Gonzaga vs. Arizona

Ever since Lute Olson took over at Arizona, they have been one of the best programs in the country, churning out NBA players and racking up wins. But one thing that you never said about the Wildcats is that they were a good defensive team. Well, it looks like Russ Pennell has changed that mentality in Tucson, because Arizona played a great game defensively against Gonzaga. They played a tough, 2-3 zone the whole game against the 'Zags, and it really took the rhythm out of the game.

Chase Budinger is one of those guys that is starting to buy in on the defensive end. Always known as a potent scorer, this year, Budinger is really digging in on defense. He had two steals in this game, but more importantly, he was very active. He is long and athletic, and when he is active on the defensive end, he such an asset to Pennell's zone because he gets his hands on a lot of passes.

Gonzaga had a lot of trouble getting the ball into the middle of the floor. What you want to do against a zone is play inside out, meaning you want to get the ball into the foul line area and either kick it out to shooters if the defense collapses or find cutters along the baseline if they don't. Gonzaga wasn't able to do that consistently against the Arizona zone. The biggest reason was how tough Arizona made every pass. Arizona tipped a lot of passes and forced Gonzaga to throw the ball away on numerous occasions. Jeremy Pargo specifically had a really tough time. He did finish with 7 assists, but he also had 7 turnovers. He threw a couple balls away, but the bigger issue was that when he would get penetration, Arizona did not allow him passing lanes to find open players. The best example of this game down the stretch. Down two with about a minute left, Pargo penetrated down the right side of the lane and came to a jump stop, but had no where to go with the ball and was called for a travel.

It didn't help the Gonzaga cause that they struggled shooting from three. They finished the game 6-20 (30%), which isn't terrible until you consider that just about every one of those were open looks on kick outs, where the Gonzaga shooter was able to step into their shots.

Arizona also ran a soft 2-2-1 press that threw off Gonzaga. It wasn't a press to force turnovers as much as it was used to slow down the 'Zags. It worked, as Gonzaga usually wasn't getting into their offense until about 10-15 seconds were taken off the shot clock. Against a zone, you really need to swing the ball around and get the defense moving, but when the shot clock is under 10 after two or three passes, it is a big leg up for the defense.

Austin Daye was really the only guy for the 'Zags that had a great game. He finished with 22 points, most of which came on mid-range jumpers when he would find a soft spot in the zone. He also blocked at least jump shots and forced two turnovers on out-of-bounds play because of his length.

Arizona had a very good game offensively as well. Throughout the game, Gonzaga was switching between three different defenses - a regular man-to-man, a regular 2-3 zone, and a man-to-man where the 'Zags were switching every screen. Arizona did not have much trouble against any of the defenses as they shot 44% from the floor, 7-10 from deep, and turned the ball over just 10 times.

Jordan Hill is one of the most underrated players in the country. He is now averaging 19, 12, and 3 blocks on the season. He plays with a ton of energy and aggressiveness, and although he is a bit foul prone, he is one of those guys that is going to give you 100% on every possession. He is so active on the glass and changes a lot of shots on the interior. The best part about this kid is his enthusiasm for the game. He always has a smile on his face and just seems like he loves playing the game. College basketball is a business these days, and a lot of players see it as simply a stepping stone on their way to the NBA (see OJ Mayo). It's really refreshing when you see a kid that plays simply because he loves to play.

Hill showed a lot of guts in this game. He cost the Wildcats a game against Texas A&M when he missed a front end late, allowing the Aggies to come down and hit a game winning shot on the ensuing possession. Against Gonzaga, Hill stepped to the line for a 1-and-1 with 1:17 left and hit both ends, then knocked down a tough, turn-around jumper off the glass over Heytvelt (see picture) with 36 seconds left to all but seal the win. Hill has all the tools to be a good NBA player in the Joakim Noah/Anderson Varejao mold (hair and all) because of his length and athleticism, but if he wants to be more than a role player, he is really going to need to work on his ball skills.