The 2021-2022 Season Thread

[Spaceman Spiff]

You look at the team Miller assembled post FBI that included the key guys this year along with T Brown, the other Brown at ULL, Akinjo, J Baker, Lee and even Barcello and you just have to marvel at his eye for talent and his ability to shape a roster.

This season is a validation of his recruiting, invalidation of his coaching

Is there a dimension in the multiverse where Sean Miller doesn’t have this team in the top-20 and top-2 in the PAC? Let’s not act like we’d have 6+ losses if CSM was still the coach. Obviously the team would look different style-wise but we’d still be very successful.

100%. Heck, you can pull my posts that I thought we'd be pushing back into the top ten this year before Miller was fired.

Frankly, I think it's a compliment to say Lloyd's performance has been what would equal a good job by Miller. That's not exactly a small feat for a first year HC. Lloyd's coached like a guy who reached 300 wins faster than John Wooden...if that guy was doing a good job.

[azgreg]

[azgreg]

[Chicat]

That’s a lot. I wouldn’t touch that line.

[Longhorned]

Sorry if I missed this discussion elsewhere but Spears and Ali were on local radio talking about Terry at the point. Not like a hypothetical, but like it's something Lloyd is ready for as soon as it's necessary during a tourney game where we need to defend the point, and also to run the offense through penetrating and dishing.

[Chicat]

I feel like Terry’s dribble is too high to be a reliable point forward. Because help defense will strip him of the ball on drives and no one respects his 3 point jumper.

On an unrelated point, I just envisioned Terry running the baseline in the 1-3-1 and almost literally drooled.

[Postmaster]

That’s ironic. I was just contemplating what we would do if Kriisa or Kier couldn’t play.
Pelle can probably play 2-4 in case of injury. But we don’t have a real substitute if we needed to cover the PG for long stretches.
I posted the other day that nobody on the team is real good at dribbling.

[Alieberman]

I want to see Ballo at the point

[Chicat]

Honestly, in that scenario you give the ball to Mathurin and Tubelis and have them play high-low with Koloko and Ballo, with Larsson and Terry hunting threes and back cutting through the lane. We’d have to slow way down but we’d survive.

[EastCoastCat]

Are you guys really trying to tinker with a 21-2 team? Only on this board…

[Longhorned]

Are you guys really trying to tinker with a 21-2 team? Only on this board…

That's what the radio guys were talking about: One loss in the tourney and you can't adjust after that. They were looking at our losses at Tennessee and UCLA in terms of the weak link being the point guard matchup, and the question of an in-game adjustment.

We've talked a lot here about Kerr being a 1, and to my eye he's a 2 who can get the ball out of the backcourt against a press. We need him at the point from the jump, and I like a lot of what he brings, but I have zero doubt that we want Terry defending the point against offenses where that's the real head of the monster. And I would never want to start Terry at the 1 and get game-planned a-la-Wichita State, but he really is the effective facilitator.

Kerr is fearless and unflappable, and that's the kind of leadership you want on the floor. But there's a non-trivial amount of precious clock time where he's lost on defense and not running the offense. When it's all on the line, I can see Terry stopping the bleeding against a top-level PG and dishing out no-nonsense on our own end of the floor.

[azcat49]

I don’t think you want Terry in that true top of the offense PG spot. He is better off that weave with his height spying the baseline and back cuts and big man seals.

He does a better job of taking care of the ball exhibited by his ratio’s. When we get in that half court set, zi love the ball in his hands

[Longhorned]

I don’t think you want Terry in that true top of the offense PG spot. He is better off that weave with his height spying the baseline and back cuts and big man seals.

He does a better job of taking care of the ball exhibited by his ratio’s. When we get in that half court set, zi love the ball in his hands

I see that and agree, but Terry is the vortex of the offense, and he's doing all of that no matter what. If Kerr is getting shred, you could insert Terry and his 6'7" on defense against a really good PG while Kier defends the 2 and brings the ball up the floor. Maybe Chicat is right about his limitations on the dribble as a point forward, I don't know. Prince's dribble used to make me more nervous than any handle I've ever seen, but it was more the look than actual turnovers.

[97cats]

i would say in spots its not a bad idea, when Arizona goes to its Death Lineup (credit Winger) i dont mind Larsson & Co sharing duties for a stretch if he values the basketball as he did the last five games. its particularly interesting at the end of games where Arizona is up double digits - saw it from Lloyd at home vs the LA schools already.

oh, and Loyld Loves Larsson - that much i know.

[U.P. Zona Fan]

I think the way we play defense is directly attributable to Miller. If we win the natty, he should get a ring!

Big self proclaimed Miller fan here and can’t wait for him to be back in basketball, especially college

I agree with this, from the beginning of the tommy Lloyd era I have wondered how many years it would be before our defense takes a downturn.

It is one of those things that CSM had ingrained in these guys that has stuck and could possibly become less prominent as the CSM classes depart.

I'm so torn because I love the defensive tenacity they bring but I also love the direction the offense has taken.

I also wonder how many more lottery picks we will and up producing. But I love this team and I love CTL, I also loved CSM.

[Bangkok Wildcat]

I think the way we play defense is directly attributable to Miller. If we win the natty, he should get a ring!

Big self proclaimed Miller fan here and can’t wait for him to be back in basketball, especially college

I agree with this, from the beginning of the tommy Lloyd era I have wondered how many years it would be before our defense takes a downturn.

It is one of those things that CSM had ingrained in these guys that has stuck and could possibly become less prominent as the CSM classes depart.

I'm so torn because I love the defensive tenacity they bring but I also love the direction the offense has taken.

I also wonder how many more lottery picks we will and up producing. But I love this team and I love CTL, I also loved CSM.

Well-said the both of you. Agree 100. Also a huge CSM fan as well….and he got royally screwed over by Robbins and ESPiN. I am impressed with CTL so far too….surprisingly. In any case, let’s beat UW tomorrow. Bear Down!

[TheCat]

Have you guys noticed no extensive coverage by ESPN for the fourth ranked team in the country? Their influence on sports and rankings is disturbing. Imagine if the PAC started with 6 teams ranked. When you lose you tumble a bit but not out of the polls.

[ChooChooCat]

Are you guys really trying to tinker with a 21-2 team? Only on this board…

That's what the radio guys were talking about: One loss in the tourney and you can't adjust after that. They were looking at our losses at Tennessee and UCLA in terms of the weak link being the point guard matchup, and the question of an in-game adjustment.

We've talked a lot here about Kerr being a 1, and to my eye he's a 2 who can get the ball out of the backcourt against a press. We need him at the point from the jump, and I like a lot of what he brings, but I have zero doubt that we want Terry defending the point against offenses where that's the real head of the monster. And I would never want to start Terry at the 1 and get game-planned a-la-Wichita State, but he really is the effective facilitator.

Kerr is fearless and unflappable, and that's the kind of leadership you want on the floor. But there's a non-trivial amount of precious clock time where he's lost on defense and not running the offense. When it's all on the line, I can see Terry stopping the bleeding against a top-level PG and dishing out no-nonsense on our own end of the floor.

Kerr Kriisa is a point guard. He has weaknesses in his game of the course, but the man runs the offense and can make excellent passes and has. As far as Terry goes, he will always be matched up on the opposing team's best guard/wing. Terry doesn't have to play the point to defend the point.

[ChooChooCat]

Have you guys noticed no extensive coverage by ESPN for the fourth ranked team in the country? Their influence on sports and rankings is disturbing. Imagine if the PAC started with 6 teams ranked. When you lose you tumble a bit but no out of the polls.

ESPN is always going to value ACC basketball and anything SEC over us, but me thinks the Pac-12 turning down ESPN's offer to take over the Pac-12 Network and continue a marriage, where we're the least valuable sister wife of the conferences, pissed off ESPN considerably. I'm dying to see how our next TV contract turns out, because things have got to change for the better considerably. Kliavkoff's entire tenure depends on it.

[TheCat]

Agreed. If you see what they did to seeding last year in softball it was obscene. It makes a huge difference because you play at the other teams home. We will see on the TV deal but frankly I've given up.

[Olsondogg]

People really think Kerr isn’t a PG? Smh

[Beachcat97]

Is there a dimension in the multiverse where Sean Miller doesn’t have this team in the top-20 and top-2 in the PAC? Let’s not act like we’d have 6+ losses if CSM was still the coach. Obviously the team would look different style-wise but we’d still be very successful.

Can you imagine if Brown or Akinjo stayed?

Unreal to think about. You do wonder about chemistry and playing time, but yeah, the abundance of talent would've been crazy.

[azcat49]

If Akinjo had stayed though a few might have left(pure speculation). If they all had stayed it would have been unreal

[Beachcat97]

People really think Kerr isn’t a PG? Smh

Of course he's a PG. He's second in the damn conference in assists. But to be a more *complete* PG, you'd really like to see the guy diversify his offensive game and maybe not be quite so quick to pull the trigger from three. Every time he launches a quick deep three, he's basically skipping a chance to find AT or CK on the high block. But he's also streaky af, so if his shot is falling, of course we want him to take that shot. We just need to trust that his instincts as a PG will continue to mature.

[Merkin]

Kriisa has a lot of experience as PG in the international game.

[RondaeShimmy]

Have you guys noticed no extensive coverage by ESPN for the fourth ranked team in the country? Their influence on sports and rankings is disturbing. Imagine if the PAC started with 6 teams ranked. When you lose you tumble a bit but no out of the polls.

ESPN is always going to value ACC basketball and anything SEC over us, but me thinks the Pac-12 turning down ESPN's offer to take over the Pac-12 Network and continue a marriage, where we're the least valuable sister wife of the conferences, pissed off ESPN considerably. I'm dying to see how our next TV contract turns out, because things have got to change for the better considerably. Kliavkoff's entire tenure depends on it.

Part of it is people don't really care about the PAC 12, not even the PAC 12 fan bases care enough. Arizona's fan base also isn't as rabid or big as say a Kentucky to force them to cover the team.

They also have no economic incentive to cover it like the NHL or UFC before ESPN+ deals, now at least those get some mention.

Ultimately I blame fans for being timid, people over here just aren't that into it. It doesn't matter as much. You can't change that fact even if the conference gets a better deal or more coverage.

[Alieberman]

Washington game thread is up

[Longhorned]

People really think Kerr isn’t a PG? Smh

A point guard guards the point, and continues his defensive assignment throughout the possession, including on switches. In running an offense, it's a strength when the primary ball handler can penetrate into the paint.

Anybody can "be" a point guard. The question is whether the player can effectively guard the point and effectively run the offense. In the case of Kriisa, yes, but it depends. In certain contexts, I've seen stretches where that doesn't appear to be the case for Kriisa. Do you disagree?

Arizona has only two losses. The conversation about Llyod's substitutions refers to potential opportunity cost in the one-and-out scenario where only five players take the floor. We've seen even Mathurin on the bench during critical stretches.

[Merkin]

[RondaeShimmy]

I just wanna say how rare it is and impressive that we've seen THREE players (Ballo, Terry, Larsson) show dramatic noticable improvement DURING the season.

That's not normal, and usually you're lucky if you only see 1 player show dramatic improvement.

Could be 4 with Koloko but he's sort of plateaued offensively but is still solid defensively.

Aside from that, what I like about this team is at different points Kerr, Benn, Tubelis, Koloko and right now Terry have looked like the best player on the team.

[FreeSpiritCat]

People? Dang autocorrect. I believe you were trying to say Pelle.

[Beachcat97]

These blowout road wins are un-freaking-real. Haven't seen an AZ team do this in ages.

Special team.

[84Cat]

These blowout road wins are un-freaking-real. Haven't seen an AZ team do this in ages.

Special team.

I was trying to think when was the last time we blew out teams like this?

[EastCoastCat]

We actually play better on the road than at home. How fucking weird is that?

[Beachcat97]

These blowout road wins are un-freaking-real. Haven't seen an AZ team do this in ages.

Special team.

I was trying to think when was the last time we blew out teams like this?

The conference dominance by this team is pretty remarkable. It's reminiscent of Miller's and Lute's best teams, and that's not exaggeration.

No Pac team (in the modern era) has ever gone undefeated in league play, but Lute went 17-1 five times. FIVE TIMES...freaking Lute, man.

[TheCat]

So just a question to ponder. Do we lose to UCLA if it wasn't the final game of 3?

[Beachcat97]

So just a question to ponder. Do we lose to UCLA if it wasn't the final game of 3?

As long as we beat them in the Pac tourney, I don't really care.

[azgreg]

Tuscon......smh

[Beachcat97]

If we finish the Pac season tied with ucla, what's the tie-breaker? Unlikely but just curious.

[84Cat]

JFC it's Tucson!

[dovecanyoncat]

Tuscon......smh

Geuene is gonna have to step up.

[84Cat]

[azgreg]

[Fishclamps]

Cowards

[Merkin]

Tuscon......smh

[Alieberman]

[dovecanyoncat]

LET'S GO GAELS AND CONDOMS!!

[Chicat]

That’s a lot. I wouldn’t touch that line.

Obviously I’m an idiot.

[azgreg]

That’s a lot. I wouldn’t touch that line.

Obviously I’m an idiot.

You've got company.

[dovecanyoncat]

That’s a lot. I wouldn’t touch that line.

Obviously I’m not very smart.

You weren't feeling that way the first 5 mins.