"Tell them … tell the team to bear down"

Lavender shines despite a lack of confidence before Cal game

RELATED LINK: Steve Rivera of TucsonCitizen.com writes that Arizona is aboard a sinking ship to nowhere

By Javier Morales

If you have a different solution, explain it in the comment section below this entry.

Nic Wise should be thinking ahead to a potential NBA future. Jamelle Horne should have double-digit double-doubles. Arizona coach Sean Miller, whose team was tied with Cal for first place at the turn of the Pac-10 season, should be carrying the torch to a 26th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance.

Brendon Lavender broke out of a funk and his hot shooting kept Arizona relatively close in the first half against Cal

Unless Arizona somehow finds its way out of the forest where it is lost, and wins the Pac-10 tournament, the Wildcats will be shut out from all of those scenarios.

“We don’t have a lot of confidence,’’ Miller told play-by-play man Brian Jeffries after Arizona’s 95-71 loss at Cal on Thursday night. “Really, for the last couple of days in practice, you could sense that our guys are a little bit beaten down.’’

The most ironic aspect of the lopsided loss to the Golden Bears is that Arizona’s least confident player going in — Brendon Lavender — was one of its most effective players. Wise and Horne should take note about how Lavender conducted himself when he apparently was down and out enough to potentially consider a transfer by season’s end.

Arizona’s coaches told Lavender to not think so much and just play. That should go especially for Wise, Horne and the shell-shocked Kyle Fogg, although it’s usually the established players who are more difficult to change.

“You can see some guys kind of going away,” Miller said in the post-game press conference. “You can see some guys continuing to fight and some young players that are playing their butts off and trying to become the best that they can be.”

Read the rest of this entry at TucsonCitizen.com

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Cats have to adjust with Parrom not on trip

Analysis by Javier Morales

RELATED LINK: Anthony Gimino updates Kevin Parrom’s status

Where: Haas Pavilion (11,877)

When: 7 p.m. (Tucson time)

Who’ll be there: ESPN will be televise nationally with Dave O’Brien and former UCLA coach Steve Lavin calling the action. You can also listen to Brian Jeffries and Matt Muehlebach live on the radio on the IMG College/Wildcat Radio Network (which provides free access on Yahoo! sports).

Pregame and Postgame Shows: John Schuster, Brad Allis and Rob Lantz break down the game and answer your calls at the KCUB 1290-AM feed.

Injuries/Personnel developments: UA freshman forward Kevin Parrom did not make the trip to the Bay area for undisclosed reasons. The school has yet to release anything, but Parrom attended classes this morning. As far as Cal is concerned, center Max Zhang went down with a collapsed lung Monday and is out indefinitely. Senior forward Patrick Christopher missed practice last week with tendinitis in his knee, but should play. Backup center Markhuri Sanders-Frison is playing with back problems and forward Omondi Amoke has an injured shoulder. They are expected to be available.

Bet you didn’t know …: Cal limited Oregon without a field goal in the last 10:33 of last week’s 64-49 win over the last-place Ducks? The Golden Bears have limited opponents to 60 points or less eight times this season.

They said it: “It’s everything. It’s history. You’d come back to school 10, 20 years from now and you’d be the team, the first one to win the Pac-10 championship.” — Cal senior forward Jamal Boykin in reference to potentially Cal’s first conference title in 50 years.

Arizona Basketball Insider: From The Arizona Daily Star’s Bruce Pascoe

Matchups

BACKCOURT

Three seniors are involved in this scenario — Cal’s Christopher and Jerome Randle and Arizona’s Nic Wise — which is not always the case in a Pac-10 game. The other is sophomore guard Kyle Fogg, who is either bound to shoot his way out of a funk, or has succumbed to a sudden lack of confidence. Fogg has also had unexplained turnovers late in recent losses to Oregon State and ASU. If you recall last year in his freshman season, Fogg was a shoo-in for the Pac-10’s all-freshman team but he practically disappeared in the second half of the conference. The same thing is happening this season. Playing against Randle and Christopher, Wise and Fogg need to set the tone from the beginning that they won’t be timid or frustrated. Easier said than done against a duo that is averaging 35.1 points a game. However, Randle and Christopher are susceptible to shaky play themselves: They have have 175 assists combined but also 140 turnovers. Advantage: Cal, because of the experience factor, playing at Haas as their careers wind down, and because of the pure ability of Randle and Christopher.

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OSU wins at McKale for first time since ‘83; damages Cats’ NCAA hopes

Jamelle Horne had one of his better games, posting 15 points and 14 rebounds, but fellow upperclassman Nic Wise was 1 of 11 from the field against the Beavers

RELATED LINK: Longtime Arizona beat reporter Steve Rivera offers his analysis at TucsonCitizen.com

By Javier Morales

One streak definitely ended: Last-place Oregon State stopped 27 years of frustration at McKale Center on Saturday. Because of that, another streak is likely over: The Cats’ 25-year run in the NCAA tournament.

Cross the UA officially off the NCAA bubble talk because of the damaging 63-55 loss to the Beavers, who also swept the season series from the Wildcats for the first time since Ben Lindsey coached in 1982-83.

UA coach Sean Miller showed frustration in the postgame press conference, saying, “You know, I’m not for everybody. I’m not for everybody. … As a coach you have that identity where you have some guys playing your way good or bad. I don’t want a guy who plays (hard) when things are only going good. That’s what I’m here for. That’s why I’m here and we’ll address that. It’s an important week for us to get ready.’’

He also said this loss puts him at “rock bottom” in his 23-year career as a player and coach.

The loss to Oregon State, which was tied for last in the Pac-10 with Oregon entering the day, was more than just another ordinary defeat.

The Beavers (11-13 overall and 5-7 in the Pac-10) entered the game with an RPI of No. 197. In the last two weeks, the Cats have lost to No. 116 Washington State and the Beavers. In fact, the UA went 0-4 against WSU and OSU this season.

The Wildcats are now 13-12 and 7-6 with a showdown against ASU (18-8, 8-5) looming next week in Tucson.
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Arizona victory tops Cats’ Must-Happen Checklist

Analysis by Javier Morales

Where: McKale Center

When: 8:30 p.m. (Tucson time)

Who’ll be there: Fox Sports Network will be there with Barry Tompkins and former UCLA player Don MacLean calling the action. You can also listen to Brian Jeffries and Matt Muehlebach live on the radio on the IMG College/Wildcat Radio Network (which provides free access on Yahoo! sports).

Pregame and Postgame Shows: John Schuster, Brad Allis and Rob Lantz break down the game and answer your calls at the KCUB 1290-AM feed.

Injuries: None reported by either school.

Common non-conference opponents: None.

Bet you didn’t know …: Arizona and Oregon each average 72.2 points per game. The Wildcats’ field-goal percentage is 43.8; Oregon’s percentage is 43.7.

They said it …: “If we start off bad, it will be hard to come back. We need to jump on them early, and match intensity with them.” — Oregon’s Jeremy Jacob as reported by Bob Clark of the Eugene (Ore.) Register-Guard

Matchups

Oregon guard Malcolm Armstead had 16 points in the Ducks’ 74-60 loss to Arizona last month

BACKCOURT

Doesn’t it seem that diminutive guard Tajuan Porter has played at Oregon for about 10 years now? That’s what happens when a player like Porter starts out strong as a freshman and continues to play well, but not dominating enough to leave before his four years have expired. Porter vs. Nic Wise has been entertaining at times because each can shoot from the perimeter and occasionally make spectacular drives to the basket. Porter had a 4-1 start against his counterpart, but the Wildcats have won three straight to even the score. Porter’s backcourt mate Malcolm Armstead is a waterbug-like player who generates opportunities for the Ducks through his defense. Armstead has 46 steals in 22 games, which has him at 2.1 steals per game. He is on pace to record approximately 69 steals, which would be a new single-season school record (the current leaders advanced to the NBA: Terrell Brandon, Fred Jones and Luke Ridnour with 63). Advantage: Close edge to Arizona. This is the time when seniors step forward; Wise, who outscored Porter 19-5 in Eugene last month, should answer the call at home as his career winds down. Kyle Fogg is averaging 14.7 points a game in Pac-10 play but he is susceptible to turnovers, especially against Armstead.

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Cats look to avenge last-second loss to Cougs last month

Analysis by Javier Morales

Where: Friel Court (11,671)

When: 6:30 p.m. (Tucson time)

Who’ll be there: Fox Sports Northwest will be there with Washington State announcers Greg Heister and Craig Ehlo (former Cougar and NBA player) calling the action. You can also listen to Brian Jeffries and Matt Muehlebach live on the radio on the IMG College/Wildcat Radio Network (which provides free access on Yahoo! sports).

Pregame and Postgame Shows: John Schuster, Brad Allis and Rob Lantz break down the game and answer your calls at the KCUB 1290-AM feed.

Injuries: None reported by either school.

Common non-conference opponents: None.

Bet you didn’t know …: Washington State in its game notes inadvertently refers to Nic Wise as leading the “Sun Devils” with 15.6 points a game. Even though it’s a mistake, some ardent UA fans probably think of it as sacreligious.

They said it …: “If he can get 15 (3-point attempts) up Saturday, I’m fine with that.” — WSU coach Ken Bone concerning leading scorer Klay Thompson in an interview with the Spokesman-Review.

Reggie Moore is the only starting freshman point guard in the Pac-10. A sign of his potential: He made a WSU freshman record 12 free throws at highly-rated K-State earlier in the year, which means he creates opportunities off the dribble.

Matchups

BACKCOURT

Which were the only programs that really wanted guard Reggie Moore when he attended Rainier Beach High School in Seattle a couple of years ago? Fresno State and Santa Clara were the first to offer scholarships. Moore actually signed a letter of intent with Fresno State but requested out of it to attend prep school at the Brewster Academy in New Hampshire last season. UA coach Sean Miller and the rest of the league’s coaches wish Fresno State could have sealed the deal. As it stands now, Moore is a legitimate All-Pac-10 player candidate and potential freshman of the year along with Arizona’s Derrick Williams. Moore had 20 points and three assists — the most important a pass to to DeAngelo Casto for the game-winning shot — in WSU’s 78-76 win in Tucson last month. Moore and sophomore Marcus Capers form one of the best backcourts in the league despite their youth, combining for 21.4 points and 8.7 assists per game. Advantage: With the game in Pullman, Moore and Capers get the nod over Wise and Kyle Fogg, although Wise and Fogg have the maturity to bounce back from a subpar performance at Washington on Thursday.

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Sendek yet to beat UA sans interim coach

RELATED LINKS AT TUCSONCITIZEN.COM:

• This just in: Cats growing up, win big over ASU (by Steve Rivera)
• Beware Parrom’s smile … and other UA basketball thoughts (by Anthony Gimino)

After Parrom was whistled for a technical foul on his attempt to prevent Abbott from a breakaway layup, the UA continued to flex its muscle instead of back down to the Sun Devils and the Wells Fargo crowd. Arizona led 47-37 at the point, with 8:35 remaining. The Cats quickly went on a 9-2 run, figuratively knocking out ASU, taking a 56-39 lead with 7:02 left.

Parrom, who led the UA with seven rebounds, has talked before about bringing that Big East style of basketball to the West coast. Whether you think the play was dirty or not — I thought Parrom actually held back from making it worse — the play showed the type of mental toughness Arizona will have under Miller with players like Parrom.

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Gimino will have game blog at TucsonCitizen.com

Pac-10 Standings TEAM OVERALL PAC-10 PTS RPI Oregon 10-4 2-0 2 97 USC 10-5 2-1 0 44 Washington St. 12-3 2-1 0 80 UCLA 7-8 2-1 0 178 Stanford 7-7 1-1 0 133 ARIZONA 7-8 1-2 0 62 ASU 10-5 0-2 0 118 Oregon State 6-8 0-2 0 238 California 9-5 1-1 -1 39 Washington 10-3 1-1 -1 35 PTS: Team is awarded a point for a road victory and deducted a point for a home loss

Analysis by Javier Morales

Where: McKale Center (14,545)

When: 6:30 p.m. (Tucson time)

Who’ll be there: Fox Sports Arizona with announcers Dave Sitton and Corey Williams calling the game. You can also listen to Brian Jeffries and Matt Muehlebach live on the radio on the IMG College/Wildcat Radio Network (which provides free access on Yahoo! sports).

Pregame and Postgame Shows: John Schuster, Brad Allis and Rob Lantz break down the game and answer your calls at the KCUB 1290-AM feed.

Injuries: UA center Alex Jacobson is doubtful with back spasms.

RPI implications: Arizona’s RPI according to CBS Sportsline is No. 62, about as good as the UA could hope for with a .500 record. The reason for the favorable RPI: UA’s strength of schedule — the main reason why the Cats have qualified for the NCAA tourney the last couple of years — is No. 2 in the country. Only Connecticut is rated with a more difficult schedule. The Cats must defeat No. 81 Wazzu to maintain their RPI. The Cougars’ strength of schedule is No. 188. Arizona has lost to six teams rated in the Top 50 and its best win is against No. 67 Louisiana Tech. The Cougars have lost to No. 7 Kansas State and No. 21 Gonzaga. Their best win is at home against No. 131 Idaho. They have yet to win a true road game against a Division I opponent (the losses to Kansas State and Gonzaga). They opened with a win at Division II Alaska-Anchorage en route to their Great Alaska Shootout title.

Common opponents: The Cougars and Wildcats did not share any non-conference opponents.

Gauge games: You can compare how the Cats fare against WSU in relation to the Cougars’ 17-point loss at K-State and narrow loss (five points) at Gonzaga.

Sidelines Report: Analysis by Bruce Pascoe of The Arizona Daily Star

Matchups

WSU off-guard Marcus Capers is not a threat from beyond the three-point line (he is 0 for 7 in his career, including no attempts this year) but he is active defensively and on the glass.

BACKCOURT
Washington State first-year coach Ken Bone utilizes a team full of guards and an athletic forward in DeAngelo Casto, hence the Cougars’ transformation from slow-ball to averaging 79.1 points per game. The point guard and shooting guard positions are manned by freshman Reggie Moore and sophomore Marcus Capers, who are about as athletic as the UA will face in the Pac-10. That’s saying something because WSU’s guard play has relied mostly on three-point, spot-up shooting under former coach Tony Bennett. How’s this for an irony?: Capers has not attempted one three-pointer this season as the off-guard. Not one. He does average 4.5 rebounds a game, ranking third on his team, so he is active. Moore is a top challenge for the UA’s Derrick Williams for Pac-10 Freshman of the Year, averaging 12.9 points and 4.6 assists per game. The way Kyle Fogg played at UCLA (career-high 25 points) is encouraging, but will he build on that? He’s been mostly inconsistent. This is Nic Wise’s last go-around against the Pac-10 and its coaches. If he is to win Pac-10 Player of the Year honors he must pick it up fast. Edge: Wise’s experience and Fogg’s overall play should be enough to top a difficult matchup against the young Moore and Capers.

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