Sabatino Chen almost beats Arizona

Colorado's Sabatino Chen had a career night against No. 3 Arizona. The senior guard scored a season-high 15 points, including two clutch 3-pointers. Coming in to the game he had made just two all season.

He almost made a third, off the glass, at the buzzer to beat the No. 3 team in the country on the road.



But like Eric Devendorf's 3-pointer at the end of regulation at the 2009 Big East Tournament, the shot did not count.

Unfortunately for Tad Boyle and the Colorado Buffaloes, they had no 6-OT magic in them.

Arizona won the game.

But man, what a shot. On a night where all the shots fell for Colorado, the one they needed was called off. But was it good? take a look at this screencap. One clock says the game is over and the other says it isn't.

The kid banked home a game-winning three. Give it to him already. Continue reading...

The freshmen get the attention, but the veterans are the story for Arizona

NEW YORK - The way to win championships at the college level is through success on the recruiting front.

Regardless of whether a coach wins by bringing in a crop of top 50 recruits every season or through identifying the under-the-radar players who will thrive in their system, the key to winning games is bringing the right kids into the program.

Since he's been at Arizona, Sean Miller has been a powerhouse recruiter, landing in eight four-star recruits and four five-star recruits once the Class of 2012 is included. You want a good gauge of how much talent has he brought into Tucson? Two four-star recruits -- Momo Jones and Daniel Bejarano -- have transferred out because they were recruited over. Perhaps more impressive is that both Derrick Williams, who was probably the best player in the country last season not named Jimmer or Kemba, and Kevin Parrom, who may be Arizona's MVP this year, were three-star recruits coming out of high school.

So its no wonder that this year's incoming class of Josiah Turner, Nick Johnson, Angelo Chol and Sidiki Johnson were the guys that got the majority of the headlines for Arizona over the past two months.


But the reason that Arizona is 4-0 right now, the reason they were able to overcome a 19-4 run that whipped St. John's fans into a frenzy at Madison Square Garden -- the Johnnies home-away-from-home -- that put Arizona in a late 66-58 hole, was Miller's veterans.

Only one freshman, Johnson, was playing during crunch-time on Thursday night. It was the play of Miller's veteran leaders that sparked a game-winning, 18-2 run in Arizona's 81-72 victory in the semifinals of the 2K Sports Coaches vs. Cancer Classic.

"Tonight we were more of a function of a couple of our veteran guys having been in the winner's circle from a year ago," Miller said after the game. "Finishing the game showed a lot of toughness."

"We depended on our veteran and veteran leadership at the end of the game."

There no question that Arizona has talent on their roster this year, but the knock on them, at least at this point in the season, is that they don't have a go-to player. There is no star on this team. They don't have that one guy that you can rely on to get a bucket in a crucial moment. There isn't one player that can simply be isolated and asked to make a play to end a run or at the end of a game.

Tonight re-enforced that theory. There isn't one star on this roster. Instead, Miller has three or four veterans that are capable of rising to the occasion.

The Wildcats looked like they were ready to take control of this game midway through the second half. After Turner threw Johnson a back-door alley-oop for a thunderous dunk, Arizona had a 54-47 lead with 14 minutes left and all the momentum in their favor. But Phil Greene answered with seven straight points, and after Chol gave Arizona the lead back on a lay-in, St. John'son scored 12 of the next 14 points to take an eight point lead and what appeared to be control of the game.

That's when Arizona's upperclassmen took over.

Kyle Fogg got into the middle of the St. John's zone and found Johnson for a three. After a breakaway dunk by Turner, Fogg against broke down the zone and found Solomon Hill for a dunk. On the next possession, Jesse Perry made a nice move for a layup along the baseline and Hill followed that up with an offensive rebound, drawing a foul and hitting both free throws. All of a sudden, the Wildcats had the lead back.

The next three possessions were much of the same. Parrom found Fogg for an open three, Perry tipped in his own miss and Johnson found Parrom for yet another open three (Arizona made 14 of them), and with just 2:26 remaining, Arizona had a 77-70 lead and cruised to the nine point win.

"Very important," Miller said when asked how valuable having multiple veterans capable of thriving when the lights are the brights. "That’s why I can’t understate the importance of Kevin Parrom because he’s now yet another very experienced player for us and, without him, we’re not nearly the same team."

"Kyle looked like a seasoned, experienced player out there, and he is. He's been in the Sweet Sixteen his freshman year, he's been in the Elite Eight his junior year, he's started now since I've been the coach at Arizona almost every game that he's played, and you can feel that. Here we are in November of his senior year and he stepped up."

Parrom and Fogg shot just 5-17 combined, but they had 11 assists to just a single turnover. Hill and Perry combined for 26 points and 17 boards, with seven coming on the offensive end of the floor.

With performances like that from his veterans, Sean Miller is going to win a lot of games this season.
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Thursday's Shootaround: Our first upset of the year

This post can also be found at Beyond the Arc.

No. 16 Arizona 67, Duquesne 59: Josiah Turner showed up late for a shootaround Wednesday afternoon, and that gave Jordin Mayes the start over him. That decision would end up being a blessing in disguise for Arizona, as Mayes scored 16 of his 19 points in the second half and sparked a late 12-0 run that gave Arizona a 61-48 lead. The Wildcats would go on to win 67-59, but the lead certainly wasn't safe; Arizona had one stretch where they turned the ball over on four straight possessions while trying to put the game away.

In fact, Arizona finished the game with 21 turnovers, the most they've had in a game since February of 2010. And that's where there conundrum of Jordin Mayes comes into play. For the second straight game, Mayes provided Arizona with the spark they needed to blow the game open; on Monday, he scored eight straight points to give the Wildcats control against Valparaiso. The problem? Mayes isn't a pure point guard. After Wednesday's game, Mayes now has one assist and three turnovers in Arizona's first two games. Last season, he averaged just 1.2 apg despite playing 14.3 mpg.


He may be the best option at the point right now. Josiah Turner has loads of talent, but he has even more learning -- and maturing -- to do before he gets to the point that he can maximize that talent. Decision-making is not Turner's strong suit. (Seriously, how do you show up late to the shootaround for the second game of the season?) Nick Johnson is talented and can be a playmaker, but he's not a point guard. Kyle Fogg is the leader for this team, but he, too, is not a point guard. Mayes is the best option, but if Turner is able to put it all together this year, it will be interesting to see what, exactly, Sean Miller does with his back court rotation.


St. John's 78, Lehigh 73: You would have thought that the surprising return of Steve Lavin, who is still recovering from treatment for prostate cancer, would be enough of an emotional boost to get St. John's to come out on all cylinders on Wednesday night. Instead, it was Lehigh that had the hot hand early, knocking down their first five three pointers and eventually surging to a 32-16 lead. But like they did on Monday night, the Johnnies used a pressuring defense to create turnovers and get opportunities in the full court, where their athleticism took over. A 12-0 run cut the lead to 60-58 with five minutes left before God'sgift Achiuwa gave the Johnnies the lead for good with a running hook with under two minutes remaining.

Achiuwa finished with 21 points and eight boards -- going 6-6 from the field and 9-9 from the free throw line -- and Nurideen Lindsay and Moe Harkless both chipped in with 15 points.

This win was a good sign for St. John's. Lehigh is not a bad basketball team. They have one of the best mid-major players in the country in CJ McCollum and came out completely unphased by St. John's pressure. The Johnnies were able to regroup, made a comeback and then made enough plays in crunch time to win the game. No one -- not even the most die hard St. John's fan -- should truly expect this team to contest for an NCAA Tournament bid this season. I don't care is this game was at home and against an over-matched opponent, seeing such a young team rally from 14 points down and win a game when they didn't play well for 30 minutes is a good sign.


Akron 68, Mississippi State 58: I touched on Renardo Sidney here, but there is more to this loss than just The Big Enigma.

Arnett Moultrie grabbed 15 rebounds (seven offensive), which was nice, but he shot 2-13 from the floor, many of which were shots around the rim. Granted, a lot of that can be attributed to the defensive presence of Akron's Zeke Marshall, but that shooting percentage is still a problem. Dee Bost also had a tough game. He finished with 13 points, he was just 2-9 from the floor and 1-6 from three, he had four of Mississippi State's 19 turnovers and he played far too quickly for a guy that is a point guard on a team with a terrific front line. And all you have to do is search Rick Stansbury on twitter to get a feel for his coaching job.

But the biggest thing you should take away from this game? Akron's pretty good, bro! They played very well defensively, forcing Mississippi State into some ugly offensive possessions. They not only forced turnovers, they created 'pick six' turnovers -- jumping passing lanes and making open court steals that led directly to easy buckets at the other end. Zeke Marshall made things very difficult in the lane before he fouled out, Alex Abreu was a terror defensively (six steals), Quincy Diggs scored 19 points and made a lot of plays in transition and Nikola Cvetinovic made a lot of little plays that don't show up in the score book.

Akron is a well-coached, experienced team coming off of a trip to the NCAA Tournament. This loss is not a good sign for Mississippi State, but its also not as bad as it looks on paper.


No. 19 Texas A&M 81, Liberty 59: This game was over early. Despite playing without head coach Billy Kennedy, who was recently diagnosed with Parkinson's, the Aggies were stifling defensively early on, holding the Flames to just 14 first half points. They shot 65.4% from the floor for the game and cruised to the win. Ray Turner was great, scoring 20 points on 9-11 shooting while Elston Turner and David Loubeau chipped in with 16 and 14, respectively. The best news? The Aggies were this impressive despite getting only 10 minutes from Khris Middleton, who left the game with a hamstring injury and is currently day-to-day.
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11/7 Monday's Pregame Beat: And so it begins...

Tonight is the night.

While Marathon Madness is still a week away and the marquee games and teams won't be suiting up for a few more days, tonight we have actual college basketball games that actually count on actual records actually happening. Actually.

What's more interesting is that all three of the games taking place tonight have interesting plot lines behind them. I'm sure I'm not the only one that will be watching the early games of the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic with a keen eye on a few things.


7:00 pm: William & Mary @ St. John's: We all know the plight of St. John's by now. They have a second-year head coach currently battling cancer, which means that assistant coach Mike Dunlap will be coaching the team tonight. That team that Dunlap is in charge of will be short-handed as well. Not only is the roster made up of, essentially, all newcomers and walk-ons, but 1/3 of the Johnnie's vaunted recruiting class was ruled ineligible by the NCAA's Clearinghouse.

So the question becomes just how good are these newcomers? Will this be a team that's capable of competing in the Big East this year? Moe Harkless has looked good in their exhibitions, and guys like Nurideen Lindsay -- who has one of the most compelling back-stories of anyone in college hoops -- and God's Gift Achiuwa should provide some veteran stability. (Well, as much veteran stability as a JuCo transfer can offer).

I'm actually going to predict that the Tribe knocks off the Johnnies tonight. William & Mary has a talented back court -- led by Quinn McDowell, a potentiall CAA Player of the Year -- and runs a system that is difficult to prepare for. Think John Beilein's system cross-bread with your typical Princeton-style offense. The Tribe finished just 4-14 in the CAA last season, but they were a young team that lost a number of close games and really came on strong late in the year.


8:00 pm: Eastern Kentucky @ Mississippi State: I don't need to explain why this game is so intriguing, do I? I mean, its the first time that Renardo Sidney -- a new and improved Renardo Sidney, if you are to believe Rick Stansbury -- will be taking the court since spending the summer working out with John Lucas. Remember, Sidney was forced to make a second trip back to Houston to work out with Lucas while the Bulldogs went on their tour through Europe.

What makes the condition that Sidney is in, both physically and mentally, so important is that the Bulldogs actually have a chance to be pretty good this year. Arnett Moultrie has the ability to average 12 points and eight boards and, ideally, would form one of the top three front lines in the SEC with Sidney. Combine those two with the criminally underrated Dee Bost running the point, and Stansbury has what should -- I repeat, should, with insane amounts of emphasis -- be a tournament team.


9:00 pm: Valpo @ No. 16 Arizona: This is also an incredibly interesting matchup. Arizona has quite a bit of hype heading into this season. They have a loaded recruiting class and return a number of key pieces from last season. But they are also heading into the year with a very young team that will be without Derrick Williams, Momo Jones and, at least until his gunshot would heals, Kevin Parrom.

Those vaunted expectations -- the top 20 rankings, the Pac-12 championship predictions -- looked silly last week when Arizona lost to Seattle Pacific in an exhibition game. I will be looking for two things as they take the floor tonight: 1) Will Josiah Turner and/or Jordin Mayes provide the Wildcats with a steadying force at the point and 2) Will anyone -- Angelo Chol, Sidiki Johnson, Kryrl Natyazkho, Jesse Perry -- be able to provide a scoring, rebounding and/or defensive presence in the paint?
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Arizona upset by Seattle Pacific in an exhibition

We are still a solid week and a half away from the tip of our first official college hoops game, but we already have our first upset of the year.

Playing an exhibition game against Seattle Pacific, an Division II school, the Wildcats found themselves down 37-29 at the half. After making a run to take the lead late on a Nick Johnson three late in the second half, the Falcons responded with a run of their own, hanging on for a 69-68 win when a desperation three from Johnson came up short.

"I wish I could say I'm going to throw a lot of things in the locker room and our guys just didn't try," Sean Miller told the Arizona Daily Star. "We're just not very good right now. We aren't. We're just not a very good team. … We're at such the beginning of even being able to play the game that tonight I wished we could have practiced five or seven or eight more times tonight. I'm sure we would have had a better chance to be successful but we didn't."

So what happened?


For starters, Arizona couldn't get any kind of production on the glass from their big men. Kryrl Natyazkho, Sidiki Johnson and Angelo Chol, the Wildcat's three centers, combined for just two rebounds. Johnson fouled out in 14 minutes. Granted, there were a couple of good players on the Seattle Pacific roster -- Andy Poling transferred in from Gonzaga and Modou Niang from Utah State -- but those two players are a far cry from the kind of strength that, say, UCLA has on their front line.

The Falcons also ran a Princeton-style offense and shredded the Wildcats defense with back door cuts, smart passes and offensive execution. Arizona has a lot of new faces on their roster, and defensive sets and rotations take just as long to learn as plays on offense.

The bottom-line, however is that a loss like this really doesn't matter. Remember when Syracuse lost to Le Moyne back in 2009? Yeah, they came out of no where and won the Big East that year. I don't think the loss hurt them all that much. Arizona is a young team. They are freshmen playing key roles at important spots on the floor -- center and point guard. They are transitioning from a team that lost the two players that dominated offensive possession, including all-american Derrick Williams, and are doing so with an important player in Kevin Parrom unavailable.

This loss was the result of new players being brought in, experienced players in taking on new roles and a team underestimating an opponent because the game was an exhibition. If anything, this loss embarrassed Arizona and exposed their flaws. I'd be willing to bet that the box out drills Miller runs in practice today are going to be pretty intense.

They'll learn. Arizona will get better. This team will still compete for the Pac-12 title.

Let's go about our Fridays as usual, mmk?
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2011-2012 Top 50 Countdown: No. 15 Arizona Wildcats

Over the coming weeks, we will be counting down our Top 50 teams in the country. Teams 26-50 will be posted in groups of five, while we will count backwards from No. 25 to the No. 1 team in the country. You can find a complete schedule of our 2011-2012 Season Preview coverage here. To browse through the rest of the Top 50, click here.

Last Season: 30-8, 14-4 (1st-Pac-12), lost to UConn in the Elite 8

Head Coach: Sean Miller

Key Losses: Derrick Williams, Momo Jones, Jamelle Horne

Newcomers: Angelo Chol, Sidiki Johnson, Josiah Turner, Nick Johnson

Projected Lineup:

- G: Josiah Turner, Fr.
- G: Kyle Fogg, Sr.
- F: Solomon Hill, Jr.
- F: Jesse Perry, Sr.
- C: Angelo Chol, Fr.
- Bench: Kevin Parrom, Jr.; Sidiki Johnson, Fr.; Nick Johnson, Fr.; Jordin Mayes, So.; Brendan Lavender, Sr.; Kryrl Natyazhko, Jr.


Outlook: I was born in 1985. In 2010, for the first time since I've been alive, Arizona did not make the NCAA Tournament. While an improvement was expected for the 2010-2011 season, the season didn't exactly start out perfect. Arizona lost to Kansas and got smacked by BYU early in the season, their non-conference resume featured little more than a win over NC State, and the Wildcats kicked off Pac-10 play with a loss to Oregon State and a beatdown at the hands of Washington. But those inconsistencies faded as conference play continued. Despite getting swept by the Southern California schools late in the year, Arizona managed to hang on to win the final Pac-10 regular season title.

After a heart-breaking loss in the finals of the Pac-10 Tournament, Arizona caught fire during the NCAA Tournament, making a run all the way to the Elite 8 before missing two threes on their final possession that would have won the game. That tournament run was bittersweet, however, as it guaranteed Derrick Williams' departure for the NBA. Combine that with the transfer of Momo Jones and the graduation of Jamelle Horne, and the Wildcat's are going to have to replace quite a bit of production heading into the 2011-2012 season.

Sean Miller has been cleaning up on the recruiting trail in his short time in Tucson, so there is plenty of talent in the program. The biggest issue, however, will be identifying a go-to scorer. I don't think finding a leader will be a huge issue, as that role will likely fall on the shoulders of Kyle Fogg. Fogg is the leading returning scorer for the Wildcats -- as well as the assist leader from last season -- but he only averaged 8.1 ppg and 2.6 apg. He's more of a spot-up shooter than he is a big-time scorer. Solomon Hill and Kevin Parrom will likely be joining Fogg on the wing. Hill is a small forward with three point range, but his bread and butter is his ability to slash and rebound the ball. He'll be counted on for a boost this season, however. Parrom is a bigger question mark. We've all heard the story by now -- Parrom was visiting his sick mother, who has since passed away, back in the Bronx when he was shot in the leg and the hand in his father's apartment. Its unclear if Parrom will be back this season. If he's not, its a big loss. The 6'5" junior is a terrific all-around player, a guy that can score, create and defend.


Just how good this back court ends up being is going to depend on the development of the younger guys. Sophomore Jordin Mayes will have a shot at earning the starting point guard spot. Mayes, who is 6'2", looked promising at times in his limited minutes as a freshman, proving to be a lights-out shooter. He'll have competition, however, as Josiah Turner was one of the most highly-touted point guards in the country. Turner is a gifted penetrator and playmaker, but he needs to shore up his perimeter jumper. He'll have an immediate impact, as will freshman shooting guard Nick Johnson. Johnson is a terrific athlete and a kid that really competes. He might not be a big-time scorer early in his career, but he'll defend and make plays with his athleticism.

The front court for the Wildcats will be a bit more of a question mark. Both Jesse Perry and Kryrl Natyazkho return, but neither can be considered an offensive threat. Perry is an undersized power forward, but he's the kind of senior you love to have on your roster. He plays hard, he defends, he rebounds and he doesn't make mistakes. He moved his way into the starting lineup by the end of last season. Natyazkho is a big body, but he's never proven himself to be much more than a big body.

It will be interesting to see just how good Sidiki Johnson and Angelo Chol wind up being. Arizona needs an offensive presence on their front line, but relying on a freshman is not an ideal situation. And neither of these freshmen come in with the reputation of being post scorers. Chol and Johnson both project to be shot blockers and rebounders early on.

Arizona may struggle early on to find an offensive identity. They lose their two best scorers -- and, really, the only two guys that could create their own shot -- from last season. If Sean Miller can develop someone into being able to fill that role -- Turner, Hill, Parrom, Johnson -- than Arizona has a chance to be even better. As is, there is too much talent on this roster not to believe they can finish in the top 10-15 teams in the country.
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Kevin Parrom's mother passes away

Arizona junior guard Kevin Parrom lost his mother to cancer on Sunday night.

She had been bravely battling the disease for over two years. Parrom, who was shot in the leg in September in his father's home in the Bronx, was back in New York because he was visiting his mom at the time.

Parrom tweeted "I Love You Momma! You Dont Have To Deal With No More Pain And Now You Can Watch Ya Baby Boy Make You Proud From Up Above. Love You Ma ! RIP" late on Sunday night. Parrom also lost his grandmother earlier this summer.

"Today, Lisa Williams, Kevin Parrom's mom, passed away," Arizona head coach Sean Miller said in a statement. "Our thoughts and prayers are with Kevin and his family at this most difficult time. I have never been around a young person who has dealt with more hardship in such a short period of time than Kevin. I ask all Arizona Wildcat fans to join us on Saturday, Oct. 22, at 2 p.m. at our annual Red-Blue Game to be there when we introduce Kevin Parrom as a part of our 2011-12 team. He will rely on all of us here in Tucson for support in moving forward."

Its difficult to imagine what Parrom is going through right now. Not only did he lose his mother, but he still is not cleared to play -- and may not be able to play this season -- as he recovers from bullet wounds to his right leg and left hand. Its an impossible situation for him to be in, and all you can do is hope that he has a strong support system around him in Tucson. There is no doubt he is hurting right now. There's not much we can do other than to say our thoughts and prayers and with Kevin and his loved ones.
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Arizona's Kevin Parrom escapes serious injury after being shot ... twice

There is a wild story coming out of the Bronx today. Arizona guard Kevin Parrom, who was back in New York to visit his sick mother, was shot in a dispute over a woman.

According to Adam Zagoria, Parrom had a girl come over to his apartment, which didn't make the girl's ex-boyfriend too happy. He showed up with another man who had a gun. That's when all hell broke loose:

“[Parrom] had a girl visiting him,” the second source said. “The girl’s jealous boyfriend or ex-boyfriend shows up at Kevin’s house. He brings a dude with him. The dude that’s with him has a gun.

"Somehow the guys get in the house, words are exchanged. One of the guys pulls out a gun. Kevin grabs the gun, they wrestle for the gun. The guy pulls the trigger, which grazes [Parrom] in the hand. The shooter pulls back and the shot grazes [Parrom] in the leg.”

How lucky is he?

Grazed by two bullets? That doesn't happen. Not even in movies. Parrom's AAU coach told the Arizona Daily Star that his injuries are not serious and that he is able to walk.

"I have been in contact with Kevin and his family throughout the weekend and look forward to his return to Tucson and being back in class this week," Arizona head coach Sean Miller said in a statement. "Our focus is on Kevin's health right now. Once we have more information, we'll be able to address his potential return to team activities."

There is no word yet on whether they caught the guys that attacked Parrom.
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Sean Miller is building a title contender in Arizona

It hasn't taken long for Sean Miller to rebuild the Arizona program.

And rest assured, the program needed rebuilding.

After stepping in as the Wildcat's fourth coach in the span of four seasons in 2009, Miller was at the helm when Arizona missed the 2010 NCAA Tournament, the first time that had happened since 1984. It wasn't exactly the way that Miller envisioned starting off his tenure in Tucson, but the struggles didn't last long. As Derrick Williams quickly morphed from a freshmen all-american into a first-team all-american, Arizona turned into a legitimate Final Four contender, blowing out top seeded Duke as the Wildcats came two missed threes from the Final Four.


Postseason success -- and Pac-10 title -- aside, I'm still of the mindset that Arizona's 2010-2011 season was more the result of Miller's lucky break landing Williams, a three-star recruit that slipped through the cracks to Arizona, than of Miller's prowess in repairing the program. He has, however, laid a terrific foundation for the future. The Wildcats will have an intriguing blend of talented youngsters and experienced veterans next years, mixing veteran leaders like Kyle Fogg, Solomon Hill and Kevin Parrom with a loaded recruiting class -- PG Josiah Turner (12th in our consensus recruiting rankings), SG Nick Johnson (23rd), F Angelo Chol (58th) and F Sidiki Johnson (85th).

If you think Miller's effort on the recruiting trail was impressive for the Class of 2011, the Class of 2012 is even better. With F Grant Jerrett (29th in our consensus recruiting rankings) and G Gabe York (32nd) already committed, Miller landed his best recruit to date on Monday afternoon, earning a commitment from Brandon Ashley, a talented power forward that currently is sitting at sixth in the consensus recruiting rankings.

And Miller is still heavily involved with Kaleb Tarczewski, another top ten player in the Class of 2012.

Arizona has a chance to win the inaugural Pac-12 title this season, but the real damage they will do is in 2012-2013. This may not mean much to those of you that don't follow recruiting heavily, but take a look at Arizona's (projected) depth chart for the start of the 2012 season

- G: Josiah Turner
- G: Nick Johnson
- F: Kevin Parrom
- F: Brandon Ashley
- C: Angelo Chol
- Bench: Jordin Mayes, Gabe York, Solomon Hill, Sidiki Johnson, Grant Jerrett

And, again, that doesn't include a top ten recruit Miller still has a shot of landing.

That's a program with size, athleticism, a high-powered back court attack and impressive depth. Barring any sudden changes -- players decommitting or transferring, someone getting injured, etc. -- Arizona will be one of the favorites to win the 2013 National Title.

That's an impressive jump for a team that missed the 2010 NCAA Tournament.


Since Brandon Ashley is the guy that committed today, here is a video of him:


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Lute Olson statement on David Salinas

Lute Olson has released a statement on his investment with Salinas:

"I've known David (Salinas) for a long time and feel horrible for his family. That (his passing) is something that none of his friends could have expected. Yes, I've invested with David, and he's been a friend for a while, but I did not invest money until after I had retired from coaching."

I think Andy Glockner gets it right here:

So if investing with Salinas was supposedly not a big deal (AAU talent was modest), why the need to make Olson's investment timing clear?

I really just want the smoking gun in this story to come soon. If it doesn't, this story may drag on for a long time.
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Arizona lands another blue-chip recruit

Sean Miller continues to clean up on the recruiting trail.

With a stocked 2011 recruiting class coming in -- one that allowed Miller to cut free a former top 100 recruit in Daniel Bejarano and should minimize the loss of Derrick Williams to the NBA -- the Arizona head coach is well on his way to building another commendable haul in 2012. With five-star forward Grant Jerrett (28th in the nation according to our consensus recruiting rankings) already committed, Miller has landed another top 50 recruit in the form of Gabe York.

York is a 6'2" guard with range for days and the explosiveness to finish around the rim with authority. This biggest issue for York, who is currently sitting at 40th in our consensus recruiting rankings, is that it is unclear whether he is a point guard or a shooting guard. His ability to score is no secret an he's also proven to be capable of creating for his teammates. The issue is whether or not he knows how to manage a team and facilitate an offense.

If that is what he wants to learn, he's going to the right place. Arizona is known as Point Guard U, and while that reputation was cultivated under Lute Olson, learning under the tutelage of Miller -- a former dribbling phenom and point guard for Pitt -- isn't a bad way to learn the position.

If there is a confusing aspect to this commitment from York, its that the Wildcats already have a talented back court crop coming in this season. Nick Johnson and Josiah Turner are both five-star recruits that have enough potential and promise that they drove Momo Jones to transfer from Arizona to Iona. Is there room on the Arizona roster for (at least) three back court players that need the ball in their hands?


As always, here's what York looks like in action:


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NBA Draft Profiles: Derrick Williams, Arizona

Bjorn Zetterberg of SwishScout.com will be helping us out with all of our NBA Draft Profiles this year. You can follow him on twitter @swishscout.

To browse through the latest prospect profiles, click here. To see a complete list of the players we have profiled, click here.

Stats: 19.5 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 1.1 apg, 0.7 bpg, 2.6 t/o's, 56.8% 3PT

Age: 20, sophomore

Size:

• Listed: 6'9", 250 lb
• Official: 6'7.25" (no shoes), 6'8.75" (with shoes), 7'1.5" (wingspan), 9'0" (reach), 248 lb

Strengths: There is a lot to like about Williams game. At the college level, he was an absolute nightmare to defend because he is, simply put, a complete package offensively and one of the most efficient players in the country. Williams was an quality scorer in the post, thanks to his ability to establish position on the block, solid footwork, and a soft touch around the rim. Williams is a bit undersized for a power forward, however. His post game may not translate as well to the NBA, which is why his perimeter arsenal is such a valuable asset. Williams developed into a deadly shooter this past season. Midway through the year, he was knocking down over 70% of his shots from beyond the arc before a "slump" dropped him down to 56.8% by the end of the season. He shows tremendous shot selection, rarely forcing contested perimeter jumpers. Williams has a terrific handle for a player of his size, capable of putting the ball on the floor and getting to the rim with either hand. As you'll see in the highlight clips below, he's athletic enough to throw down some truly sensational dunks when he gets a head of steam. He also is excellent at getting to the free throw line, as he understands how to use his body to create contact.

Weaknesses: The biggest issue with Williams as a prospect is that he falls into that dreaded tweener category. He doesn't quite have the size to be a dominant power forward in the NBA, and while his skill set should help him translate well to playing more minutes on the perimeter, his mediocre physical tools for a small forward are worrisome. Is he big enough to be a four? Quick enough to be a three? That's a big question mark, but the talent that Williams' displayed this season and his improvement as a perimeter threat should help quiet those doubters. Beyond that, the weaknesses in Williams' game are fairly fixable. He turns the ball over a bit too much, which is the result of his habit of holding onto the ball for too long. He also needs to work on boxing out. He has a bad habit of going after the ball too early, allowing his man to get a free run at an offensive rebound.

Comparisons:

• Best Case Scenario: Somewhere between a better-shooting David West and less-knuckleheaded Michael Beasley. It depends on just how well he is able to transition to being a perimeter player. I think that Williams will, eventually, be able to become a more perimeter-oriented player, which would make the Beasley comparison seem more fitting. I could see Williams having a career arc similar to that of Antawn Jamison, who has been an 18 and 8 guy for a decade.


• Worst Case Scenario: Thaddeus Young. Young has been a major factor for the Sixers the past three seasons, averaging double figures as a starter for two years before becoming the sixth man this past season. And while he has been productive, Young hasn't become a go-to scoring option. If Williams struggles transitioning to playing the perimeter full-time, I can see him ending up in a similar role.

Outlook: Williams was the kind of player that the stat-heads love just as much as the people that scout the game by watching film. Thanks to his knack for drawing fouls and his lights-out three point shooting, Williams was one of the most efficient players in the country this past season, which is saying something for a guy that had to carry a team despite not even being a top 100 recruit just two years prior. As I said earlier, Williams is the total package offensively. He can score in the post, he can score on his jump shot, he can hit a pull-up, he can bury a three, and he can make Blake Griffin look ordinary. There is little doubt that he will be able to score at the next level. The question is what position he will play, and how effective he will be at that position. Since he is a bit undersized, I'd expect him to start to transition to playing the perimeter on a more regular basis. To do so, he is going to need to become quicker -- especially on the defensive end of the floor -- and improve his ball handling and passing. That should come with time. Since Williams' is a tweener, he also has a post game. So while its a negative to be stuck between positions for some players, Williams is talented enough that it could play to his advantage. Fours won't be able to guard him on the perimeter and threes will struggle against him in the post. For Williams, the lack of a position is another reason that he is such a unique and promising recruit.

Draft Range: Top two

And the experts say...

• Chad Ford: "Williams was one of the four or five best players in the country this year. He's become a true inside/outside threat as a scorer. He's aggressive, makes smart decisions and will really attack the rim. Some scouts are worried he's a tweener, but other teams have him No. 1 overall on their Big Board."


• Draft Express: "The deadly combination he brings to the table with his quick first step, long strides, polished footwork and outstanding body control hasn't been seen in college basketball since Michael Beasley. Power forwards at this level simply have no way to slow him down, as evidenced by the incredible rate at which he gets to the free throw line. Better yet, he converts 76% of his attempts, up from 68% last season. Not only can Williams create marvelously, he's also an excellent finisher. He's able to throw down emphatic dunks when given a head start and he shows the ability to contort his body and avoid contact in a manner more reminiscent of a wing player than a power forward."


• Swish Scout: "Crafty forward with a superb inside-out game, consisting of refined post moves and the ability to step out on the perimeter to knock down the 3. Williams needs to keep refining his perimeter game and moves off the dribble to play some SF in the NBA, but has a mature game and is an impact player right now."

Highlights:




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Momo Jones decision to transfer caps off a wild Monday

Momo Jones must have heard footsteps.

With five-star recruits Josiah Turner and Nick Johnson coming in, Jones must have seen -- or been told -- the writing on the wall. He was coming off of a season where he averaged just 9.7 ppg, had a 1.3:1 a/to ratio (averaging just 2.4 apg), and shot 41.8% from the floor and 31.6% from three. That's not exactly the way to win out a starting spot.

Jones has not proven to be the kind of player that remains committed. He went to three different high schools. He was committed to both Louisville, USC, and Virginia Tech during his recruitment. He nearly transferred during his freshman season after struggling to deal with his limited minutes behind Nic Wise. His transfer shouldn't come as a huge surprise, especially if he was forced out. You see, the concern with Jones is that he wouldn't be able to handle playing a reduced role, and the Arizona coaching staff appear to feel that team chemistry is more important than what Jones brings to the table as a player.

The move is risky for Arizona. For starters, unless Jordin Mayes beats out Turner and Johnson, Arizona is going to be starting a freshman at the point. For all the inconsistency that Jones had throughout the season, the kid was a bulldog. He wanted to win, and he played well during the NCAA Tournament. Experience does has value, especially at the point.

The other issue is the whispers going around that Turner may not qualify academically. If he doesn't, Point Guard U will be very thin at the point next season.

According to Jeff Goodman, Jones is looking at transferring closer to his native NYC, possibly St. John's. He may be able to receive a waiver to play immediately due to a family illness.


Dalton Pepper to transfer as well: The West Virginia guard had a shot at starting next season, but in a move that surprised just about everyone involved, the rising junior is out the door. He averaged just 3.9 ppg, but at 6'5", Pepper was a very good defense player on the wing.


Sterling Gibbs chooses Texas: The former Maryland commit and the younger brother of Pitt's Ashton made the decision on Monday night to head to Texas to play for Rick Barnes and the Longhorns. He got a release from his Letter of Intent to Maryland when Gary Williams left. Its an interesting get for Texas. Gibbs is not a blue-chip recruit, and while Texas loses Cory Joseph and Jordan Hamilton on their perimeter, they are bringing in a solid back court with Myck Kabongo, Sheldan McClellan, and Julien Lewis. There is no guarantee that Gibbs, who visited the school this weekend, will play immediately.


Anthony Crater booted from USF: The former Ohio State point guard was dismissed from the South Florida basketball team tonight. According to Brett McMurphy of Fanhouse The New York Times CBSSports.com, Crater failed a third drug test, which automatically results in being kicked off of a team at South Florida. Crater's been in trouble throughout his career. In addition to the failed drug tests, he was a suspect in $8,000 worth of goods stolen out of a teammates room.
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Sean Miller's return, and Maryland's coaching search

While everyone spent the weekend focused on who was staying and who was leaving in regards to the NBA Draft, the most interesting -- and possibly the most important -- decision on whether to stay or to go didn't involve a player.

It involved a head coach.

After the typical flip-flopping reports we are used to in the twitter-age, Miller opted on Saturday to return to Tucson, turning down the advances from the now coachless Maryland terrapins.

"I am very pleased with my situation here at Arizona and feel that President Shelton, Greg Byrne and the UA have made every effort to provide our program with the tools necessary to be successful," Miller said in a statement. "Over the last two days, the amount of inaccuracies that surrounded this entire process has been very disappointing. Hopefully, this will put an end to such speculation. Believe me when I tell you, our administration has done everything to keep me here and ensure that this will be among the elite programs in the nation."


That everything included an extension for Miller, as well as more money for the people on his coaching staff.

Its not hard to see why Miller turned down the job. He's bringing in his third straight talented recruiting class -- and this one is probably the best of the bunch -- that includes the likes of Nick Johnson, Angelo Chol, Sidiki Johnson, and Josiah Turner. He also had Shabazz Muhammed, a top five recruit in the class of 2012, on campus on Sunday and is in the lead for Chris Thomas, a top five recruit in the class of 2013.

Coming off of a trip to the Elite 8, Miller is well on his way towards building Arizona back into a national power. With everything established for next season, it simply didn't make sense for him to move his family across the country to take on another rebuilding effort at a program that is not that much of a better job than the one he currently has. In fact, Maryland is, more than anything, a lateral move from Arizona, especially considering the expected increase in exposure that comes with the Pac-12's new TV deal with ESPN.

Maryland has also been turned down by Mike Brey, Brad Stevens, Jamie Dixon, and Jay Wright, which begs the question -- is this job really as good as people have speculated?

Well, yes, it is. There is no denying the facts. The Terps have a dedicated and passionate fan base. The school is located in the middle of the fertile recruiting grounds of DC and Baltimore. They have tradition, winning the 2002 national title and sending numerous players to the NBA.

But it is also true that no established coach is going to want to leave their current job this late in the year. Recruiting is finished. Lineups and rotations are in the process of being established. Vacations need to be taken. It would be one thing if this was UCLA or Duke or Kentucky that opened up, but Maryland isn't quite on that level.

The Terps may be better off riding out interim head coach Rob Ehsan for a season before trying to land a big name candidate in next year's coaching carousel.

It worked for Arizona.

After Lute Olsen retired, the Wildcats went through both Kevin O'Neill and Russ Pennell before hitting a home run with Miller.

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On another note, I would urge everyone to read what Joe Ovies has to say about the differences between the coaching searches of NC State and Maryland. I would add one more point: NC State couldn't land a head coach because, most believe, no one wanted to compete with Duke and North Carolina in The Triangle and no one wanted to deal with Debbie Yow. With Maryland, the consensus seems to be that the Terps are struggling due to the timing of the job opening.

Whether or not that is what is actually happening is up for interpretation and only truly known by the people that turned down the respective jobs.

But it is a difference that must be pointed out.
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Central Florida and Arizona forced to run-off players: is this really a bad thing?

Donnie Jones took over as the head coach at Central Florida in March of 2010, and since his arrival, he's brought a steady stream of talent into Orlando.

Tristan Spurlock, Josh Crittle, and Jeffery Jordan decided to transfer to UCF from Virginia, Oregon, and Illinois, respectively. He's brought in a very good recruiting class, consisting of Michael Chandler (a four star recruit and one of the best centers in the country), Wayne Martin, Rod Days, and Kasey Wilson. Jones also currently has Kevin Ware committed, although no one seems to know the details of that wacky recruitment.

The problem with bringing in eight players as talented as these eight are is that they make up more than 60% of the 13 scholarships college basketball programs are permitted to use. How did Jones solve this problem? By running off sophomore Dave Diakite, freshman Jarvis Davis, and junior Isaac Sosa.

Arizona finds themselves in a similarly difficult position.

Sean Miller has, for the third straight season, brought a terrific recruiting class to Tucson. Its headlined by five-star point guard Josiah Turner, but Nick Johnson, Angelo Chol, and Sidiki Johnson are all four star recruits that should be able to impact the program immediately. Arizona, who had a scholarship docked for Lute Olson's Cactus Classic shenanigans, had 12 players on scholarship this season and have four recruits coming in this summer. Jamelle Horne graduates and Derrick Williams is headed to the NBA, but that still put Sean Miller's program at 14 players.

In other words, Miller has to trim two kids he had promised a scholarship too. Daniel Bejarano was the first to go, a 6'4" shooting guard that was a top 50 recruit nationally. Next? Who knows. The Arizona Daily Star speculates that junior center Alex Jacobsen, who graduates at the end of the semester and can transfer for grad school without having to sit out a season, and sophomore center Kryrl Natyazhko, who has opportunities to play professionally overseas, could be next on the chopping block.

This is not a new phenomenon. John Calipari made headlines when he took the Kentucky job for essentially forcing the transfer of seven players left over from the Billy Gillispie era. Steve Alford looked bad when Will Brown pleaded -- via a hand-written note sent to the papers -- to stay at New Mexico. Mike Anderson gave two players the boot to make room for some JuCo transfers last season. Buzz Williams trimmed DJ Newbill's scholarship when he had the chance to bring in a former top 50 transfer last summer.

At face value, this seems like a sleazy practice.

Me?

I don't necessarily think its bad. Essentially, Dave Diakite, Jarvis Davis, Isaac Sosa, and Daniel Bejarano have been cut.

It happens at every level of every sport. Once you get passed playing CYO ball and being coached by your parents, once you get past your hometown rec leagues, sports get competitive. If you aren't good enough, you won't make the team. If you don't fit the mold for what a coach is looking for, you won't make the team. I feel for the kids that have their dreams destroyed, I do. I've been in their shoes. Its quite unpleasant.

But they still have options. All four of the players listed above have enough eligibility left that they can transfer to another school and finish out their playing career at a level that is better suited to their ability. Or, if they don't want to leave the friends they've made at their current school, they can walk-on to the team and pay their own way for college in an effort to earn a scholarship for the following season.

It sucks. But so does getting cut from your high school team, getting laid off from your job, or seeing that hot shot young assistant get the promotion you've had your eye on for the last four years.

College basketball is a cutthroat business. The immediacy of a fan-base's need to win and the "what-have-you-done-for-me-lately" mindset of most sports fans puts a ton of pressure on head coaches. If they don't win and win now, they will end up out of a job, forcing their coaching staff to also have to find new work. As a result, these coaches are forced to do things that leave us squirming, that morally leaves a bad taste in our mouths.

But hey, that is the price of winning. That's what we as fans demand, right? We've made our bed, now we have to sleep in it.
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Derrick Williams played with a broken pinky

Derrick Williams had a sensational season.

The guy that couldn't crack anyone's top 100 recruiting lists averaged 19.5 ppg and 8.3 rpg while shooting 56.8% from three point land as a power forward. He had a number of absolutely dominating performances down the stretch of the season, including the 26 points, 11 boards, and game-winning block he had against Washington and the 32 points and 13 boards he put Duke in Arizona's blowout Sweet 16 win.

Most impressive?


He did all of that despite having his right hand -- his shooting hand -- strongly resemble a club for the last two months of the season. What had been reported was that Williams sprained his pinky, which is why he wore such a heavy wrap on his hand.

It turns out that Williams did a bit more that just "sprain" his pinky. He broke his finger. How close did he come to having his season ended?

"If I cracked it a half inch lower, I would have had to have surgery," Williams told reporters on Wednesday. "If I had to sit out, I would sit out, but I wasn't going to sit out if there was no reason. I just wanted to continue to play with my teammates for as long as I could."

"I told Coach I was going to play no matter what. I wasn't going to sit out. Obviously, there was a risk to that if I broke it again or made it worse. But I just wanted to go out there with my teammates and win as many games as possible."

Now not only has Williams shown a tremendous amount of improvement over the last two seasons, he dominated the second half of this season playing with just three fingers on his shooting hand. And he still managed to throw down poster dunk after poster dunk and knock down 42-74 threes on the year.

That has to be something that makes the NBA front office types salivate even more.


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Elite 8 Preview: No. 3 UConn vs. No. 5 Arizona

When: 7:00 pm EST, CBS

The Details: Neither Arizona or UConn is supposed to be in the Elite 8. The Wildcats were the Pac-10 champs, but the consensus was that was more of a knock on the Pac-10 than it was praise for the Wildcats. In just Sean Miller's second season at the helm in Tucson, Arizona has climbed right back into the mix as the best team on the West Coast, shocking considering how young this team is and how raw they are outside of Derrick Williams.


For UConn, this is the culmination of a fairly incredible run. The Huskies weren't supposed to be a game away from the Final Four this season, not after Stanley Robinson, Jerome Dyson, and Gavin Edwards all graduated. Not with a lineup full of freshmen and sophomores, a coach that can barely make it an entire season healthy, and an NCAA investigation looming. This was supposed to be UConn's rebuilding year. Its nice to be able to make the Elite 8 when you are rebuilding, isn't it?


Key Matchups: Derrick Williams vs. Roscoe Smith, Momo Jones/Jordin Mayes vs. Kemba Walker

Look, let's just get this out there -- UConn is not going to be able to stop Derrick Williams and Arizona is not going to be able to stop Kemba Walker. No one has really been able to stop either player this season, but the key is to slow them down.

Derrick Williams may very well have played his way into the No. 1 overall pick with his performance against Duke on Thursday. It was unreal. He's strong enough to dominate on the block, he's got the perimeter skills and the explosiveness to do this, and he is apparently now hitting contested threes from Jimmer range. I have a feeling that UConn will put Roscoe Smith on him. Alex Oriakhi would get torced by Williams on the perimeter. Smith is more mobile and a better perimeter defender, but Williams will be able to dominate Smith in the paint. Doubling a post touch is easier, however, than help side rotations when a perimeter defender gets beaten off the dribble.


Kemba Walker is a nightmare to try and stay in front of on the perimeter, and when he is knocking down his jumpers from the top of the key, he is damn near impossible to stop. The key to slowing him down is to make it a team effort. A lot of teams have switched to a zone defense to defend UConn, while others have played a sloughing man-to-man or some other junk defense. The key to beating Kemba is to force him into tough shots in the mid-range. He's really learned to avoid taking the ball all the way to the rim unless he is going to have a good look when he gets there. Unfortunately, at times, that has resulted in more tough pull-ups. And that is the key for Momo Jones and Jordin Mayes.

But, like I said earlier, you aren't going to shut down Williams or Walker. In the immortal words of Dan Patrick, "you can't stop them, you can only hope to contain them."


Key Stats: Transition possessions

I live and breathe the data on Kenpom's website, but sometimes it doesn't tell you the whole story. Like, for example, the pace that UConn and Arizona play at. The Wildcats average about a half of a possession more that the Huskies do, which would lead one to believe that, in general, these two teams like to play at just about the same pace. That would be incorrect.

Looking at the chart that Luke Winn posted on his Sweet 16 power rankings (scroll down to the BYU section), you can see that the Huskies get out in transition on 17.4% of their possessions, while Arizona runs on just 10.8% of their possessions. Watching the games backs it up. What UConn likes to do is attack quickly to see if they can get anything easy before the defense is set. But if they don't get anything easy, they pull the ball back out and run clock, looking to isolate Kemba Walker or Shabazz Napier in a high ball screen.

If they can limit the number of easy baskets UConn gets, Arizona has a very good shot at winning this thing.


X-factors: Jeremy Lamb, Momo Jones

Playing against two potential first round NBA Draft picks last night, would you believe me if I told you that Momo Jones actually was the best point guard on the floor last night? He finished with 16 points, six assists, and no turnovers, helping to hold Nolan Smith to 3-14 shooting and six turnovers. Jones, however, is incredibly inconsistent. He went scoreless in the win over Texas as Jordin Mayes had 16 points, but in the opening round Jones had 18 points in a two points win over Memphis. Which Momo shows up against UConn?

Jeremy Lamb has slowly but surely developed into a very valuable secondary option for the Huskies. After last night's 26 point performance -- which included a three to give UConn a 68-64 lead with 30 seconds left and a subsequent steal and dunk to seal the game -- Lamb can probably no longer be considered under the radar. What ever he is, his ability to knock down open threes and create his own shot by slashing to the basket is huge for the Huskies.


And the winner is?: UConn Huskies

I can see this game turning into a shootout between the two all-americans. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if both ended up with 30 or more points. That said, I think that UConn's supporting cast has been much more consistent late in the season. Its not just Jeremy Lamb. Shabazz Napier has gone from a turnover prove gunner to a freshman with the stones to take, and make, some tough, clutch jumpers. Alex Oriakhi is a horse in the paint that Arizona won't have an answer to.

As good as Jones and company were last night, I think the non-Kemba's outplay the non-Derrick's.
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Much more at play in Duke's loss than just the Kyrie Irving effect

After watching Arziona's second half destruction of the Duke Blue Devils, one of the prevailing themes on my twitter feed was that Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski made a tactical error by bring back Kyrie Irving for the NCAA Tournament.

That Kyrie Irving's presence on the court was the reason that the Blue Devils were run out of the gym by Arizona tonight.

Now, for the sake of this post and due to the fact that you will be reading it over and over at the other websites you use for college basketball and NCAA Tournament material, I'm going to limit what I say in regards to what Arizona did tonight. The Arizona team that played in the second half of this game would have beaten Duke in early December, back when Kyrie Irving was healthy. I truly believe that. Good teams that play great beat great teams that play good. (And yes, I'm aware that is terrible english. Blame the saying, don't blame me.)

We're talking Duke here.


And frankly, Duke has been heading in the wrong direction for about the past month.

In his first 27 games, Nolan Smith averaged 21.7 ppg. He shot 48% from the floor and 38% from three. His assist-to-turnover ratio was 1.77. Over the past 10 games, Smith has averaged 17.9 ppg while shooting 38% from the floor, 27% from three, and notching 4.5 apg to 3.7 t/o's. Three of his four single digit scoring games this season came in the past two weeks.

Smith was sliding before Kyrie Irving came back.

The same with Kyle Singler. He was 2-3 from three today. It was the first time he had made multiple threes in a game since February 13th, and the first time he shot better than 50% from deep in a single game since December. Over the last seven games, Singler is averaging 14.7 ppg while shooting 17.9% from three and committing four fouls in five of those seven games.

Mike Krzyzewski didn't have a choice.

His team was trending the wrong direction. It was a risk bringing Irving back, and while it looks like a dumb play the way things turned out, it was a risk Coach K had to take.

And for what its worth, while Smith struggled tonight -- he was 3-14 from the floor with just eight points and six turnovers -- he also carried Duke in the second half against Michigan, when he scored 17 of his 24 points.

There was more to this loss than just Smith's performance, like the fact that Derrick Williams was single-handedly able to keep Arizona in the game in the first half. Or the Wildcat's 25-9 rebounding advantage in the second half. Or the 54% that Arizona shot from the floor and the 60% the shot from three. Or the fact that Momo Jones -- yes, Momo Jones -- was the best point guard on the floor tonight.

Duke lost because they couldn't handle the punch when Arizona landed a couple haymakers in the second half. They lost because they folded when the Wildcats built a lead.

And while Irving's inclusion may played a part in Smith's horrid night, it was just one of many factors that caused the upset.

Give Arizona the credit they are due.

Duke didn't lose tonight.

Arizona won.
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POSTERIZED: Derrick Williams did the damn thing

I saw it, you saw it, we all saw it.

Duke was manhandled by Arizona in a way we haven't seen in a very long time. Arizona out-muscled them, they out-hustled them down the floor, they out-shot them, they essentially out-everything'd them.

Including out-dunking them.

Not only has Derrick Williams become one of the best players in the country, he's become one of the top dunkers as well. On the flip-side, Duke is amongst the most-posterized teams in the country.

So naturally, when these two meet, posters were bound to get, well, posted.
And they did.





But Williams wasn't the only Wildcat to get in on the posterization party. Jemelle Horne picked the perfect game to create his own personal Duke fathead.



Seriously. This may have been the most ruthless display of posterization we've seen all season.

Think about it.

It's enough just to handle Duke in the manner which they did. It's even more of an accomplishment to do it in the Sweet Sixteen, on a neutral court. But to embarrass the Blue Devils with an above-the-rim arsenal? That's just on a whole different level.

There was no greater way for the Wildcats to advance to the Elite Eight than with three posterizations.

Here's to hoping they can get four against UConn.

NOTE: Remember, the nominees for the B.I.A.H. POSTERIZED Awards will be named next week, so keep your eyes open. There will be eight different categories for you to vote in, including: Best Dunk, Best Dunker, Best Poster-dunk, Best Alley-Oop, Best Tip-dunk, and many more.

But was it as good as one of these?:
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Derrick Williams preserves Arizona's win with a controversial block

Jim Burr was the official in charge during the disaster that was the ending of the St. John's-Rutgers game in the Big East Tournament.

Its only fitting that in his first game officiating in the NCAA Tournament he would be embroiled in controversy.

With 7.0 seconds left, Momo Jones hit two free throws to put Arizona up 77-74. Sean Miller's philosophy has always been to foul when up three points, and he didn't stray, putting Joe Jackson on the line for two shots with 4.6 seconds left. After hitting the first, Jackson missed the second. The rebound bounced around before ending up in Wesley Witherspoon's hands. But Derrick Williams came out of nowhere and tossed Witherspoon's game-winning layup attempt.

Game over. Arizona won 77-75.



The problem?

It looked like Witherspoon had gotten fouled, and more than once. On the rebound, Jamelle Horne pushed Witherspoon and knocked him off-balance. And when you take a look at the slow-motion replay, it looks as if Derrick Williams makes solid contact with Witherspoon's elbow before he blocks the shot.

"At one point, he was wide open," Williams said. "I knew he wasn't going to shot fake it because there wasn't enough time on the clock, so I just went up trying to make a hard play on the ball like coach always tells us to do.

"Good thing it wasn't a foul."

If you want to complain about the Horne push not being called, I'm fine with that. It knocked Witherspoon off-balance and he couldn't get any vertical explosiveness on the shot.

But don't complain about the foul on Williams' block. Its very, very close, even when using the replay. And when a slow-motion, HD replay is needed to determine that the foul is close, then its difficult to expect a referee to be able to make that call live.

If that foul is called, you're telling me there wouldn't be just as much outrage the other way? You're telling me that Arizona fans wouldn't be claiming that Burr assumed a foul or expected contact?

Either way, a close call that decides a game is going to upset someone. For my money, if you need to see the HD, slow-motion replay to determine that a foul "probably" should have been called, there really isn't a valid complaint about a no-call.

This isn't the first time that we have had a game-saving block shrouded in controversy. Yesterday, it was Kenneth Faried's block on a Mike Marra three point attempt as Morehead State hung on to upset Louisville. Back in February, Williams blocked a shot by Darnell Gant in a win over Washington that many believed was a goaltend.
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