In basketball, there is comfort in consistency. On any given night, you can pencil in Lauri Markkanen for at least 10 points.
There's not much comfort in the ongoing Allonzo Trier situation, even if the consistency has been like clockwork. The words come from a UA spokesman before every media availability. It's always some version of the following:
"We can't comment on Allonzo Trier's status."
"We still can't comment on Allonzo Trier's status."
"There will be no comment on Allonzo Trier's status."
The closest thing to a comment came earlier this week, when coach Sean Miller addressed Trier's enthusiasm on the bench amidst a tough time for the sophomore guard, who passed on an early entry into the NBA for this?
It's been a strange saga from the beginning. It could soon be ending.
The going theory — because that's all it really is at this point, speculation and conjecture and hypotheses and fodder for message boards — is that Trier may have been suspended for half the Wildcats' regular-season games.
Arizona's 66-56 win against Utah on Thursday was the halfway mark — 16 of 31 regular season games, plus Pac-12 Tournament game, which is usually counted as one game.
The second half of the season would start, in theory, Saturday against Colorado.
A Trier return — Saturday or any day, for that matter — would give Arizona something it hasn't had all season: depth.
Before the season, the biggest question mark related to Miller's embarrassment of riches — Trier returned, so did Kadeem Allen, Parker Jackson-Cartwright, Dusan Ristic and Chance Comanche. Ray Smith was to make his Arizona debut after a lost freshman campaign, and the Wildcats were adding a stellar freshman class led by the latest likely one-and-done, Markkanen, along with five-star prospects Kobi Simmons and Rawle Alkins and a junior college transfer Keanu Pinder.
It was a good problem to have. It didn't last.
Smith retired after another ACL tear, and Trier's season has consisted mostly of bench-warming jubilation and cryptic social media posts.
Arizona's wings — Allen, Alkins and Simmons — have picked up the slack. Alkins and Simmons average a combined 19.1 shots per game, and are each averaging more than 30 minutes per game.
After some rough patches — including Thursday night's win, where the two freshmen combined to shoot 5 of 17 with five turnovers — the two have established themselves as consistent performers.
Before Thursday, Alkins was second on the team in both points (12.7) and rebounds per game (5.7), while Simmons was third in scoring (12.5) and had only scored less than 10 points three times.
"We have a lot of new faces in big roles," Miller said. "When you get in conference play it's not just going to be easy."
It would help to have Trier.
"In 48 hours (from Thursday), four of our 18 (conference) games are over with," Miller said. "We have to be ready now. Conference play is different, especially if you're a freshman."
During Thursday's shootaround, Trier — donning sweatpants and a t-shirt bearing his No. 35 on the back — smiled and laughed with Markkanen.
It's a tantalizing pairing that nobody's seen outside of Arizona practice.
Wouldn't that be something to see in a game?
It might happen on Saturday.
If not, there will be no you know.
