March Madness Preview 2018 by Arizona Daily Wildcat

DAILYWILDCAT.COM MARCH MADNESS PREVIEW 2018

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A DAILY WILDCAT SPECIAL EDITION

CROWDED AT THE TOP South region has Arizona facing a tough path to a Final Four appearance

Inside

B2 • The Daily Wildcat

March Madness Preview 2018 • Wednesday, March 14 - Tuesday, March 20, 2018

Hell n’ Back: Adversity fuels Arizona BY ALEC WHITE @AlecWhite_UA

LAS VEGAS — The famous saying goes that what doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger. The newly minted Pac-12 Tournament Champions can attest to that. Drama, chaos, adversity and everything in between have been thrown in the face of the Arizona men’s basketball team, and each time it appeared the Wildcats were on the edge of falling off the cliff, they came back mightier than ever. It would be folly and a waste of time to rehash the details of each roadblock that stood in the way of Arizona; the journey from August to March has enough chapters to fill a book. But through each test, the ‘Cats persevered. One only has to look as recently as a couple of weeks ago, when Arizona was without head coach Sean Miller due to the ESPN wiretap report and Allonzo Trier who sat idly on the bench, ineligible due to a positive PED test. That was perhaps the biggest hurdle when the entire legacy of Arizona basketball was about to collide with an iceberg. Somehow, Miller and his crew steered through the deadly waters to find safety on shore. In a season where chaos was the norm, perhaps the least chaotic chapter has been Arizona running the table so far in March to capture not only an outright regular season title, but back-to-back conference tournament championships as well. “We stuck together, and you hear it all the time, that adversity can bring out the best in a group, bring a group closer together,” Miller said. “And in some ways that really is the identity of our team. We fought all year, and hopefully we can continue to fight here for a couple more weeks.” The jubilation let out by both players and coaches showed what a relief it is to finally focus on just winning basketball games. “It’s great. All that [drama] is in the past, and we feel like we’re playing our best basketball and we have a lot more to prove,” senior Parker Jackson-Cartwright said. “Nobody is giving us anything, or giving us the credit we deserve.” Since the calendar flipped, Arizona has played like a team that knows it will be judged on how it performs in March. Deandre Ayton has performed at superhuman levels, while the surrounding players have done their part at the right times — not to mention the defense, which has produced its best three-game stretch all season. The coming weeks will be a chance for Arizona to write the final chapter on its rollercoaster season — no outside drama or distractions, just good old basketball. Arizona has found its identity through adversity, and the NCAA Tournament will provide the next set of on-court hurdles to clear. Wherever they are headed off to next, one thing is for certain: The Wildcats aren’t dead yet; they are stronger than ever.

SIMON ASHER | THE DAILY WILDCAT

ARIZONA MEN’S BASKETBALL HEAD coach Sean Miller smiles as he cuts down the net after the Arizona victory over USC Championship game at the 2018 Pac-12 Tournament on Saturday, March 10, in T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

“

We stuck together, and you hear it all the time, that adversity can bring out the best in a group, bring a group closer together.”  SEAN MILLER, ARIZONA MEN’S BASKETBALL HEAD COACH

March Madness Preview 2018 • Wednesday, March 14 - Tuesday, March 20, 2018

The Daily Wildcat • B3

Ayton carries Arizona on his shoulders BY NATE AIRULLA @nateairulla

LAS VEGAS — After winning the regular season Pac-12 Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year, Deandre Ayton won the Pac-12 Tournament MVP Saturday after he averaged 25 points and 13 rebounds and carried Arizona to the tournament championship. “We tried to do everything we could to just contain him, because I don’t think you are going to stop a guy like that,” USC forward Nick Rakocevic said. “He went off tonight.” Go off he did. The 7-foot big man from Nassau, Bahamas posted back-to-back games with 32 points and at least 14 rebounds as Arizona advanced to the final round and won the tournament championship. In both games, Arizona’s star guards had below-average games. Allonzo Trier, who averages 18.4 points per game, scored 9 points in each game, while Rawle Alkins who averages 13.4 points per game shot just over 20 percent.

It didn’t matter. In both games, Ayton carried the team on his strong shoulders. But, in the first game of the tournament against Colorado, Ayton struggled. He shot 4-for-14 from the floor and only scored 10 points and six rebounds — far fewer than his career average of 20.3 points per game and 11.5 rebounds. After the game, Ayton confessed he had butterflies when he saw how big the Vegas arena was. “I thought I was in the NBA for a minute when I walked through the tunnel,” Ayton said. Arizona’s head coach Sean Miller said the fact he will admit he was nervous goes to show how genuine and honest he is. “Not a lot of guys would admit that they are a little bit nervous, but sometimes you forget that they are that young,” Miller said. “Nineteen years old. This is his first Pac-12 Tournament.” When you get around Ayton, you can see how young he is; he laughs and talks about playing video games with his friends like he is still in high school. However, he isn’t in high school anymore.

AYTON, B11

B4 • The Daily Wildcat

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Ristic Rising

The Daily Wildcat • B5

The winningest player in Arizona men’s basketball history has persevered through drama both on and off the court BY SAUL BOOKMAN @Saul_Bookman

In just the second week of the Pac-12 season for the Arizona men’s basketball team, in the midst of a tight battle against Colorado, senior center Dusan Ristic was melting down. After missing multiple scoring attempts from point blank range, Ristic was pulled from the game, walked over to the sideline and as he sat down uttered the words in his homeland Serbian accent, “Fuck me!” The reaction to his own poor play was honest, but his efforts since then have been nothing short of remarkable. Ristic has gone from an afterthought to a key cog for the Wildcats in the span of two months. His choice of words in that brief moment up in Boulder were as real as it gets from a senior who has been under fire the majority of his career, the unfortunate byproduct of being a seven-footer. Ristic is as genuine and raw of a person you could ever meet. What you see is what you get from the former four-star

recruit out of Sunrise Christian Academy in Kansas. What is more impressive about Ristic is his sense of calmness and authenticity despite the firestorm that surrounded him. Nothing has showcased that more than in the two weeks prior to the Pac-12 tournament when the men’s basketball program was seemingly on the brink of disarray, on the verge of not only losing one of their star players in Allonzo Trier due to ineligibility from a banned substance, but also their head coach Sean Miller from an ESPN report alleging his seeking of $100,000 for star player Deandre Ayton in 2017. “It was tough, it was really tough,” said Ristic. “Obviously we lost our coach and we lost Allonzo on the Oregon trip — that was a completely new thing for all of us. We didn’t know how to react, we didn’t know what to do … This team showed great resiliency, even though there was a lot of negative energy around our program. I think we showed how tough we are … we’re just mentally tougher.”

RISTIC RISING, B13

The phone call that brought Ristic’s top sign to Arizona BY ALEC WHITE @AlecWhite_UA

LAS VEGAS — What started as an inside joke has now become the calling card of 7-foot1 center Dusan Ristic. The infamous triangle-shaped “top” sign the Serbian senior makes after a big play has suddenly become a regular appearance for one of the Pac-12’s top lowpost scorers. “It started from nothing, and now it’s like my trademark or something,” Ristic said after posting a 16-point, 11-rebound stat line to propel Arizona to a

83-67 win over Colorado in the quarterfinal game of the Pac-12 Tournament. Four years ago, Ristic was on the phone with his friend from Serbia prior to playing in one of his first nationally televised games on ESPN with the Arizona Wildcats. Ristic recalls talking about a sign from back home they’d make during games. “If you make a big play, if you make a three or if you dunk, just show like a top. That was our sign,” Ristic said. That tradition eventually

RISTIC SIGN, B13

SIMON ASHER | THE DAILY WILDCAT

ARIZONA’S DUSAN RISTIC CELEBRATES after a foul is called on Colorado in the first half of the Colorado-Arizona quarterfinal game at the 2018 Pac-12 Tournament on Thursday, March 8, in T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

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March Madness Preview 2018 • Wednesday, March 14 - Tuesday, March 20, 2018

The Daily Wildcat • B7

RAWLE ALKINS ANALYSIS

BY SAUL BOOKMAN @Saul_Bookman

awle Alkins was struggling as Arizona men’s basketball dragged through its Pac-12 Championship game against USC Saturday in T-Mobile Arena. But in a game that was relatively slow, Alkins provided the biggest of all plays, an iconic dunk in which he reared back and shattered the hopes of the Trojans by slamming both the ball, and defender Elijah Stewart, to the ground.

“

With a highlight-reel slam few from USC saw coming until it was over, Arizona’s high-flyer from Brooklyn all but sealed the Wildcats’ fate as Pac-12 tourney champs It was a momentum changer, a tournament clincher and a legend maker. Once up by just three, Arizona suddenly seemed like it was up 25. Whatever happens to Alkins from this point forward, people will always mention the dunk in the same breath. For USC, the wheels started to come off and in a hurry. Alkins had in effect taken their mojo, and the ensuing nine minutes left in play would see them get outscored 24-15 as the Pac-

... I just thought to myself ‘finish strong.’”  RAWLE ALKINS, UA SOPHOMORE GUARD 12 title slipped through their fingers. Arizona had gone next-level. The result helped Arizona to a 75-61 win and secure its second consecutive Pac-12 Tournament Championship. “Guys are saying that’s the dunk of the year,” Alkins said. “...I like to label myself as ‘sneaky bounce.’ Deandre [Ayton] gave me a great pass and I just thought to myself ‘finish strong.’” Teammate Allonzo Trier had a different view and a very succinct way of putting the dunk. “He smashed it on his ass,” Trier said. Point blank, in the unspoken rules of basketball, getting dunked on is at the top of the list of things you would rather not happen against you. Alkins dunk was so vicious that he had to step over Stewart as he lay on the floor and watched his soul leave his body. Nobody deserves to be dunked on that bad, nobody.

SCREEN CAPTURES COURTESY ARIZONA ATHLETICS & FOX SPORTS/PAC12 NETWORK

The dunk itself set off a series of highlights in the coming minutes, separating the Wildcats from the Trojans. Deandre Ayton would catch an alley-oop from Allonzo Trier and then throw another dunk down shortly after. Each slam inching the Wildcat faithful closer to the court in excitement. The sounds following each were deafening, as the near 95 percent filled arena was occupied by Arizona fans cheering crazily for their team.

Several weeks ago, while Alkins was in the midst of a slump he responded to a question concerning his health. An apparent wonder about whether his ailing foot had taken some of his explosive ability away, particularly towards the rim. “You know what, I remember a few weeks ago you was asking me, ‘Is your legs hurt?’ I remembered that,” Alkins said. “I think it was a momentum changer.” The Houston Cougars in the early 1980’s had a series of high-flyers who were labeled Phi Slamma Jamma. Featuring Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler, this group was a rim rattling team that put on a show every time they set foot on the court. Saturday night was as good a modern replica as there ever has been, compliments of Alkins and Ayton, or maybe we should harken back to another 80’s classic — the “A Team.”

B8 • The Daily Wildcat

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March Madness Preview 2018 • Wednesday, March 14 - Tuesday, March 20, 2018

SOFIA MORAGA | THE DAILY WILDCAT

ARIZONA’S ALLONZO TRIER 35 TRIES to calm down his teammate Deandre Ayton (13) after a foul call during the Arizona-Stanford game on Thursday, March 1, in McKale Center.

Trier and Ayton bond on and off the court BY ALEC WHITE @AlecWhite_UA

Arizona basketball stars Allonzo Trier and Deandre Ayton have apartment rooms situated right next to each other. On any given night, the duo can be found going out to eat together or at home playing video games. In other words, they are always around each other. While the two have mastered video games together, most notably “NBA 2K” and “Fortnite,” Ayton and Trier have also formed a remarkable bond on the court. Trier describes the two’s connection as “the closest on the team.” The friendship between two of Arizona’s top players started long before they were wreaking havoc on opposing defenses. When summer preseason rankings

were being released, Trier and Ayton found their names plastered to every “Best Duos” and “Top College Players” article imaginable. Heck, with a 7-foot1, 260-pound freshman being paired with already one of the best shooting guards in college basketball, it’s easy to see why their names were everywhere before they even stepped on the court together. That kind of attention can be a dangerous title to live up to, but it only fueled them. “That brought even more of a connection,” Ayton said. “We try to really, you know, make that something.” The two complement each other’s games like peanut butter and jelly — Ayton with his dominant moves around the basket and Trier lighting it up from deep. Over the course of the season, the duo have averaged nearly 40 points

per game together. In recent weeks, it’s become more of a Batman and Robin duo with Ayton donning the role of the Dark Knight. Ayton, the Pac-12 Player of the Year, put on a historic performance in the Pac-12 Tournament en route to being named Most Outstanding Player in the tournament. But if it wasn’t for a pep-talk from Trier, the back-to-back 32-point outbursts from the freshman may not have even happened. After only scoring 10 points on a poor shooting performance against Colorado in the quarterfinal matchup, Ayton admitted he was nervous to Trier. Not an easy thing for arguably the best player in college basketball to own up to. The junior guard helped Ayton calm down, and the Bahamian big man owned the rest of the tournament. “It’s a blessing to your team, and it

gives you a lot of help when you have a guy like that,” Trier said. As Arizona heads into March Madness, the duo are as in-sync as ever on the basketball court. A possession after Rawle Alkins slammed home one of the most ferocious dunks all season versus USC in the championship game, Trier threw a lob pass from three feet behind the 3-point line all the way to the rim, where his partner in crime, Ayton, instinctively jumped to get the ball for an alley-oop and let out a ferocious roar. “He’s gonna find you; he’s really smart,” Ayton said of Trier. “We feed off each other’s game.” There might not be a lot of time for playing video games during the rigorous schedule of March Madness, but the connection between Ayton and Trier can help them put up video game-like stats in the coming days.

March Madness Preview 2018 • Wednesday, March 14 - Tuesday, March 20, 2018

The Daily Wildcat • B11

AYTON

FROM PAGE B3

He was quickly thrust into the real world when ESPN published a story at the end of February claiming the FBI had a wiretap of Arizona head coach Miller discussing paying Ayton $100,000 to play for Arizona. Ayton said he called his mom when he heard the news. He, his mother and his lawyer called ESPN’s reports false and said he never received any money. The university ruled Ayton would continue to play, and that same week Miller announced he would continue coaching the team with the university’s support. The City of Tucson united behind its 7-foot freshman, his coach and the program. All was right again. A few weeks later, Ayton was named Pac-12 Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year. Widely considered the No. 1 pick in the upcoming NBA draft, he has a reasonable chance of winning NCAA National Player of the Year. Ayton said he knows without a doubt he is the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft, but he isn’t worried about the rest of it. “I am just trying to win a national championship,” Ayton said after Arizona beat UCLA in the tournament. “Like what coach Miller says, ‘With team success comes individual accolades.’”

SIMON ASHER | THE DAILY WILDCAT

ARIZONA’S DEANDRE AYTON 13 WALKS to the bench after fouling out late in the Colorado-Arizona Quarterfinal game at the 2018 Pac-12 Tournament on Thursday, March 8 in T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Ayton fouled out with 10 points and six rebounds.

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March Madness Preview 2018 • Wednesday, March 14 - Tuesday, March 20, 2018

RISTIC RISING FROM PAGE B5

Career highs in points, rebounds, free throw percentage and minutes per game landed Ristic a second team All-Pac-12 selection for the first time in his career. His play in the conference tournament was just as solid, leading to an AllTournament team selection. The path for Ristic hasn’t been easy. From Serbia to Kansas to Arizona, Ristic’s journey has been unusual. Throw in the language obstacles and a head coach that is as fiery as anyone in the country, and things can change from sunny to gloomy in an instant. But Ristic hasn’t opted for the easy way out like other young players have in search of “better” opportunities elsewhere. He has stuck through the process no matter how bad it seemed. Ristic is unassuming, evidenced by his tall 7-foot-1 figure scrunching into a tiny Jeep Liberty as he drives down 1 National Championship Blvd. in front of McKale Center. There is nothing that stands out about Ristic outside of his height and, perhaps, the one thing that separates him from everyone else on his team: the triangle. Ristic’s signature triangle gesture after key baskets has become endearing to the Arizona faithful. It is a requirement, of sorts, following Ristic plays. The legacy of winning the most games at Arizona is his, but March and April are where legends are made. Ristic will have the opportunity to cement his status as Wildcat folk hero with each game in the NCAA Tournament. This is the beauty of Ristic, a man who has found himself playing the best basketball of his career at just the right time. He has gone through battles both internally and externally and done it under the watchful eye of Miller, a relationship that Ristic credits for making him who he is today. “I thought about it and I was sad; I didn’t know what to expect,” Ristic said in reference to Miller’s game suspendsion. “Coach Miller is somebody who has been my coach the past four years. I’ve been through a lot of positive and negative things with him. I grew as a player off the court and on the court and if he wasn’t on the sidelines today or Saturday that would affect me a lot, because obviously that is a highly emotional thing.” The winningest player in program history, Ristic is looking forward to March, and said he thinks the road this team has taken this season will propel them to greater things down the road. The team’s performance during the Pac-12 tournament would also say as much. In the past five games, the Wildcats have given up just under 64 points a game after averaging over 72 per game in the 29 games prior. That focus on defense, a result of senior leadership from Ristic and longtime teammate Parker JacksonCartwright, it couldn’t have come at a more perfect time.

RISTIC SIGN FROM PAGE B5

made its way to Tucson. Shortly after getting off the phone, Ristic had a chance to unveil his sign. “That game, I hit a three and I showed the top, and that’s how everything started,” Ristic said. Now, Ristic has been able to show the sign on a regular basis. Each game, the center figures more and more into Arizona’s game plan, and Ristic’s efficiency in conference play led him to being named to the All-Pac-12 Second Team. In fact, he scored in double figures in 15 of Arizona’s 18 conference games. His latest impact came in the form of 12 second-half points that were very much needed with fellow seven-footer Deandre Ayton in foul trouble and struggling to find his shooting rhythm. “I’m trying to bring the energy to the court. When somebody doesn’t

play well, I’m trying to help,” Ristic said. Four years after the phone call, the sign is mirrored from players and fans alike whenever Ristic makes an impactful play. It’s the simple act of forming the top that has allowed the international player to bond with the Arizona basketball community in a way few could imagine. The collective Arizona fans yell “DUUUUSSS” every time Ristic scores now, which is something that wasn’t heard in McKale at the beginning of the year. Ristic even revealed a “Dusan Loves Tucson” shirt during senior night last weekend. The next time Ristic raises his hands over his head, it’ll be an inside joke that Arizona fans understand, too.

The Daily Wildcat • B13

B14 • The Daily Wildcat

March Madness Preview 2018 • Wednesday, March 14 - Tuesday, March 20, 2018

LOOKING BACK AT LAS VEGAS

PHOTOS BY SIMON ASHER/ THE DAILY WILDCAT TOP LEFT: Arizona’s Deandre Ayton muscles the ball against USC’s Nick Rakocevic (31) in the Arizona-USC Championship game at the 2018 Pac-12 Tournament on Saturday, March 10, in T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. TOP RIGHT: From left to right: Arizona men’s basketball players Deandre Ayton, Allonzo Trier and Brandon Randolph celebrate the championship victory over USC in the Championship game at the 2018 Pac-12 Tournament on Saturday, March 10, in T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. MIDDLE LEFT: Senior Parker JacksonCartwright holds the 2018 Pac-12 Men’s Basketball trophy after the Arizona victory over USC for the Championship at the 2018 Pac-12 Tournament on Saturday, March 10, in T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. MIDDLE RIGHT: Dusan Ristic cuts down the net in T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas after the Arizona-USC Championship game at the 2018 Pac-12 Tournament on Saturday, March 10. BOTTOM LEFT: UA President Dr. Robert Robbins was in attendance of the ArizonaUCLA semifinal game at the 2018 Pac-12 Tournament on Friday, March 9 in T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. BOTTOM RIGHT: Members of the ZonaZoo made the trip to Las Vegas to support their team in the Colorado-Arizona Quarterfinal game at the 2018 Pac-12 Tournament.

The Daily Wildcat • B15

March Madness Preview 2018 • Wednesday, March 14 - Tuesday, March 20, 2018

Wildcats ready to stop stampede in Idaho BY NATE AIRULLA @nateairulla

Arizona men’s basketball is headed to Boise, Idaho to begin what could be a difficult NCAA Tournament. Most analysts predicted Arizona would be a No. 3 or No. 4 seed in the friendlier West region, but on selection day, the Wildcats ended up in the South region as a No. 4 seed. The good news for Wildcats fans is that Arizona has recently been playing some of its best basketball of the season, and freshman Deandre Ayton is playing like he is not from this Earth. The bad news is Arizona may have a particularly difficult path to the Final Four. The first team Arizona will go against is the University of Buffalo Bulls on Thursday, March 15 on CBS at 6:40 p.m. The Wildcats are a nine-point favorite, according to Las Vegas odds. The Bulls are from the Mid-American Conference and have a record of 26-8, as well as a six-game win streak and the conference championship. According to Kenpom statistics, Buffalo is ranked 114 on offensive efficiency and 103 on defensive efficiency. The team has four players that average over 14 points per game and a talented 6-foot-3 junior guard, CJ Massinburg, who averages 16.9 points and

SIMON ASHER | THE DAILY WILDCAT

ARIZONA SENIORS DUSAN RISTIC (14) and Parker Jackson-Cartwright (0) share final words with head coach Sean Miller late in the Arizona-USC Championship game at the 2018 Pac-12 Tournament on Saturday, March 10, in T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

7.4 rebounds per game. As a team, Buffalo averages 85 points per game, four more than Arizona, but shoots a slightly lower percentage than the Wildcats

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from both the floor and 3-point range. The main difference, however, is height. The tallest player on Buffalo’s roster is 6-foot-11 freshman center Brock Bertram.

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But he only plays five minutes per game and averages 1.3 points. The only other tall players the Bulls have are two 6-foot10 forwards who both average around 10 minutes and just over 3 points per game. The Bulls team is built around its guard play, and without anyone to match up with Ayton and Dusan Ristic, the team will likely struggle to defend against Arizona in the paint. However, the journey only gets harder from there. If the Wildcats can make it out of the first round, there is a good chance Arizona will meet No. 5 Kentucky in the second round. Kentucky struggled early on in the season but has picked up momentum recently, winning seven of its last eight games, plus the SEC tournament championship. Kentucky will match up with Davison in the first round. If Arizona can make it past the second round and advance to the Sweet Sixteen, then it will most likely face Virginia, the overall No. 1 seed, for a chance to make it to the Elite Eight. Virginia has an record of 31-2 and is coming off a eight-game win streak and the ACC conference championship. If Arizona advances to the Elite Eight, it could play teams such as No. 2 Cincinnati, No. 3 Tennessee or No. 6 Miami in order to advance to the Final Four.

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