Also, here's the
Arizona preview from ESPN Insider:
Arizona Wildcats
2013-14: 33-5 (15-3 Pac-12)
In-conference offense: 1.08 points per possession (third)
In-conference defense: 0.91 points allowed per possession (first)
During 2013-14, the Arizona Wildcats nailed everything but the finish. In Sean Miller's fifth season in Tucson, the Cats started the season 21-0 -- including wins in their first eight Pac-12 games -- to ascend to No. 1 in the rankings. And while Arizona wasn't quite as dominant after losing starting forward Brandon Ashley to a season-ending foot injury, the team still earned its first No. 1 seed in 11 years and the first by any Pac-12 team since UCLA in 2008.
Now, here's the scary proposition: Miller's crew might be even deeper this season.
After losing Pac-12 Player of the Year Nick Johnson and conference Freshman of the Year Aaron Gordon to the NBA, the Wildcats won't have quite as much elite talent. But with the rest of the rotation returning, supplemented by a class rated seventh in the nation by ESPN Recruiting Nation, they'll have options.
"We have a lot of competition for certain positions on our team," Miller said. "I think that's the best way I can say that."
Arizona's return to national power has been a few years coming. Since arriving from Xavier to replace the legendary Lute Olson, Miller has done an impressive job of recruiting. By his second season on the job, Miller landed a top 10 class in Recruiting Nation's rankings, something he's now done four years running -- with a potentially even better haul coming in 2015, having already secured commitments from three top 30 recruits.
Adding that level of talent on a constant basis sets up the Wildcats to contend perennially. Until last season, however, Arizona hadn't quite put everything together. Despite a Pac-12 regular-season title in 2010-11 and two deep NCAA tournament runs (once to the Sweet 16, once to the Elite Eight), Miller's team had never secured a top-four seed in the tournament until last season.
The difference was defense. While Arizona had finished in the top 10 offensively twice in Miller's first four seasons, the team's best finish in defensive efficiency was 41st. That changed in a big way in 2013-14, as the Wildcats posted the nation's lowest adjusted defensive efficiency, per KenPom.com, and led the way in effective field goal percentage allowed (42.3). An enormous front line of Ashley, Gordon and 7-footer Kaleb Tarczewski made the paint a no-fly zone for opponents, who have always had difficulty finding good 3-point looks against Miller's pack-line defense.
The defense remained strong after Ashley was lost for the season. The Wildcats still entered the NCAA tournament 30-4 and as the No. 1 seed in the Anaheim bracket. They dominated Gonzaga to reach the Sweet 16 and outlasted San Diego State to make their second regional final in four years. There, Arizona experienced heartbreak. Down 64-63 in the closing stages of overtime, the Wildcats had multiple chances to win, but Johnson was called for a borderline offensive foul and could not get a potential winning shot off before the buzzer.
Again, Miller was denied his first trip to the Final Four. But he'll have another good chance this season. Arizona brings in five newcomers, essentially one at each position, and all will compete for playing time right away. The star is Stanley Johnson, whom Miller compares to Gordon in terms of his combination of ability and maturity.
"Similar to what Aaron Gordon brought to the table talent-wise, we're counting on that, but we're also counting on Stanley to bring some of those intangibles," Miller said. "In Aaron, not only did you get a great talent but you also got someone who was like a senior. I think Stanley shares some of those qualities."
Arizona also adds to the backcourt point guard Parker Jackson-Cartwright, whom Miller calls the heir apparent at the position, and national junior college player of the year Kadeem Allen. Up front, undersized power forward Craig Victor and Serbian center Dusan Ristic add depth that has been missing in past seasons.
For all of the Wildcats' success, they've relied heavily on their starting fives. Last season, it was really a top six after Ashley's injury. Besides the starters and sixth man Hollis-Jefferson, two other players saw a total of 12 minutes in the loss to Wisconsin. The newcomers figure to help Miller go deeper into his bench.
Arizona returns three upperclassmen as starters, including point guard T.J. McConnell. That's notable because it's the first time in Miller's six years at the school he's had a point guard start multiple seasons. (Miller did inherit experienced senior Nic Wise when he arrived in Tucson.) McConnell, a pass-first point guard who boasted the best assist rate of any returning Pac-12 player last season, is an ideal fit given all the talent around him. Now, Miller wants him to step forward as a leader.
"I think that's the one thing that we are looking for from T.J.," Miller said. "Nick Johnson was our unquestioned leader a year ago. It's not that T.J. has to be Nick, but he has to help absorb the loss of leadership when Nick walked out the door."
Up front, Ashley should be back to full strength by the start of the season. A conservative rehab process was expected to get him back to five-on-five action by September, seven months after foot surgery. Ashley added a 3-point dimension during his abbreviated sophomore season, making 11 triples in 22 games, and could provide some needed floor spacing. Tarczewski made huge strides as a sophomore, improving his 2-point percentage from 54 to 58 percent and his free throw percentage from 63 to 76 percent. He figures to be one of the conference's premier centers.
The other two starting jobs will likely go to Johnson and Hollis-Jefferson, a potential breakout candidate in his second (and probably final) campaign in Tucson. After making just two 3-pointers as a freshman, Hollis-Jefferson -- already valuable because of his defense and rebounding from the wing -- has "worked his butt off," in Miller's words, remaking his shot over the summer. While they're likely to start at both wing positions, giving the Wildcats tremendous size at the positions, Hollis-Jefferson and Johnson could also play both forward spots in smaller lineups with more shooting.
That shooting is most likely to come from junior Gabe York and sophomore Elliott Pitts, both off-guards. York, who started 12 games after Ashley's injury, made 57 3-pointers -- second only to Nick Johnson -- at a 38.5 percent clip. In more limited action, Pitts shot 39 percent beyond the arc.
The challenge of the depth is that Miller will have tougher decisions than usual when choosing a rotation, and he'll have to figure things out early. The Wildcats play a typically demanding nonconference schedule, including competing in the Maui Invitational, visits by Gonzaga and Michigan and road games at UTEP and UNLV. Surely, Arizona will have enough talent to navigate those tests.
Without the individual talent of Gordon and Nick Johnson, the Wildcats might not be quite as good as last season's incarnation, at least before Ashley's injury. Still, they'll start the season in the top five and are even favorites to win the NCAA tournament in some quarters. We'll see whether depth can take Arizona to heights the Wildcats have yet to reach under Miller.
Projected 2014-15 conference finish: First