This Season's Expectations For Arizona Wildcats Basketball

By Camden Joiner on October 23, 2014

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In the USA Today’s recently released Pre-Season Coaches’ Poll, the Arizona Wildcats are ranked No. 2 in the nation. While perhaps a lofty ranking to live up to, this year’s Wildcats team certainly has the talent to do so.

Last year’s Arizona squad went 33-5 including the trophy of the PAC-12 Championship (although they were defeated in the finals of the PAC-12 Tournament).

The Wildcats advanced to the Elite Eight in the annual March Madness tournament before finally losing to Wisconsin. The team was highlighted by college superstar Aaron Gordon who many coined as the next Blake Griffin.

Gordon was named to the All-PAC-12 first team as well as winning PAC-12 Freshman of the Year. Unfortunately for the Wildcats, Gordon elected to enter the NBA Draft following his freshman year, becoming yet another case of an one-and-done. Aaron Gordon was eventually drafted 4th overall by the Orlando Magic.

Image via orlandomagicdaily.com

Aaron Gordon was aided by talented guard Nick Johnson last season, who was a threat offensively as well as a lock-down defender. Nick Johnson even went on to beat out Gordon for the prize of PAC-12 Player of the Year. Unfortunately for Arizona, Johnson too decided to declare for the NBA Draft and was chosen by the Houston Rockets in the 2nd round.

The Wildcats certainly lost their two best players from last season, but head coach Sean Miller has the Cats retooled to be a championship contender this year.

Projected Starting Line-up:

PG: T.J. McConnell

SG: Stanley Johnson

SF: Rondae Hollis-Jefferson

PF: Brandon Ashley

C: Kaleb Tarczewski

At the point guard position will be senior returning starter T.J. McConnell. McConnell was a solid consistent player last season for the Cats on both sides of the ball.

T.J. averaged eight points a game, five assists, and nearly two steals. A veteran point guard goes a long way towards winning a title (just ask UCONN) and McConnell will be one of the senior leaders on this ball team.

Behind McConnell at point guard is 4-star recruit Parker Jackson-Cartwright. Jackson-Cartwright is certainly a dangerous talent, but at 5-foot-8 and 150 pounds it will be interesting to see if his game carries over from the high school level.

Image via maxpreps.com

At the two guard will surely be incoming freshman Stanley Johnson. Johnson was a 5-star recruit and the top rated player at his position in the 2014 class, according to the ESPN 100.

Ranking in at 7th overall over at ESPN, Johnson is perhaps the most offensive-ready freshman in college basketball this season. He will immediately be able to score for a team that is in dire need of some offensive points and is already the favorite for PAC-12 Freshman of the Year.

Behind Johnson at guard will be returning players Gabe York and Elliot Pitts. York played in every game last season and averaged nearly seven points off the bench. A wildcard at the two guard will be incoming JUCO transfer Kadeem Allen. JUCO transfers are usually hit or miss but after winning JUCO Player of the Year last season, Allen will surely be getting minutes for Arizona.

Starting at small forward will be sophomore Rondae Hollis-Jefferson. Hollis-Jefferson was the sixth man for Sean Miller’s team before taking over for the injured Brandon Ashley last season. Hollis-Jefferson is an outstanding perimeter defender and reminds me a lot of Michael Kidd-Gilchrist.

However Hollis-Jefferson’s jump shot has left much to be desired and often times teams would be content with letting him shoot. Hopefully, Rondae rounded out his game with a J in the off season and fulfills his 5-star potential.

Returning at wing for the Cats and backing up RHJ will be Matt Korcheck. The senior played in 22 games last season but only averaged around four minutes a game. Korcheck will surely be clocking in more time this season and the Cats need more off the bench than just senior leadership.

Image via cbssports.com

Brandon Ashley will be returning to the starting line-up this season at power forward. Ashley suffered a foot injury late last season that caused him to miss the tail end of the regular season as well as the tournament.

However before his injury Ashley was averaging 12 points a game and six rebounds. The former 5-star recruit is poised for another big season if he can stay healthy and without Aaron Gordon around the Cats will rely on him to pull down more boards.

Freshman 4-star recruit Craig Victor will be relied upon to bring help to Ashley at the 4. Victor was ranked as the best player in his home state of Louisiana by ESPN and the Cats will need him to live up the hype if Ashley’s injury woes continue.

Image via espn.go.com

At center is the reliable 7-footer Kaleb Tarczewski. Tarczewski averaged six boards and ten points last season, but his true genius is on the defensive side of the ball.

Tarczewski can absolutely protect the rim, but his rebound total will need to increase considering the loss of Aaron Gordon.

Behind Tarczewski’s long frame will be yet another 7-footer in Dusan Ristic. The Serbian international player has received quite a bit of attention from overseas and it will be interesting to see how his game transitions to collegiate American play.

After analyzing the Wildcats’ roster it’s quite clear Arizona has one of the best rosters in college ball. Probably the best defense in the NCAA last season, Arizona will have a chance at reclaiming their best defense title, despite losing their two best players to the NBA Draft.

Offensively, their season depends on the future superstar Stanley Johnson. If Johnson can put up the numbers experts are projecting, the Wildcats will have a fine chance at returning to the Elite Eight. If he’s better than they’re projecting, they might even go much farther than that.

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