Rocky Mountain Road Trip Discussion

[rgdeuce]

WTF, asu plays utah on a sunday night and Arizona has to play at Colorado on a short turn around game on a Saturday afternoon?

Fucking knew it

Im gonna blame it on that and the altitude and reserve judgment on what I was thinking at the end of this one. Still a ton of things that need to get sorted out before we are anything more than a 50/50 game for most tournament teams on a neutral floor in the wrong region.

[Disambiguator]

This loss is completely on Miller.

Ristic playing so much will cost us a final four again. He missed 9 layups and let about a million points get scored as usual.

Wife and kids had to clear the room - "GET RISTIC THE FUCK OUTTA THERE AND DO NOT PUT HIM BACK IN...USELESS!"

Seriously, what the hell is wrong with you, Miller? Stupid, stupid, stupid.

[Frybry02]

We lost by 3 giving up 55 and 44% 3fg while shooting 38% and 28% respectively. Unbelievable. So many missed opportunities.

[RondaeShimmy]

WTF, asu plays utah on a sunday night and Arizona has to play at Colorado on a short turn around game on a Saturday afternoon?

Fucking knew it

Im gonna blame it on that and the altitude and reserve judgment on what I was thinking at the end of this one. Still a ton of things that need to get sorted out before we are anything more than a 50/50 game for most tournament teams on a neutral floor in the wrong region.

Doesn't explain Miller trying to ride Ristic (who's awful) for the win. 5/6 of his touches and plays run through him should always go to Ayton. Dude is unstoppable, unfathomable.

I don't know what Miller is seeing

[sirhamsalot]

WTF, asu plays utah on a sunday night and Arizona has to play at Colorado on a short turn around game on a Saturday afternoon?

Fucking knew it

Im gonna blame it on that and the altitude and reserve judgment on what I was thinking at the end of this one. Still a ton of things that need to get sorted out before we are anything more than a 50/50 game for most tournament teams on a neutral floor in the wrong region.

Doesn't explain Miller trying to ride Ristic (who's awful) for the win. 5/6 of his touches and plays run through him should always go to Ayton. Dude is unstoppable, unfathomable.

I don't know what Miller is seeing

Ristic is good. He's not Ayton, and he's not Lauri. If we hadn't had those two unicorns playing along side him, you all would really appreciate what we get with him. Expecting him to be Ayton or Lauri is not realistic. He's one of the best in the country around the basket and has stepped up his defensive rebounding a lot so far in Pac-12 play.

[UAEebs86]

I was listening to the CU announcers on TuneIn and they said only 4 teams in the 7 year history of the Pac-12 have swept the Mountain road trip.

[rgdeuce]

WTF, asu plays utah on a sunday night and Arizona has to play at Colorado on a short turn around game on a Saturday afternoon?

Fucking knew it

Im gonna blame it on that and the altitude and reserve judgment on what I was thinking at the end of this one. Still a ton of things that need to get sorted out before we are anything more than a 50/50 game for most tournament teams on a neutral floor in the wrong region.

Doesn't explain Miller trying to ride Ristic (who's awful) for the win. 5/6 of his touches and plays run through him should always go to Ayton. Dude is unstoppable, unfathomable.

I don't know what Miller is seeing

Ristic is good. He's not Ayton, and he's not Lauri. If we hadn't had those two unicorns playing along side him, you all would really appreciate what we get with him. Expecting him to be Ayton or Lauri is not realistic. He's one of the best in the country around the basket and has stepped up his defensive rebounding a lot so far in Pac-12 play.

No. Without the unicorns, both teams would/would have been in a world of hurt, Jr and Sr Ristic included. Ayton is the one who has saved this early season from being a dumpster fire. Even in the three bahamas games; imagine how bad that would have been without him looking like NPOY that whole tourney.

[TucsonClip]

No lede or preface. I am going to just into this one with a bit more of my raw observations, along with time stamps, in case you wanted to go back and watch this disaster.

What Colorado Did

Colorado began the game blitzing and trapping Trier on all ball screens. They want the ball out of his hands and knew Trier doesn’t handle pressure well. This would be a common theme all game, but somewhat minimized because of how effective their zone was.

Offensively, Boyle was running us off screens on each side of floor with their bigs. One high post, and opposite block. He was trying to create driving lanes and open shots on the perimeter, which it did. In essence, the high post action is a pass away and cut off the screen at the elbow. Low post is a curl/pin down. Trier was beat on each of them in the first five minutes.

9:58 1H: CU sets up and a pretty predicable high middle ball screen action. Ristic performs his drop/sag show, and then recovers to his man. However, we have another case of guys not defending behind the coverage. While Ayton slides over like he is going to tag the roll man (body him on the dive), this has always been the backside wing/guard’s job. In this case, Rawle. Rawle isn’t helping across the lane (his man is in the weak side corner/wing) to cover for Ristic. The PG delivers the pass, which is always going to beat Ristic, Rawle isn’t there to help, the big has a touch on the block, and Rawle just stands there on the block not moving. That simply isn’t going to cut it. Miller immediately gets Smith off the bench to replace him.

8:00 1H: Boyle running the same version of his horns series over and over against us. He knows that our wigs are going to slide all the way across the lane to cover the screen and roll, and that the skip pass is wide open for a three or pump fake a pull up.

6:28 1H: Colorado simply destroying us on ball screen action. Ayton just does not look like he is here to defend today. Not helping at the rim, late recovering off hedges, which kills the timing on the back side defender recovering as the ball goes middle. Trier was there to help, anticipated Ayton recovering, and then left back to his man, which was a mistake. Miller is so pissed he uses his third TO of the half and replaces everyone. Lineup is now Barcello, Randolph, Akot, Pinder, Ristic.

3:54 1H: Wright abusing Barcello, just like he did everyone else, and getting to the rim at will. This is absolutely terrible.

Colorado closed the first half and opened the second half running their elbow and block wheel action, just like they opened the game. Difference is UA is now playing with some passion, and defending these screens, cuts, ect. Much better.

17:05 2H: As soon as I type that, Trier gets beat on the pass away and back cut off the high post screen. Ayton doesn’t help Trier on the high post screen, and Ristic is late to rotate to help at the rim. It’s a simple action, but Boyle has Ayton and Ristic exactly where he wants them defensively. Ayton pulled away from the hoop, and Ristic responsible for helping at the rim.

Boyle really struggled adjusting his offense to Arizona’s switching scheme, at least when we implemeted it. He ran a lot of the same sets the first 1o minutes, but they look completely different without any dribble penetration or lack of ball pressure, which has led to a bevy of live ball turnovers, which means UA on the break.

About half way through the second half, we see Boyle insert a new offense to combat all the switching on ball screens. He is lifting everyone but Ayton and running weaves and DHOs on the perimeter, which is causing some confusion via help responsibilities at the rim. Ayton has been hit twice on those without coming over to help off his man. Not sure if he is exhausted, confused, not giving the full effort, or what. But when the defender blows past his help responsibility he just stands there and doesn’t reengage. Good adjustment.

Colorado simply out executed Arizona down the stretch. They were able to break down the defense on straight line drives for layups, opens up shooting lanes for kick out threes, and were the first team all year to slow us down with a zone (Could make the case for Utah and their match up 2-3). Wright terrorized us off the bounce, we didn’t show much fight helping, and that was that. Additionally, They would not let Trier play in any ball screens, against their many defense, by blitzing and trapping him anytime he tried to turn the corner.

Simply put, they played harder, they wanted it more, and even though they nearly gave it away in the second half, they out executed us a majority of the game. So many open threes, defensive breakdowns, guys getting beat off the bounce. That was difficult to watch.

What Arizona Did

All game, we were taking too many jumpers, especially against the zone. We needed to drop the ball off to Ristic and Ayton and make the zone collapse. That said, when we were able to get some stop, we generated good looks from three in transition and penetration. Unfortunately, the individual, and team, defense was pure garbage.

Rawle’s play early was a brief synopsis of the game. He was benched very early in the first half because he was settling for jumpers. However, Miller got into him and he did a good job after Miller put him back in, by attacking the basket. Hell, he drew two fouls on one possession midway through the first 10 minutes (four total by us on one possession). He is at his best when he is using his size to create space and draw contact.

Randolph is still a bit wild driving to the rim through traffic. When he drives into traffic, and is off balance, he needs to jump stop and then go up. Hes trying to continue his momentum off one foot, but isn’t balanced on contact, and ends up throwing up wild shots in the paint.

10:14 1H: Another example of teams scouting our sets, which aren’t the most imaginable, but have multiple, easy to read, options.

Miller runs a common, quick hitting horns set (double high post, wings low corner). Rawle and Trier walk down towards the block. Rawle pops to the corner (CU bench), Ristic jumps to show a fake ball screen for PJC, and Trier steps up into a back screen to free Ayton cutting from the weak side elbow, to strong side, short corner, block for a quick touch. Miller does a lot of backscreens and cross screens in the paint for his bigs, something he even utilized back in the day for Derrick Williams.

However, Colorado was ready for this set. The man defending Trier sees the screen coming and drops to knock down Ayton’s cut and help Ayton’s man by covering behind him on the block. Ayton’s man gets off the screen and rushes to defend Ayton front side to deny the entry. Good defense. However, we already have the built in counters, which make simple sets like these extremely difficult to defend.

Trier fades to the weak side wing, where he will obviously be wide open off a skip pass. Rawle misses it and plays into a side ball screen from Ristic. Bad news right? Not exactly, because Ayton knows this is the next progression. He spins, seals his man, and Rawle hits him with a lob middle of the paint and Ayton is fouled.

Simple sets have plenty of options, as we saw here. The players just need to be able to read the defense and execute the next read, which we did. Well done.

However, we have to do a better job getting Ayton a touch in the middle of the zone and on the block. The entire defense collapses and then we get open looks from three and driving lanes. An eample of this is when Miller went small around the nine minute mark (1H), and we start carving up the zone defense, because they are playing inside out.

Unfortunately, any gain we made on offense was poisoned by our pathetic defensive effort. The defensive energy just wasnt there. Guys werent helping, especially in the paint, the entire first half.

To his credit, Miller adjusted his defense at the half. No longer hard hedging the side screen and rolls, and went back to switching all guard, wings, and Ayton. This would help slow Wright from attacking off the dribble, which he killed us on in the first half. A little wrinkle Miller added the week prior to ASU, and its definitely coming in handy. I just wish he would use it more often.

18:28 2H: Great example of what I have been asking to see more of all season; Trier moving off the ball. Nice little two man game out of a 1-4 high set, with Trier walking his man off the wing and down to the block and sprinting off a quick Ayton pin down. Good look, open three, nailed.

Arizona’s ball pressure picked up to start the second half. Forced five Colorado turnovers the first six minutes, which led to a quick pace and cut the lead down to eight. Colorado does not want to play this fast, as they had been killing us in the half court in the first half. This is capped off by the defensive rebound, push in transition, and Ayton +1 on the slam. At the 12:50 mark. Colorado was on the ropes and Boyle was trying to do everything he could to slow down the tempo with his 2-3 zone.

10:04 2H: Ayton pulls off the most beautiful spin moves you will ever see. Catches the ball in the middle of the zone. Squares up, one dribble right off the foul line, spins left around his man, and lays it in. I guarantee you not one CU player on the court thought he could do that, and they all froze as a result. That is the nimbleness, the footwork, the agility, the touch, that Ayton has which gives him unlimited upside at the next level. That type of coordination and agility are why I think he can improve his handle and jumper as he develops. Absolutely unprecedented.

Around the nine minute mark, I loved Miller’s adjustment to try to get Ayton touches on the block instead of the middle of the zone where he had been settling for jumpers. He goes small and inserts Lee/Akot into the FT line dead spot where Ayton had been. With Ristic out, Ayton is now occupying the block and baseline dead spot against the zone.

7:08 2H: We see Miller go back to his base ball screen coverage, to my frustration. Ayton shows on the ball screen, Randolph tags the roll man, and tries to recover to Collier who hits an open three. Randolph just has to be able to close out quicker, which isn’t really his fault. That’s the shot the coverage gives up, and I absolutely hate it.

4:35 2H: The defense is falling apart again. Here Trier gets caught staring at the ball, turns his back and head to his man, as he is looking to help Ayton who is defending the PG, Wright. Ayton walls off his drive, but Collier sees Trier’s head turn, he relocates by sliding down the wing, and is free for an easy wide open three. Horrible defense by Trier.

The frustration down the stretch for Arizona was palpable. Settled for far too many jumpers and three, Ayton was stuck at the FT line instead of on the block (even though he was hitting from there), Ristic couldn’t hit a shot unless it was an offensive rebound, and the defense faltered down the stretch. The energy and enthusiasm was only there for the first 12 minutes of the second half. Outside of that, Arizona looked like they were tired, sleepwalking, and just not interested.

This was certainly a difficult road trip, but Arizona’s energy and defense was downright pathetic at times, and im sure Miller is going to let these guys know that, again.

[luteformayor2]

Miller coached a shit game.

Why aren't we talking more about Miller's stubbornness?

We could have 5 Aytons on our team and Miller would play Ristic. Mother fuck this shit.

[catgrad97]

Another great breakdown, Clip, thank you.

So, for yet another season of the Sean Miller era at Arizona, after yet another uninspired conference road trip, a team with dominant talent opens up more questions than it has answers for.

DeAndre Ayton is an all-world, once-in-a-lifetime talent. Yet because of the (lack of) development of the pieces around him, the finish for the Wildcats continues to project static.

I have to confess, I do not enjoy watching this team without Ayton. I have to open up about how disappointing this system has become to root for, especially the stagnation and laziness exhibited by too many key components--particularly Ristic, Trier and PJC.

Their vulnerabilities have been well explored, and debated, on this board. So I will not add repetitive vitriol to their analysis. I will only note that the flaws we have noted about these players, by and large, are the same flaws they entered college with.

I don't know whose fault that is, and I do not care to point fingers. All I can be sure of is the fault is grievous, because it puts a critical amount of pressure that eventually, during the postseason, proves toxic to too many players. I am just seeing young men that, mentally, are pressing too much in games until they scramble and go paralytic under the expectations--particularly the lack of margin for error.

Miller screams, and yells, and calls time out, and resets, with only incremental adjustments--and the ever-present danger of blowing a double-digit lead. Maybe I have been spoiled by Lute, but other Cat fans I have talked to lately have agreed that even with this great recruiting class, no lead is safe.

This really didn't emerge as a problem until the Ryan Anderson team of two years ago. Now, the matchup deficiencies that team showed are settling in deep with subsequent teams--regardless of Ayton, Romar or experience--and the continuing trend toward burnout is troubling.

I don't have quantitative evidence like Clip does to support my observations. I just look back to 20 years ago--the championship team, perhaps our best performing under pressure--and the disparities in those performances, with less recruiting pedigree, than this team, cannot be denied.

That team was visibly having fun and enjoying its freedom on the court. There was HUGE growth among its youth from November to April.

You don't see nearly as much of that from this group. Something about that has to change, because I have no Final Four hopes for this team--and haven't since the Bahamas.

Win or lose, fans need to feel encouraged by the continued progress of their program. That's not happening anymore, at least with me.

Too many refrains of "He is who he is." Too many players looking like Lauri Markkanen the last 10 minutes against Xavier in the tournament--"tired, sleepwalking, and just not interested." A Players' Program is becoming A Closed System, it seems.

[zonagrad]

Lots of well reasoned posts. But I'm a little bothered by the cherry picking of arguments between Miller's teams and Lute's teams that were "more fun." Let's not forget that some of Lute's teams were immensely talented and also crapped out early because the "buy in" just wasn't there. The two teams I like to compare are 2004 and 2005. NBA Finals MVP Andre Iguodala was a sophomore on that '04 team that couldn't or wouldn't play defense and share the ball properly. They middled their way to an 8-seed in Raleigh, NC of all places. Then they proceeded to blow an 8 point lead in the final five minutes against a very mediocre Seton Hall team. That team had Channing Frye, Hassan Adams, Radinovic, Shakur, and Stoudamire.

A year later, minus NBA Finals MVP Iguodala, the same team came within an eyelash of the Final Four and had a really great season.

A lot of it is chemistry on each team. It's players buying into certain roles and embracing their responsibilities. Right now, this team simply does not have that. There isn't a lot of trust on this team because some players only do one thing well. They can't or won't fill other roles.

Trier is a player who wants the ball. He wants the ball to score. And that's the only way he's learned to be effective. And to me, it kills our chemistry and stunts the development of other players. When Allonzo is feeling it, he can take almost anyone off the bounce and get a bucket or get to the FT line. But at what expense? I think he's a fine player who no doubt works hard at his game and Miller has praised him. But I've yet to see him try to earn his keep by stepping up his defensive game or work solely on getting points by offensive rebounds or moving without the ball and cutting or curling hard around screens. He simply wants the ball at the top of the arc and wants to use a ball screen to make a move or get a shot. From an opponent's point of view, it's easy to game plan because you know that's all he does. Trier hasn't shown much of anything else in his repertoire. Yes, he's shown the ability to pass more when he's going off the dribble but that's all.

We could break down other players like Ristic who are also extremely limited (especially defensively). It's why I believe that there are games where his minutes should be cut back a ton. It all depends on match ups.

Overall, I still think Miller needs to develop his bench for the long haul if this team is going to make a run in March. That means taking your lumps with Akot, Randolph and Lee at times during the next 7 weeks. It probably means sacrificing a few wins to do that. And even then, the payoff might not come quick enough in March. But going with the same limited rotation isn't going to get us beyond the sweet 16 if we're even lucky to get that far. And again, it might still come down to point guard play. We saw it rear its ugly head in Boulder with PJC having a dreadful shooting performance after playing an exceptional game in Salt Lake. But that's just PJC. He's never been consistent. And he plays a position that honestly demands consistency.

[midnightx]

Ayton plays a different game than the rest of this team. As a unit, they have their moments, even the occasional game, but this year’s team is lacking unity and depth (and viable point guard play). Remember when AZ freshmen could really play? Outside of Ayton, these guys do not look like pieces that made up a top five class. The team could still get hot and go a run, but they have a lot of work to do, especially the bench.

[catgrad97]

Lots of well reasoned posts. But I'm a little bothered by the cherry picking of arguments between Miller's teams and Lute's teams that were "more fun." Let's not forget that some of Lute's teams were immensely talented and also crapped out early because the "buy in" just wasn't there. The two teams I like to compare are 2004 and 2005. NBA Finals MVP Andre Iguodala was a sophomore on that '04 team that couldn't or wouldn't play defense and share the ball properly. They middled their way to an 8-seed in Raleigh, NC of all places. Then they proceeded to blow an 8 point lead in the final five minutes against a very mediocre Seton Hall team. That team had Channing Frye, Hassan Adams, Radinovic, Shakur, and Stoudamire.

A year later, minus NBA Finals MVP Iguodala, the same team came within an eyelash of the Final Four and had a really great season.

True. This was, as is generally acknowledged, the last great Lute Olson team. But that eyelash came against a preseason favorite, basically playing a home game. This was an unexpected near-miss, playing with house money.

And I was as disappointed with the first-round flameout that preceded it because, as you allude to, there were so many players freelancing--just playing their own game and not willing to gel.

But both of these teams were unknown commodities to start the season. Plenty of potential, but possessing the best player in the country, much less recruit, at any position? Not even close.

So as heart-achingly close as the latter team came to prominence, the national consensus is that a similar Elite Eight finish from this year's team would not only be a disappointment, but a huge waste of potential for a team with the best high school big man in America last year.

A lot of it is chemistry on each team. It's players buying into certain roles and embracing their responsibilities. Right now, this team simply does not have that. There isn't a lot of trust on this team because some players only do one thing well. They can't or won't fill other roles.

I have not yet seen, in this team, players who have really needed each other for anything. Who relied upon, or even depended upon, someone else to have their back. Trier is still too reminiscent of Chris Rodgers, in the wrong ways.

That's a huge advantage for any defense seeking an easy gameplan--a player who is only great when he "gets minutes/the ball/a rhythm." No matter how great your talent at a certain part of the game, to be a next-level player, you've got to learn how to influence the game in other positive ways. Trier's still not there, even though he says all the right things. Gotta still walk that walk.

As for Ristic and PJC, the epiphany that may have already occurred to Miller is how key the development of 1s and 5s are to a team's performance in pressure situations. These are the positions at which seniors can "take charge" and make the most difference between a team finish that is average and one that is memorable.

Ristic, sorry to say, reached his ceiling a season ago. He is just not going to be that Wildcat senior who can give more of himself to help the team win. While even Radenovic had a stretch of terrific road games in February and March in his final season, Dusan just doesn't have it in his skill set.

Miller's going to have to realize that and quit deferring to seniority at every opportunity, or the next Colorado-like first half in the tournament will be the next Wichita State loss. Trouble is, deferring to seniority seems to be part of the culture Miller has created--which means there are no exceptions he can make to this rule. Doesn't matter how many bad match-ups might await us.

Still, when PJC is dialed in and Ayton is allowed to take charge at the 5, this team is one of the best in America. Anything less...and there's a cliff-sized dropoff in which any result could happen--and, frankly, the team's identity is amorphous at best.

Overall, I still think Miller needs to develop his bench for the long haul if this team is going to make a run in March. That means taking your lumps with Akot, Randolph and Lee at times during the next 7 weeks. It probably means sacrificing a few wins to do that. And even then, the payoff might not come quick enough in March. But going with the same limited rotation isn't going to get us beyond the sweet 16 if we're even lucky to get that far.

Speaking of being part of team culture, great leadership facilitates the development of a great bench. Beyond its heart, Alkins--who is neither a ballhandler the team can rely on nor a player who demands the ball and can give you those clutch points down the stretch--I am struggling to discern where that leadership is on this team.

"Miller needs to develop his bench for the long haul and postseason success, even if it means taking his lumps with the young players." How many times, and with how many Miller teams, must this decision be contemplated? I swear we have been considering this from Chance Comanche back to Grant Jarrett and Jordin Mayes.

Miller's never going to do it, and yet every season since 2012, the need to do this arises. Why? Whether it's certain starters just not buying into his system or Miller not preparing his upperclassmen enough to achieve the necessary separation so that a bench can simply develop as a bench, unpressured, I don't know the definitive answer.

But we're, once again, contemplating this need with seniors in their fourth year in the program. No Perrys, Lyonses or McConnells with short-term excuses--we're talking about our STARTING CENTER AND POINT GUARD.

If, or when, that happens with this team, any pretense at real "chemistry" will be shot, and Miller will be left situationally filling gaps in his system to scheme his way to a Final Four, just hoping for favorable matchups along the way.

[Bordercat]

I'll take a 4 seed.

I'll take a regular season championship. Both will likely happen.

Calm down everybody. The kids didn't show up to play the first half because less than 48 hours before they were in SLC playing before another crazy/nasty crowd, which was on the heels of an insane environment at McKale.

Let down game? Yep.

This type of game is so common in college basketball. I've seen year after year.

Chill out. We will be alright.

Miller pours his soul into each and every team. He has the right to be exasperated when his team, particularly his upper classmen fail to do the same.

Still wish Miller toss out a little zone when a team like Colorado is going bananas like they were today.

[PieceOfMeat]

"Miller needs to develop his bench for the long haul and postseason success, even if it means taking his lumps with the young players." How many times, and with how many Miller teams, must this decision be contemplated? I swear we have been considering this from Chance Comanche back to Grant Jarrett and Jordin Mayes.

Miller's never going to do it, and yet every season since 2012, the need to do this arises.

Yep.

[CalStateTempe]

We lost to rado?!?

Ugh.

Moving on, back to pisco sours, cerviche, and carne empanadas. Ciao

[Bangkok Wildcat]

We lost to rado?!?

Ugh.

Moving on, back to pisco sours, cerviche, and carne empanadas. Ciao

Not only did we lose to POS Rado but POS Tad Boyle crying about how great it was to beat us ‘cheaters’....ughh, what a loathesome Coach. Payback is going to be fun.

Hey, you no longer accept PMs?

[CalStateTempe]

We lost to rado?!?

Ugh.

Moving on, back to pisco sours, cerviche, and carne empanadas. Ciao

Not only did we lose to POS Rado but POS Tad Boyle crying about how great it was to beat us ‘cheaters’....ughh, what a loathesome Coach. Payback is going to be fun.

Hey, you no longer accept PMs?

Sure I do! Where you blocked? What did it say? Let me look into it.

Edit:apparently my mailbox box is full. On a smartphone will clean tomorrow. Cheers!

[Bangkok Wildcat]

We lost to rado?!?

Ugh.

Moving on, back to pisco sours, cerviche, and carne empanadas. Ciao

Not only did we lose to POS Rado but POS Tad Boyle crying about how great it was to beat us ‘cheaters’....ughh, what a loathesome Coach. Payback is going to be fun.

Hey, you no longer accept PMs?

Sure I do! Where you blocked? What did it say? Let me look into it.

Edit:apparently my mailbox box is full. On a smartphone will clean tomorrow. Cheers!

Cool, Sent you twice over the past months and was wondering why I never heard back....Happy New Year Sir!

[Spaceman Spiff]

Miller coached a shit game.

Why aren't we talking more about Miller's stubbornness?

We could have 5 Aytons on our team and Miller would play Ristic. Mother fuck this shit.

Miller plays Ristic because the options are Lee, Pinder or small with Rawle at the 4 and Smith ot Randolph on the wing. Are any of those options preferable?

Clip, great commentary as always.

It sure feels like we beat ASU, got convinced that we were awesome again and slipped right back into the habits that triggered L's in the Bahamas when we were convinced we were awesome for the first time. We had bad habits we started breaking, but they came back hard.

[YoDeFoe]

Clip, great commentary as always.

It sure feels like we beat ASU, got convinced that we were awesome again and slipped right back into the habits that triggered L's in the Bahamas when we were convinced we were awesome for the first time. We had bad habits we started breaking, but they came back hard.

Ditto (re: Clip)...

and ditto re: the "we're back" attitude.

Coach was right early in the year: these guys aren't talented enough to take plays off. There is no Nick Johnson, TJ McConnell, Aaron Gordon, or Rondae Hollis Jefferson waiting behind them to cover up their mistakes.

These guys are going to have to learn to play hard every single night, because in 8 weeks going 1 for 2 on the weekend means you're going home.

[YoDeFoe]

Rob Dauster of NBC Sports on Arizona...

And Arizona?

Losing at Colorado wasn’t exactly a crowning achievement, but in the six-plus seasons since Colorado and Utah joined the Pac-12, the Mountain schools have hosted 25 homestands, meaning that 50 times a Pac-12 rival has made that road trip. Of those 50 trips, Utah and Colorado have been swept just four times: UCLA in 2013, Arizona in 2014 and 2015, and UCLA again in 2017. And for the record, in those six years, Utah has been to just two NCAA tournaments and Colorado has finished the year as a top 50 team on KenPom just once.

I’m already on an island with Arizona. I’m not getting off that island because they lost their second game in 40 hours on a brutal road trip at elevation.

...ranks Arizona 8th in his latest power poll.

[YoDeFoe]

PJC on Miller's comments and on failing to match the intensity of the opposing team (including his man).

[Spaceman Spiff]

Clip, great commentary as always.

It sure feels like we beat ASU, got convinced that we were awesome again and slipped right back into the habits that triggered L's in the Bahamas when we were convinced we were awesome for the first time. We had bad habits we started breaking, but they came back hard.

Ditto (re: Clip)...

and ditto re: the "we're back" attitude.

Coach was right early in the year: these guys aren't talented enough to take plays off. There is no Nick Johnson, TJ McConnell, Aaron Gordon, or Rondae Hollis Jefferson waiting behind them to cover up their mistakes.

These guys are going to have to learn to play hard every single night, because in 8 weeks going 1 for 2 on the weekend means you're going home.

Pat Riley has a great speech on how it's harder for a team to handle prosperity than adversity. Handling adversity is easy because there are constant reminders about what needs to happen to improve. Prosperity sucks you into forgetting what you have to do to achieve it. Players begin to think it's because they're just good and can turn it on and off when needed.