The 2022-2023 Season Thread

[EastCoastCat]

I wonder if anyone else besides the "core 7" breaks into the rotation during this Bay Area trip?

The Cal game should see more than 7 players.

I meant as a shift in our overall rotation moving forward.
I certainly expect minutes from our reserves during the Cal game.

[84Cat]

I don't. If you listened to the press conference yesterday, CTL laid it out plain and simple. Can a guy come in and the team have little to no drop off? I don't see Dylann, Henri or Adama being able to come in against UCLA, Oregon or Utah without a drop off in play. Once the level of play goes up, those 3 guys are just too loose with the ball which leads to to's. We aren't going to win if we don't take care of the ball. That's why Boswell plays, he is very controlled and there is little drop off

[PHXCATS]

I wonder if anyone else besides the "core 7" breaks into the rotation during this Bay Area trip?

Have to play at least 9 tomorrow night

[AzCatFan2]

Bal has the ability to play without dropping off. He's just wildly inconsistent. He's #8 in the rotation, and hope to see him get big minutes against CAL, and show he deserves to be on the court. Wouldn't play him against the UCLA's just yet, but tournament games tend to create strange foul problem situations. And Bal needs to be ready to play significant minutes if and when this happens. Veesar, Anderson, and Borovicanin are all bigger projects right now, and either need to add some pounds/muscle, or adjust to the speed of the game better. They too need minutes against CAL, but we would need both bigs in foul trouble to see any of these guys out there against top teams in my opinion. If only one big is in foul trouble, I'd rather play small.

[Merkin]

Lloyd said in his post game presser than Bal is part of the top 8 rotation, but hasn't been playing up to his abilities. He had a nice game v. Oregon state, so hopefully he can get more minutes.

[84Cat]

[84Cat]

[Merkin]

Assist ratio hasn't be updated yet, but this is discouraging. 3 PAC teams listed, none being Arizona.

[Irish27]

.

[Dave]

I would scrap our 7 man rotation for the next 5 games. The chances of a number one seed and a conference championship are pretty much gone.

[Beachcat97]

I would scrap our 7 man rotation for the next 5 games. The chances of a number one seed and a conference championship are pretty much gone.

Conference championship is unlikely, but you're nuts if you think a #1 seed is already lost. If we win @Pauley (big if but not impossible), we're right in the mix.

[Merkin]

I would scrap our 7 man rotation for the next 5 games. The chances of a number one seed and a conference championship are pretty much gone.

When Ballo is getting dominated in the paint like during the Stanford game I would love to see Veesaar come in. He is quicker and plays much taller. Stanford exceled at setting up screens so Ballo would have to come out and guard a 3 point shooter, which worked almost to perfection.

Lloyd had no answer for that in the 2nd half, nor for getting Tubelis to get engaged in the game. Look for every team to double Zu and bring Ballo out to the 3 point line.

[Beachcat97]

Lloyd had no answer for that in the 2nd half, nor for getting Tubelis to get engaged in the game. Look for every team to double Zu and bring Ballo out to the 3 point line.

I would expect Tommy to have some nice adjustments planned for these scenarios. What the eff else does he have to do this week?

[PHXCATS]

Gotta do all you can for a #1 seed or the 2 on the West

[Postmaster]

I don’t get letting Zu finish the game, with 4 fouls, on the bench. Why not let him play and foul out?

Also, I would have preferred giving HV decent minutes, especially in the first half.

[pc in NM]

I don’t get letting Zu finish the game, with 4 fouls, on the bench. Why not let him play and foul out?

Also, I would have preferred giving HV decent minutes, especially in the first half.

It was about defense at that point - U of A was in catch-up mode, pressing - That would not be Zu's strength...

... and, we got the hoped for TO's and nice open threes (which we, unfortunately missed).

I agreed with the strategy at that pointg, and the execution was pretty good (except for not converting the threes - which had been falling at a pretty good percentage most of the game before that).

As for HV - our offense was working fine for 3 1/2 quarters - no need for HV. Our defense was being exploited by isolating two players after we switched everything - HV would not have been a strength in that context.

Give credit where due - Hass' coaching and Tree player execution, not to mention several luck shots from guys playing way over their usual performance levels...

[Dave]

Stanford had better go into Pauley tomorrow and throw a beat down on the Bruins.

[Beachcat97]

Hass' coaching and Tree player execution, not to mention several luck shots from guys playing way over their usual performance levels...

This sounds so, so much like what we've said about games we've lost in the NCAA tourney.

[Beachcat97]

Stanford had better go into Pauley tomorrow and throw a beat down on the Bruins.

Lol...you and I both know that isn't happening.

[azcat49]

Bruins will lose one either at CU or Utah. We just need to hold serve. If they sweep they deserve the crown

[Beachcat97]

Bruins will lose one either at CU or Utah. We just need to hold serve. If they sweep they deserve the crown

Meh...beating them is great and winning the Pac is great, but the reality is that we've done these things many, many times. I'd happily concede this year's Pac title in exchange for a bloody FF. That's the achievement that's eluded us for two decades, and it's the one that matters most.

[KaibabKat]

Everyone has a way of ranking teams so we have polls (the old eyeball tests) and computer rankings - some like one method and others like another. For several years I have been playing with a way to compare (numerically) one Arizona team with ones from prior years. Seems to work fairly well in that the higher ranked teams do better, as a rule, in the NCAA tournament. Basically I use Hollinger's PER for each (and every) player on the team and multiply that by the percentage of total team minutes that the player has played. This gives him a "Value." The total of all the players values yields a team value. Just for fun I recently took all the top 10 teams from, KenPom, Sagarin, and the AP poll and calculated their team values. You may find the results interesting. Here is how those thams rank with their (Value):

1. Houston (2067)
2. Marquette (1907)
3. Purdue (1879)
4. UCLA (1843)
5. Virginia (1817)
6. Connecticut (1810)
7. Saint Mary's (1808)
8. Texas 1801)
9. Arizona (1794)
10. Creighton (1761)
11. Baylor (1761)
12. Tennessee (1756)
13. Alabama (1740)

Take it all for what it is worth at three weeks before the end of the regular season. For me, I think that Houston is the team to beat for the NC, Alabama is grossly over rated, and anything less than a sweet sixteen for Arizona would be a disappointment.. YMMV.

[Beachcat97]

Everyone has a way of ranking teams so we have polls (the old eyeball tests) and computer rankings - some like one method and others like another. For several years I have been playing with a way to compare (numerically) one Arizona team with ones from prior years. Seems to work fairly well in that the higher ranked teams do better, as a rule, in the NCAA tournament. Basically I use Hollinger's PER for each (and every) player on the team and multiply that by the percentage of total team minutes that the player has played. This gives him a "Value." The total of all the players values yields a team value. Just for fun I recently took all the top 10 teams from, KenPom, Sagarin, and the AP poll and calculated their team values. You may find the results interesting. Here is how those thams rank with their (Value):

1. Houston (2067)
2. Marquette (1907)
3. Purdue (1879)
4. UCLA (1843)
5. Virginia (1817)
6. Connecticut (1810)
7. Saint Mary's (1808)
8. Texas 1801)
9. Arizona (1794)
10. Creighton (1761)
11. Baylor (1761)
12. Tennessee (1756)
13. Alabama (1740)

Take it all for what it is worth at three weeks before the end of the regular season. For me, I think that Houston is the team to beat for the NC, Alabama is grossly over rated, and anything less than a sweet sixteen for Arizona would be a disappointment.. YMMV.

What was AZ's value last year at this point in the season?

[KaibabKat]

Can't say for this point in the season. At the end of the season it was 1924 - the highest by far of any Arizona team in the last 21 years.

[Beachcat97]

Can't say for this point in the season. At the end of the season it was 1924 - the highest by far of any Arizona team in the last 21 years.

Gotcha. Of the past 21 years?! Wow. Tommy freaking Lloyd, ladies and gents.

And if you don't mind, what were the values of the F4 teams? Kansas, Nova, Duke, UNC

[KaibabKat]

Can't say for this point in the season. At the end of the season it was 1924 - the highest by far of any Arizona team in the last 21 years.

Gotcha. Of the past 21 years?! Wow. Tommy freaking Lloyd, ladies and gents.

And if you don't mind, what were the values of the F4 teams? Kansas, Nova, Duke, UNC

Don't have all of them. NC Kansas was 1829.

[Beachcat97]

Can't say for this point in the season. At the end of the season it was 1924 - the highest by far of any Arizona team in the last 21 years.

Gotcha. Of the past 21 years?! Wow. Tommy freaking Lloyd, ladies and gents.

And if you don't mind, what were the values of the F4 teams? Kansas, Nova, Duke, UNC

Don't have all of them. NC Kansas was 1829.

Okay. Was just wondering how many of the FF teams ranked in the top 5. Or even the top 10.

[azgreg]

[Beachcat97]

Are any of these metrics correlated with tourney success or...??

[TheCat]

Bragging rights but also shows no one cares who is scoring. What is really encouraging to me is the way the guards are playing and the position between Henderson and Larsson is bring the team. Our 3 toughest games are remaining in my opinion. Will be a gauntlet and a war.

[pc in NM]

That’s pretty darn good considering we don’t really have a high quality guard!!!

[Beachcat97]

That’s pretty darn good considering we don’t really have a high quality guard!!!

Be sure to come back and talk up our high quality guards after they play poorly, not just after they go 9-18 from 3 and rack up 20+ assists.

That said, I love this team. It's been my opinion since Maui. Regardless of what happens in L.A. and the conference tourney, we can win 4 games in the NCAA tourney. This team is capable.

[CardiacCats97]

I believe the actual term used was “above average guards” which is laugh out hilarious on its face and even funnier when you look at the stats.

[pc in NM]

That’s pretty darn good considering we don’t really have a high quality guard!!!

Be sure to come back and talk up our high quality guards after they play poorly, not just after they go 9-18 from 3 and rack up 20+ assists.

That said, I love this team. It's been my opinion since Maui. Regardless of what happens in L.A. and the conference tourney, we can win 4 games in the NCAA tourney. This team is capable.

Let's all come back after they play, and, win-or-lose, celebrate a damn good team and season!!!

FYI, I liked the 1992-93 team that went 28-2 regular season, only to be upset by Steve Nash and Santa Clara in the first round just as much as I liked the 1996-97 team that finished fifth in the Pac-10 (18-9 overall regular season), then went on to win the NC. And I equally celebrated both teams.

Also, FYI, a majority of discussion participants in '96/'97 were calling for Lute's head on a platter after being swept in the Bay area on the final weekend, though you will not find a single of them who would admit that today!! "Bear Down" = support the guys you got and "fight like wildcats" (you can supply your own punctuation)

[Beachcat97]

I believe the actual term used was “above average guards” which is laugh out hilarious on its face and even funnier when you look at the stats.

It's always a little dicey when a transfer (Ramey/Henderson) is expected to do big things in his one year with the program. Pair this with Bal being slow to develop, Larsson taking a while to hit his stride, and Kriisa being hot and cold...and it's been a little bumpy at times. Boswell has been a pleasant surprise as a true freshman (and a very young one). Does this group offset what we lost with Mathurin and Terry? Hard to say. We just have a different "look." We're not as explosive. We don't have anyone who can break down a defense and draw fouls like Benn. But we may have a more versatile backcourt with this team.

[Merkin]

FYI, I liked the 1992-93 team that went 28-2 regular season, only to be upset by Steve Nash and Santa Clara in the first round

A few years ago I rewatched that game. Santa Clara did everything they could to lose that game and the Cats could still not take advantage.

They fouled Nash, who clanked both free throws, then UA could not score, then fouled another white boy who also missed both FTs, and still the Cats still could not get a basket.

Still can't watch the Duke or Illini games. Same with the US' 1972 Olympic Gold Medal game with the USSR. That really hurt.

Nash was 1-7 that game and only made 1 2 pointer. His other 8 points came on FTs. https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/bo ... izona.html

[TheCatInTheHat]

God. Colorado hasn't won in Tucson since 1965. To refresh everybody's memory, when Tad Boyle was hired away from Northern Colorado to CU in 2010, he tried to make the Buffs relevant by inventing a rivalry with Arizona. Just declare somebody as your rival, and I guess that's supposed to make you their equal. They've won a few times in Boulder, so good for them. But, in 2013, they did a lot of chest-beating going into and during the game. In a tie game, one of their players took a shot at the buzzer, and it banked in. The refs looked at the replay and waved it off. The TV announcers used their own replays and went nuts about the injustice. But, it turns out, there was 0.1 second difference between the official game clock and the clock above the goal with the attendant red light and horn, and the ball hadn't left the player's hand per the official game clock. Colorado still had a chance to win in overtime, but they lost by NINE. Boyle doesn't care, and he still claims he won the game. "I ain't no monument to justice." (Okay, that's somebody else's quote.) In any event, when you don't have any bigger fish to fry, I guess you obsess on the one that got away.

[U.P. Zona Fan]

FYI, I liked the 1992-93 team that went 28-2 regular season, only to be upset by Steve Nash and Santa Clara in the first round

A few years ago I rewatched that game. Santa Clara did everything they could to lose that game and the Cats could still not take advantage.

They fouled Nash, who clanked both free throws, then UA could not score, then fouled another white boy who also missed both FTs, and still the Cats still could not get a basket.

Still can't watch the Duke or Illini games. Same with the US' 1972 Olympic Gold Medal game with the USSR. That really hurt.

Nash was 1-7 that game and only made 1 2 pointer. His other 8 points came on FTs. https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/bo ... izona.html

Ahh, remember the days when you filled out your bracket on the newspaper and carry it around in your back pocket and by the time the final 4 took place you couldn't read any of it anymore case it was crumpled and worn off?

And if you erased any of your picks, youd wear right through the paper with the eraser?

Ahh, the late 80s and early 90s.

Only 2 times did I skip school, one of them was to watch the first game of the tournament on a Thursday at 12:30. Mr Kramer left for the bathroom and me and Dustin jumped out the window and ran to his house. I felt so cool.

Had to be back to school in time to catch the bus home.

[Postmaster]

Why did Zeke get put in ring of honor

[arizonawildcats]

Why did Zeke get put in ring of honor

Pac-12 Freshman of the Year (2020)

[TheCatInTheHat]

Ugh. Why in the wide world of sports would a coach give a flying fuck about sportscasters' guesses about NCAA seeding with three weeks still to play? Hint: the projections will not be close to 100% accurate when the actual games all play out. It's speculation for fan clicks and reads and ratings, just like the various conference realignment scenario guesses. But UCLA's bald midget is unhappy that the speculation put Arizona as a 2 seed just like UCLA, but with UCLA going east while the Cats stay in the West. His rationale for how this could happen? It's all a conspiracy that somehow has to do with UCLA moving to the Big Ten. Why that would remotely have any bearing on sportscasters' seeding guesses is a mystery to ask the Dalai Lama. Maybe a cognitive test is in order. El Segundo Times fanny-kisser Ben Bolch eventually explained the difference in our quality wins versus UCLA's, but not to Cronin's face, naturally. So baldy can gear up for his crusade against us at Pauley, and considering Pac-12 road games and refs, they'll likely get their precious win against us, and UCLA's first regular season conference title in TEN years. (Arizona's got five in that time.) But then there's the Pac-12 Tournament and the NCAAs. I also think he's warming up his excuse-making about conspiracies that will get trotted out with every future Big Ten loss. But, that's all later. For now, he gets to go up to the cold and altitude of the mountain schools, while we get ready to play our continuing conference rival (Pac-10, Big XII, or whatever) in McKale.

[84Cat]

Us being projected in the west really gives UCLA extra motivation to kick our butts. I wish it was in reverse so that we would play with more of a chip on our shoulders. It's going to be hard enough to beat them let alone them having more motivation

[PHXCATS]

Us being projected in the west really gives UCLA extra motivation to kick our butts. I wish it was in reverse so that we would play with more of a chip on our shoulders. It's going to be hard enough to beat them let alone them having more motivation

Why the fuck would either team need more motivation?

If any player on UA needs more motivation to beat ucla kick them off the fucking team

[Beachcat97]

This year, more than usual, we need that 3rd game vs. ucla in the Pac tourney. Neutral court so no one can complain about shit.

They haven’t won the Pac since Howland was coach, so maybe they’re due. We haven’t been to a FF since Loren Woods was on the roster, so maybe we’re due too?

[Captain Obvious]

Ugh. Why in the wide world of sports would a coach give a flying fuck about sportscasters' guesses about NCAA seeding with three weeks still to play? Hint: the projections will not be close to 100% accurate when the actual games all play out. It's speculation for fan clicks and reads and ratings, just like the various conference realignment scenario guesses. But UCLA's bald midget is unhappy that the speculation put Arizona as a 2 seed just like UCLA, but with UCLA going east while the Cats stay in the West. His rationale for how this could happen? It's all a conspiracy that somehow has to do with UCLA moving to the Big Ten. Why that would remotely have any bearing on sportscasters' seeding guesses is a mystery to ask the Dalai Lama. Maybe a cognitive test is in order. El Segundo Times fanny-kisser Ben Bolch eventually explained the difference in our quality wins versus UCLA's, but not to Cronin's face, naturally. So baldy can gear up for his crusade against us at Pauley, and considering Pac-12 road games and refs, they'll likely get their precious win against us, and UCLA's first regular season conference title in TEN years. (Arizona's got five in that time.) But then there's the Pac-12 Tournament and the NCAAs. I also think he's warming up his excuse-making about conspiracies that will get trotted out with every future Big Ten loss. But, that's all later. For now, he gets to go up to the cold and altitude of the mountain schools, while we get ready to play our continuing conference rival (Pac-10, Big XII, or whatever) in McKale.

So a head coach lobbying for a higher seed in the west somehow makes him a jerk? I'm failing to see your logic there. Currently Lunardi has Arizona going to the East as a #2 and UCLA being in the West as a #2. I think UCLA still has a chance for a #1 seed personally. They're the best team in the conference and probably won't lose another game before the NCAA tournament. Mick Cronin has a right to take issue with not getting the respect he thinks his team deserves. With one Final Four to his credit he's proven he's an elite coach with another FF/NC caliber team. There's a long way to go yet but at this point it's clear to me the only Pac 12 team that has any chance of a deep NCAA tourney run is UCLA. I give Coach Cronin credit for defending his team. It's what good coaches do.

[RaisingArizona]

So you give Arizona zero chance of a deep tourney run?

[azcat49]

He’s an AZ antagonist so pay him no mind. His contrarian takes on all things wildcats is his thing

[Beachcat97]

Captain Obvious says a lot of things that are far from obvious.

[CardiacCats97]

I thought that post was intended as comedy.

[U.P. Zona Fan]

He tries out his material on us before he takes it out of his mom's basement.