spiff]

Yea I don't really think I believe in "Miller speak"...he is ALWAYS respectful of whomever we play and he is ALWAYS honest about his assessment of where he thinks the team is, and frankly he seems to always be right.

Millerspeak is a real and well-studied phenomenon. He waited until Arizona crushed an opponent before he fully unloaded what these players have needed to hear since the Bahamas. Similarly, rankings don't mean anything when you're highly ranked, but all of the sudden they mean a lot when you're unranked because your focus on individual plays instead of the hard work that benefits the team means your play won't be on SportsCenter.

The truth most fully relates to the effect Millerspeak makes, not the cause that gave rise to what's said.

Good coaches build the team up when it's down so they don't destroy confidence. When the team is doing well, they hammer the flaws to spur improvement. Miller always does that and it is smart.

[rgdeuce]

I like how we crown Syracuse for 3 FF's in 15 years when they've missed the tourney 4 times in that same period. People are shitting bricks about Miller having a 1 seed, 2 2 seeds and a 5 seed in the last 4 years. If Miller missed the NCAA's once every four years when the program's been all his for decades, this board wouldn't just shut down like the error message I got today, it would literally melt off the earth.

Lavin touched on this last night, basically saying he'd rather have a coach (Miller) who gets to the elite 8 on a regular basis, than a coach who gets you to a final four every 10 or 20 years. We are so wrapped up in our final four drought that we have no appreciation for our elite 8 runs.

[rgdeuce]

Yea I don't really think I believe in "Miller speak"...he is ALWAYS respectful of whomever we play and he is ALWAYS honest about his assessment of where he thinks the team is, and frankly he seems to always be right.

Millerspeak is a real and well-studied phenomenon. He waited until Arizona crushed an opponent before he fully unloaded what these players have needed to hear since the Bahamas.

Good coaches build the team up when it's down so they don't destroy confidence. When the team is doing well, they hammer the flaws to spur improvement. Miller always does that and it is smart.

Thumbs up

[Longhorned]

I like how we crown Syracuse for 3 FF's in 15 years when they've missed the tourney 4 times in that same period. People are shitting bricks about Miller having a 1 seed, 2 2 seeds and a 5 seed in the last 4 years. If Miller missed the NCAA's once every four years when the program's been all his for decades, this board wouldn't just shut down like the error message I got today, it would literally melt off the earth.

Lavin touched on this last night, basically saying he'd rather have a coach (Miller) who gets to the elite 8 on a regular basis, than a coach who gets you to a final four every 10 or 20 years. We are so wrapped up in our final four drought that we have no appreciation for our elite 8 runs.

I think you're right to value that. Not kind of me to say, but I view this as a difference between sophisticated fans and all those other fans. The whole selling point of March Madness is that the insane rather than the expected happens, and that's in the nature of a one-and-out tournament. You don't judge success or failure by that tournament alone. I realize that athletics directors give more weight to the tourney than all the other stuff, but that's because alumni dollars flow in based on the unbalanced emphasis on the tourney by most fans. The NCAA tournament is for the masses. Sophisticated fans watch all of their respective team's games and put a great deal of weight on consistency, especially winning conference championships (and not so much conference tourneys).

Miller's number of conference championships and Elite Eights are the best indicator of his consistent, high caliber coaching. Not how the ball bounces in crazy one-and-out games in March.

[Spaceman Spiff]

I like how we crown Syracuse for 3 FF's in 15 years when they've missed the tourney 4 times in that same period. People are shitting bricks about Miller having a 1 seed, 2 2 seeds and a 5 seed in the last 4 years. If Miller missed the NCAA's once every four years when the program's been all his for decades, this board wouldn't just shut down like the error message I got today, it would literally melt off the earth.

Lavin touched on this last night, basically saying he'd rather have a coach (Miller) who gets to the elite 8 on a regular basis, than a coach who gets you to a final four every 10 or 20 years. We are so wrapped up in our final four drought that we have no appreciation for our elite 8 runs.

There are two schools of thought.

First is the idea that the road to success involves being a consistent top ten team. We've done that in regular season and NCAA tourney results. This view sees the distinction between EE and FF as a matter of breaks, luck and how variables come together.

For the record, I subscribe to that theory.

Second is the "ceiling" idea, where there's some intangible limit actualized by losing in the EE. Under this theory, the EE losses aren't a result of being good but missing luck or chances but instead having an inherent limitation.

I don't buy the second theory. The Final Four isn't inherently different and the things that win EE games are the same things that result in regular season or earlier tourney losses.

[CatFanOneMil]

Like it or not PJC is by far the best pg on our team.

Absolutely, but what's the point when the best point guard isn't contributing to defense and running the offense? I believe in Miller, and it will be interesting to see him turn PJC into a consistently effective point guard against good teams on neutral and hostile floors this season. Conversely, putting your five best players on the floor without a real point guard is a pig in a poke, though I never forget that Miller knows what he's doing and I'm a guy typing in my pajamas next to a Christmas tree.

See! Some people mocked me for not taking mine down in March...now I'm back in fashion...everything comes around.

[Bear Down Vegas]

Yea I don't really think I believe in "Miller speak"...he is ALWAYS respectful of whomever we play and he is ALWAYS honest about his assessment of where he thinks the team is, and frankly he seems to always be right.

Millerspeak is a real and well-studied phenomenon. He waited until Arizona crushed an opponent before he fully unloaded what these players have needed to hear since the Bahamas. Similarly, rankings don't mean anything when you're highly ranked, but all of the sudden they mean a lot when you're unranked because your focus on individual plays instead of the hard work that benefits the team means your play won't be on SportsCenter.

The truth most fully relates to the effect Millerspeak makes, not the cause that gave rise to what's said.

This.

I completely felt like this was the public forum he was waiting to talk about the issues of the first couple weeks, the hype & then the three losses. & he's right that they have to use more effort on defense & as a team to win the next two games.

PJC looked really good to me last night. Hope he can keep it up.

[gumby]

From those clips it sounds like guys aren't buying in. It's especially concerning that even the older guys aren't giving full effort. We clearly lack the leadership of years past but I've never seen a Miller-coached team so tuned out. Perhaps there is frustration with his coaching style and schemes? We will have a serious problem next season if some of these frosh transfer or turn pro.

Serious problem if they stay and remain lifeless and clueless. I thought Miller's presser was extraordinary. Gonna suck to be anyone who doesn't give effort from now on.

The frustration is palpable. When you have to break it down to the simplest terms: jump, run, block, find your man, foul (if you have to). When you have to compare it to driveway hoops. "Check, your ball. You aren't going around me."

Team is driving him nuts that they're so unwilling to do basic basketball things.

[Olsondogg]

From those clips it sounds like guys aren't buying in. It's especially concerning that even the older guys aren't giving full effort. We clearly lack the leadership of years past but I've never seen a Miller-coached team so tuned out. Perhaps there is frustration with his coaching style and schemes? We will have a serious problem next season if some of these frosh transfer or turn pro.

Serious problem if they stay and remain lifeless and clueless. I thought Miller's presser was extraordinary. Gonna suck to be anyone who doesn't give effort from now on.

The frustration is palpable. When you have to break it down to the simplest terms: jump, run, block, find your man, foul (if you have to). When you have to compare it to driveway hoops. "Check, your ball. You aren't going around me."

Team is driving him nuts that they're so unwilling to do basic basketball things.

There were pressers in the Stanley Johnson era that were very similar.

[TheGreatCatsby]

Seems to me we're having a hard time figuring out how to exactly use Ayton. He's a crazy good physical talent, no question. Probably the most freak of an athlete ever to play at UA, combining size with athleticism and shooting ability. It's just that in current modern basketball, pro and college, no one really uses a center anymore. So we're trying to have most of the team play modern basketball but also trying to figure out how to play 80s and 90s basketball with Ayton. It's just disjointed right now. We try and throw post passes to start the offense, but none of our recruits ever spent much time feeding the post and it shows...most of the post entry passes are lazy, misaimed...Ayton often catches it in traffic where he can't do much with it, or we just throw it into a crowd where it gets stolen or knocked away.

Ayton has shown he can shoot midranges and even 3s, but he's not polished enough like a Lauri was to pull off mainly playing outside. And Ayton isn't as polished as like an Anthony Davis was that year he basically dominated the NCAA tournament down low and willed Kentucky to the title. Davis was simply a dominant inside force that no one could guard. Ayton has that overall ability, just not yet as a freshman, and he'll be gone after this year before we really will be able to see what he can do. He doesn't quite have good enough back-to-the basketball post moves either, yet, so his role on the team has yet to truly crystalize. It's just November, that's natural and he's a freshman, so all of it is understandable. Flashes of his play really remind me of Hakeem Olajowan. But he is tantalizingly close to being a crazy good contributor this year- we just have to figure out how to harness his skill set the best.

[gumby]

From those clips it sounds like guys aren't buying in. It's especially concerning that even the older guys aren't giving full effort. We clearly lack the leadership of years past but I've never seen a Miller-coached team so tuned out. Perhaps there is frustration with his coaching style and schemes? We will have a serious problem next season if some of these frosh transfer or turn pro.

Serious problem if they stay and remain lifeless and clueless. I thought Miller's presser was extraordinary. Gonna suck to be anyone who doesn't give effort from now on.

The frustration is palpable. When you have to break it down to the simplest terms: jump, run, block, find your man, foul (if you have to). When you have to compare it to driveway hoops. "Check, your ball. You aren't going around me."

Team is driving him nuts that they're so unwilling to do basic basketball things.

There were pressers in the Stanley Johnson era that were very similar.

New Rule: Eras can now be one year.

I really think this was different. So do people covering the team.

[rgdeuce]

Seems to me we're having a hard time figuring out how to exactly use Ayton. He's a crazy good physical talent, no question. Probably the most freak of an athlete ever to play at UA, combining size with athleticism and shooting ability. It's just that in current modern basketball, pro and college, no one really uses a center anymore. So we're trying to have most of the team play modern basketball but also trying to figure out how to play 80s and 90s basketball with Ayton. It's just disjointed right now. We try and throw post passes to start the offense, but none of our recruits ever spent much time feeding the post and it shows...most of the post entry passes are lazy, misaimed...Ayton often catches it in traffic where he can't do much with it, or we just throw it into a crowd where it gets stolen or knocked away.

Ayton has shown he can shoot midranges and even 3s, but he's not polished enough like a Lauri was to pull off mainly playing outside. And Ayton isn't as polished as like an Anthony Davis was that year he basically dominated the NCAA tournament down low and willed Kentucky to the title. Davis was simply a dominant inside force that no one could guard. Ayton has that overall ability, just not yet as a freshman, and he'll be gone after this year before we really will be able to see what he can do. He doesn't quite have good enough back-to-the basketball post moves either, yet, so his role on the team has yet to truly crystalize. It's just November, that's natural and he's a freshman, so all of it is understandable. Flashes of his play really remind me of Hakeem Olajowan. But he is tantalizingly close to being a crazy good contributor this year- we just have to figure out how to harness his skill set the best.

The situation is pretty much the same as it was with Markkanen. You have two incredibly efficient players playing in what is largely an open man gets the shot system. Throw in a guy who controls the ball at a high rate (Trier) and it gets even worse. In terms of how to harness his skill set the best..... just get him the effing ball. Doesn't have to be anything fancy, the goal is to get him at least one touch every trip down. The guy draws the attention of 3 and even 4 defenders at times.

[Longhorned]

From those clips it sounds like guys aren't buying in. It's especially concerning that even the older guys aren't giving full effort. We clearly lack the leadership of years past but I've never seen a Miller-coached team so tuned out. Perhaps there is frustration with his coaching style and schemes? We will have a serious problem next season if some of these frosh transfer or turn pro.

Serious problem if they stay and remain lifeless and clueless. I thought Miller's presser was extraordinary. Gonna suck to be anyone who doesn't give effort from now on.

The frustration is palpable. When you have to break it down to the simplest terms: jump, run, block, find your man, foul (if you have to). When you have to compare it to driveway hoops. "Check, your ball. You aren't going around me."

Team is driving him nuts that they're so unwilling to do basic basketball things.

There were pressers in the Stanley Johnson era that were very similar.

New Rule: Eras can now be one year.

I really think this was different. So do people covering the team.

To some degree, this is how Calipari sounded when his top-ranked team suffered early losses, fell out of the rankings, and then eventually made it to the title game. I remember things like Aaron Harrison guarding shooters on the perimeter with his arms down.

The difference is that it’s now juniors and seniors who need to get onboard with basics.

[SunnyAZ]

Seems to me we're having a hard time figuring out how to exactly use Ayton. He's a crazy good physical talent, no question. Probably the most freak of an athlete ever to play at UA, combining size with athleticism and shooting ability. It's just that in current modern basketball, pro and college, no one really uses a center anymore. So we're trying to have most of the team play modern basketball but also trying to figure out how to play 80s and 90s basketball with Ayton. It's just disjointed right now. We try and throw post passes to start the offense, but none of our recruits ever spent much time feeding the post and it shows...most of the post entry passes are lazy, misaimed...Ayton often catches it in traffic where he can't do much with it, or we just throw it into a crowd where it gets stolen or knocked away.

Ayton has shown he can shoot midranges and even 3s, but he's not polished enough like a Lauri was to pull off mainly playing outside. And Ayton isn't as polished as like an Anthony Davis was that year he basically dominated the NCAA tournament down low and willed Kentucky to the title. Davis was simply a dominant inside force that no one could guard. Ayton has that overall ability, just not yet as a freshman, and he'll be gone after this year before we really will be able to see what he can do. He doesn't quite have good enough back-to-the basketball post moves either, yet, so his role on the team has yet to truly crystalize. It's just November, that's natural and he's a freshman, so all of it is understandable. Flashes of his play really remind me of Hakeem Olajowan. But he is tantalizingly close to being a crazy good contributor this year- we just have to figure out how to harness his skill set the best.

I think it has been fine. Get him a couple post touches, get O-boards, run in transition, hit him on a couple of PnRs, run a couple plays to get him open layups. Right now he's not an extremely polished player but he is still averaging 19 and 12.

Also AD didn't really dominate offensively. He only averaged 14 PPG throughout the year and less in the tournament. I think he was like 4th or 5th in shots taken too. That team, and AD specifically, dominated defensively.

[Spaceman Spiff]

Seems to me we're having a hard time figuring out how to exactly use Ayton. He's a crazy good physical talent, no question. Probably the most freak of an athlete ever to play at UA, combining size with athleticism and shooting ability. It's just that in current modern basketball, pro and college, no one really uses a center anymore. So we're trying to have most of the team play modern basketball but also trying to figure out how to play 80s and 90s basketball with Ayton. It's just disjointed right now. We try and throw post passes to start the offense, but none of our recruits ever spent much time feeding the post and it shows...most of the post entry passes are lazy, misaimed...Ayton often catches it in traffic where he can't do much with it, or we just throw it into a crowd where it gets stolen or knocked away.

Ayton has shown he can shoot midranges and even 3s, but he's not polished enough like a Lauri was to pull off mainly playing outside. And Ayton isn't as polished as like an Anthony Davis was that year he basically dominated the NCAA tournament down low and willed Kentucky to the title. Davis was simply a dominant inside force that no one could guard. Ayton has that overall ability, just not yet as a freshman, and he'll be gone after this year before we really will be able to see what he can do. He doesn't quite have good enough back-to-the basketball post moves either, yet, so his role on the team has yet to truly crystalize. It's just November, that's natural and he's a freshman, so all of it is understandable. Flashes of his play really remind me of Hakeem Olajowan. But he is tantalizingly close to being a crazy good contributor this year- we just have to figure out how to harness his skill set the best.

Ayton's offensive skill set is sort of a tweener thing. He has a decent perimeter game, but not lights out like Lauri. He has the physical tools to be super dominant in the paint, but he lacks a go to move and his post game is raw.

His physique says interior force. He is more comfortable on the perimeter but isn't the killer Lauri was from 3. He is so physically developed that you want his game to evolve fast to match.

[84Cat]

Sounds a lot like Lute too. This year reminds me a lot of Lute during the 90's. He'll never win the big one, the final 4 is his ceiling. What a bunch of delusional fans back then. They quickly forgot about the end of the Snowden era and the Ben Lindsey year. I remember listening to call in radio and fan after fan saying we should fire Lute. I couldn't believe how stupid out fan base was. Then he wins it all and he was a god.

[CalStateTempe]

Thanks for the perspective 84!

[Beachcat97]

Sounds a lot like Lute too. This year reminds me a lot of Lute during the 90's. He'll never win the big one, the final 4 is his ceiling. What a bunch of delusional fans back then. They quickly forgot about the end of the Snowden era and the Ben Lindsey year. I remember listening to call in radio and fan after fan saying we should fire Lute. I couldn't believe how stupid out fan base was. Then he wins it all and he was a god.

As the Lute era recedes into the past, I'm having a harder time recalling how his style differed from Sean's. I don't remember Lute being known as a "hard-ass" or a "he touched the ball" type. He was always more measured, more reserved. Sure he had his games where he let the refs hear it, but find me a video of Lute calling out refs, players, etc. the way that Sean tends to.

And what about at practice? Was Lute a screamer? Was defense the main focus? Were Lute's teams better conditioned physically than Sean's?

[Olsondogg]

So what makes the fan base change it's mind about this team?

Does beating UNLV on the road Saturday mean anything if we lose to A &M in PHX? What about Alabama at home?

What if Arizona drops all 3 games? What if they win all three? What if they are blowouts versus close games? What if they are defensive battles versus offensive showcases?

Does any of this really matter if Arizona makes the tournament? Does the draw or location in the tournament even matter anymore? Does a favorable path versus a difficult road matter?

What will make you feel better? At trip to the Final 4 and an immediate exit? Would an Elite 8 be the "ceiling"?

Arghahahhaaaaa...what are the answers to this question? Tell me from your recliner, please!!!!