The Arizona Wildcats wished they could have gotten a little bit of luck last season, but even with a key player sidelined, they still came within one basket of going to the Final Four. Can they make it one step further this time around?
2013-14 Season Recap
By all accounts, the Wildcats should have made the Final Four last season. Unfortunately, freshman forward Brandon Ashley got injured and knocked out for the season midway through the journey. Ashley averaged 11.5 points and 5.8 rebounds for this team, but was also a key facilitator for the Wildcats. Ashley gave guys like Aaron Gordon more freedom on the court, enabling them to focus on their role and not worry about having to do too many things at once.
At the time of the loss, Arizona’s tumbled in terms of March Madness futures as nobody expected them to go the distance. As it was, the Wildcats almost got there, barely losing to Wisconsin in the Elite Eight after a potential game-winning possession turned into a charge call and a turnover in the final 10 seconds.
One area that the Wildcats will need to improve is foul shooting as they were terrible last season. They placed 11th in the Pac-12 with a conversion rate of 65.9 percent. The Wildcats were first or second in the Pac-12 in various field goal percentage defense measurements. The offense is what occasionally lagged for this team, and it lagged just enough against Wisconsin to matter.
Offseason Changes
The Wildcats lost some very productive players to the NBA. Guard Nick Johnson was the Pac-12 Player of the Year and the kind of player who loved having the ball in his hands late in a game. And star forward Aaron Gordon was drafted fourth-overall in the 2014 NBA Draft by the Orlando Magic, so the Wildcats will have to replace a big piece both on the interior and on the perimeter.
The good news is that while Gordon is gone, the team is still loaded up front. Ashley will be back and he’ll lead the charge with Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and steady center Kaleb Tarzewski. At the point, T.J. McConnell returns to man the position and with those four back, the Wildcats have an excellent foundation to work with.
The offense will surely miss Johnson but the team reloaded with by adding newcomer Stanley Johnson. Many have him pegged as the most offense-ready freshman in the country, which means he could add immediate scoring. If he contributes right off the bat, along with the sharpshooting of Gabe York and Elliott Pitts, the Wildcats might actually be a more balanced offensive team this season. Add in a defense that was the top-ranked unit in the country according to the Ken Pomeroy ratings and this is easily the best team in the Pac-12.
Projected Finish
Bettors will have a tough time making the case that Arizona is not the best team in the Pac-12. Just how far is the drop-off from them to everyone else? After the Wildcats, no other team in the conference is guaranteed of even making the NCAA Tournament.
Not only is this team loaded in a weakened conference, they’re motivated. Expect them to play with a sour taste in their mouths after falling just short of the Final Four and that should fuel them to take that step this time around.
Pick: 1st In Pac-12, Final Four In The NCAA Tournament
