2024-25 Arizona Basketball

[Chicat]

I still don’t like our opening lineup. Just have to say it. Makes zero sense to me.

[84Cat]

8 turnovers & 40-31 rebounding advantage will win a lot of games

[PHXCATS]

Playing good ball. Just needed time

[Alieberman]

I still don’t like our opening lineup. Just have to say it. Makes zero sense to me.

KJ, Bryant and Veesaar have all had episodes of foul trouble. I actually like them coming into the game a few minutes in.

I think we are seeing Delly improve… we just need Awaka and Townsend to follow suit

[Chicat]

I still don’t like our opening lineup. Just have to say it. Makes zero sense to me.

KJ, Bryant and Veesaar have all had episodes of foul trouble. I actually like them coming into the game a few minutes in.

I think we are seeing Delly improve… we just need Awaka and Townsend to follow suit

I don’t like it because it leads to slow starts.

Over the last three games the first 8 minutes we have averaged 1.37 points per minute while over the course of the rest of the game the team averages 1.96 points per minute.

Unfortunately I don’t have the stats at hand to see how often and for how long the starting lineup plays together but I have noticed that after the first 8 minutes I don’t think I’ve seen Bradley, Love, Dell’Orso, Awaka, and Townsend all together for more than a few minutes, and maybe not at all in any of the second halves. Why not? Because it’s not a good lineup.

[Beachcat97]

More Lewis and Bryant, less Love. Thanks.

[PHXCATS]

More Lewis and Bryant, less Love. Thanks.

Love is the key to the season

Let it play out

[EastCoastCat]

We’ve won 5 games in a row. I will just leave it at that.

[Merkin]

I still don’t like our opening lineup. Just have to say it. Makes zero sense to me.

Same. Awaka is 6'8" and plays below the rim, and Townsend is 6'6" without the huge Barkley butt. Those are PF and wing sizes, not starting center and PF sizes. Has Awaka had any plays called for him?

That's some serious small ball. Does UA have the shortest starting lineup in the B12?

Dell'Orso I can see, have to keep the opposing D honest and not pack the paint.

[pc in NM]

I still don’t like our opening lineup. Just have to say it. Makes zero sense to me.

Same. Awaka is 6'8" and plays below the rim, and Townsend is 6'6" without the huge Barkley butt. Those are PF and wing sizes, not starting center and PF sizes. Has Awaka had any plays called for him?

That's some serious small ball. Does UA have the shortest starting lineup in the B12?

Dell'Orso I can see, have to keep the opposing D honest and not pack the paint.

No matter the sequence of player time, the 'Cats NEED at least an 8-player rotation to be competitive - plus two more for clutch duty.

Yesterday's minutes played:

• Bradley - 37

• Love - 26

• Lewis - 26

• Veesaar - 26

• Townsend - 25

• Dell-Orso - 24

• Bryant - 14

• Awaka - 13

• Five with 2 minutes or less

That looks good to me.

I think Bryant will get lots more time by late in the season - but the rest works for me.

Last night, performance was consistent throughout the game at both ends, and ball movement combined with off-ball movement yielded lots of easy and/or open shots. There was little drop=off due to substitutions.

(BTW, I really don't mind opponents' 9-point runs when they start 14 points behind!!)

[Merkin]

What the heck? Fran saying something nice about Arizona?

[Chicat]

That minutes dispersion looks fine to me too although I’d like Bryant to get more of Townsend’s playing time.

My issue is that we start the game with our weakest lineup combination and the scoring metrics bear that out. Why? Is it just so Veesaar doesn’t pick up two early fouls and so KJ can come off the bench as a change of pace? Teach Henri how not to foul and tell Lewis the game tipped off ten minutes ago.

[MrKyle]

I still don’t like our opening lineup. Just have to say it. Makes zero sense to me.

Same. Awaka is 6'8" and plays below the rim, and Townsend is 6'6" without the huge Barkley butt. Those are PF and wing sizes, not starting center and PF sizes. Has Awaka had any plays called for him?

That's some serious small ball. Does UA have the shortest starting lineup in the B12?

Dell'Orso I can see, have to keep the opposing D honest and not pack the paint.

No matter the sequence of player time, the 'Cats NEED at least an 8-player rotation to be competitive - plus two more for clutch duty.

Yesterday's minutes played:

• Bradley - 37

• Love - 26

• Lewis - 26

• Veesaar - 26

• Townsend - 25

• Dell-Orso - 24

• Bryant - 14

• Awaka - 13

• Five with 2 minutes or less

That looks good to me.

I think Bryant will get lots more time by late in the season - but the rest works for me.

Last night, performance was consistent throughout the game at both ends, and ball movement combined with off-ball movement yielded lots of easy and/or open shots. There was little drop=off due to substitutions.

(BTW, I really don't mind opponents' 9-point runs when they start 14 points behind!!)

I agree with you that the minutes distribution and overall rotation is looking good.

I am still concerned about large physical teams at the 4/5 spots, I think Veesaar can do decently but that Awaka/Townsend are going to be punished by teams like that.

Overall the team is looking so much better than just a few weeks ago, great turn around and hope we keep the momentum going. The growth of Veesaar/Bryant/KJ has been amazing just these past few games. Watching KJ go off last night on both ends of the floor shows the player we knew he can be.

Bradley has been doing what we've been missing for several years, being able to create and score as the PG.

Bear down!

[AzCatFan2]

I don't mind the rotation. It's working. KJ and Bryant are our top NBA prospects, especially with Mo out, and both can be game changers off the bench. So is Veesaar.

[pc in NM]

Pertinent comment about player rotation by Adia Barnes - she's discussing her team, but the principle applies...

https://www.azdesertswarm.com/basketbal ... 6qhuWnezzg

“I think starting does not matter,” said Arizona head coach Adia Barnes. “And if you look at Helena Pueyo, she was much better off the bench...And you need scoring off the bench, and you need some leadership, because it goes against a different group. And, unfortunately, (Skylar Jones) has been better off the bench. If you think of the last time she didn’t start, she came in and played phenomenal. I don’t like to think she likes that, but she was perfect from the field. Played awesome coming off the bench, but as you’re teaching the players, that should not be the motivation. As a coach, you don’t want to threaten things, you don’t want to use that as motivation, but you have to.”

Barnes knows that Pueyo’s indifference to starting or coming off the bench isn’t the typical attitude for younger college players.

“When you don’t start, to players, it’s so important,” Barnes said. “I think to veterans and older, and in the pros, it doesn’t matter. But as players at their age, it’s very important.”

[azcat49]

When you think back on last night we made WVU look very ordinary. We really dominated in all aspects of the game. This was a team that beat us earlier and beat Kansas at the Phog. Really makes you scratch your head doesn’t it. Great to see though

[PHXCATS]

When you think back on last night we made WVU look very ordinary. We really dominated in all aspects of the game. This was a team that beat us earlier and beat Kansas at the Phog. Really makes you scratch your head doesn’t it. Great to see though

Not at all to me

Just needed a little more time to gel

[Abrahamarvel]

More Bryant

And Veesaar reminds me of Porzingis

[g32knights]

Well, we're in the ESPN Power Rankings,


23. Arizona Wildcats (9-5)
Previous ranking: Unranked

Written off after a loss to UCLA in Phoenix a month ago, Arizona has now won five straight games -- including back-to-back road tilts at Cincinnati and West Virginia. What have been the keys to the Wildcats' turnaround? Tommy Lloyd shuffled his rotation after the 4-5 start, moving Anthony Dell'Orso into the starting lineup and shifting KJ Lewis to a sixth man role. He has also expanded the roles of Henri Veesaar and Carter Bryant. Veesaar has been notable; in his past seven games, he is averaging 9.1 points and 5.7 rebounds.

[U.P. Zona Fan]

We are also #11 in Torvik and #13 in KenPom.
Whatever that's worth. It does make a fan feel good about the trajectory of the program this year.

[TheCat]

We are also #11 in Torvik and #13 in KenPom.
Whatever that's worth. It does make a fan feel good about the trajectory of the program this year.

Until the next loss and it will be we have forgotten how to play.

[AZCatGirl]

Walk-ons Grant Weitman and Luke Champion get Arizona's two open scholarships.

[Chicat]

Phenomenal. Those guys bust their asses. Glad they don’t have to worry about paying for school for a semester.