NCAA Tournament scouting report: No. 2 seed Arizona Wildcats vs. No. 7 seed Saint Mary's Gaels
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Prepare for Arizona's NCAA Tournament second-round game against Saint Mary's on Saturday with Bruce Pascoe's in-depth scouting report.Β
- Bruce Pascoe Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
Matchup:Β No. 2 seed Arizona (31-4) vs. No. 7 seed Saint Mary's (29-4)Β
Game:Β NCAA Tournament, second roundΒ
Location:Β Vivint Smart Home Arena, Salt Lake CityΒ
Time:Β ApproximatelyΒ 4:45 p.m.Β
TV:Β CBSΒ
Radio:Β 1290-AM, 107.5-FMΒ
- Bruce Pascoe Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
G Kadeem Allen (6-3 senior)
G Rawle Alkins (6-5 freshman)
F Allonzo Trier (6-5 sophomore)
F Lauri Markkanen (7-0 freshman)
C Dusan Ristic (7-0 junior)Β
- Bruce Pascoe Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
G Emmett Naar (6-1 junior)
G Joe Rahon (6-2 senior)
F Calvin Hermanson (6-6 junior)
F Evan Fitzner (6-10 sophomore)
C Jock Landale (6-11 junior)Β
- Bruce Pascoe Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
Saint Maryβs won every game in the West Coast Conference regular season and tournament except the ones it played against Gonzaga, finishing second and earning the No. 7 West Region seed. The Gales then beat 10th-seeded VCU 85-77 on Thursday, when five players scored in double figures and Landale had 18 points and 13 rebounds. Arizona beat Colorado, UCLA and Oregon to win the Pac-12 Tournament last week, earning a No. 2 seed in the West, then put away North Dakota 100-82 in the first round Thursday.Β
- Bruce Pascoe Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
Arizona and Saint Maryβs havenβt played since 2005-06, a 73-61 Arizona win at McKale Center, but the two matched up for closed preseason scrimmages in 2013-14, 2014-15 and 2015-16. Arizona is 4-2 alltime against Saint Maryβs, and hasnβt lost to the Gaels since 1951-52.Β
- Bruce Pascoe Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
Arizona is 3-1 among teams both have played while Saint Maryβs is 3-3.
β’ Gonzaga: Arizona lost 69-62 on Dec. 3 at Los Angeles. Saint Maryβs lost 79-56 on Jan. 14 at Spokane, lost 74-64 on Feb. 11 at Moraga, Calif., and lost 74-56 in the WCC Tournament at Las Vegas on March 7.
β’Β Santa Clara: Arizona won 69-61 on Nov. 24 at Las Vegas, Saint Maryβs won 72-59 on Jan. 28 at Santa Clara, Calif., won 70-56 on Feb. 25 at Moraga, Calif.
β’Β Stanford: Arizona won 91-51 on Jan. 1 at Stanford, won 74-67 on Feb. 8 at McKale Center. Saint Maryβs won 66-51 on Nov. 30 at Stanford.
β’Β UC Irvine: Arizona won 79-57 on Dec. 6 at McKale Center. Saint Maryβs won 84-53 on Dec. 11 at Moraga, Calif.Β
- Bruce Pascoe Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
Operating somewhat below the radar in the WCC thanks to Gonzagaβs massive shadow, the Gaels quietly put together their best regular-season mark in school history β losing only to the Zags (albeit three times) and Texas-Arlington β by patiently and efficiently playing in a tempo that is faster than only Virginia out of 351 Division I teams. They average 20.6 seconds per offensive possession, and shoot the second-highest adjusted shooting percentage (incorporating 3-pointers) of 58 percent while outrebounding opponents by an average margin of 9.3. Their 3-point shooting is the 12th highest in the nation at 39.8 percent and they keep opponents to an average of just 29.9 percent from 3-point range while using mostly man-to-man defense. Because of their slow tempo, Saint Maryβs has only two players scoring in double figures but four players are shooting at least 40 percent from 3-point range.Β
- Bruce Pascoe Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
The big Aussie nearly averages a double-double which is particularly impressive if you adjust for the Gaelsβ slow pace. Heβs an effective shooter who converts 61 percent of his field goals and is a career 74-percent free-throw shooter.Β
- Bruce Pascoe Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
Arizonaβs Serbian 7-footer had his way against North Dakotaβs undersized post players on Thursday but itβs another story on Saturday. While Ristic has improved defensively as a junior, he'll face a unique test in handling Landale.Β
- Bruce Pascoe Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
βLandale would be one of the top centers in our league. Heβs an exceptional low-post scorer. Heβs a tremendous offensive rebounder. They play two point guards, (Emmett) Naar and (Joe) Rahon, whose stats are almost identical. They make their team go and they take care of the ball. They come off screens and find their guys. (Calvin) Hermanson is a left-handed guy who can really play. These guys can play in any league. We havenβt played a team this year that is as patient offensively, that has the ability to score at the end of the shot clock like this team. Defensively, theyβre a man-oriented team. They play tough, hard-nosed defense and thatβs what coach Bennett is known for. They donβt make mistakes.β β UA associate head coach Joe Pasternack, who scouted the Gaels.Β
- Bruce Pascoe Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
Saint Maryβs coach Randy Bennett has seven Australians on his roster this season, and he better not recruit any more than needed to replace those who leave.
Because thereβs eight Americans on the team this season.
βItβs important that we hold down the majority in the locker room,β said Calvin Hermanson, a forward from Oregon. βWe keep them in their place.β
Hermanson was joking, of course, as was Joe Rahon, an alum of San Diegoβs Torrey Pines High School. Rahon said the two sides have actually been able to learn from each other off the court while working together on it.
βThere are no Australians in my hometown,β Rahon said. βItβs cool β¦ you get to meet all of them. Theyβre from different parts of Australia but they all talk the same and laugh at the same jokes. The kind of dive into their culture a little bit and (we) learn about the second-best country in the world, I guess.β
Apparently, though, Saint Maryβs coach Randy Bennett may not be on the inside of this cultural exchange even as heβs become known for a productive Aussie pipeline that has produced NBA players Matthew Dellavedova and Patty Mills.
βHe tries to act like heβs got the Australian culture down,β Saint Maryβs center Jock Landale said. βBut I donβt think he does whatsoever.βΒ
- Bruce Pascoe Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
A native of Perth, Australia, UA forward Keanu Pinder has played with nearly every one of the Gael Aussies in one form or another β even though heβs from Western Australia and they tend to hail from Sydney, Melbourne or Tazmania.
But while Saint Maryβs guard Emmett Naar said the Gaelsβ history of success with Australian players made them his No. 1 choice, Pinder didnβt feel the same sort of emotion.
βI never wanted to go somewhere where all the Australians were,β Pinder said. "I wanted to go somewhere different.β
Pinder instead went from Perth to Kansas, where he spent two seasons at Hutchinson Community College, and then on to Arizona as a junior this season.Β
- Bruce Pascoe Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
Bennett has Arizona roots that go back to Westwood High School in Mesa and Mesa Community College, where he helped the Thunderbirds go 31-4 and receive the No. 10 national ranking back in 1980-81.
In those days, young basketball playersβ attention didnβt automatically head south.
βI was around for (Fred) Snowdenβs days, and they were actually pretty good then,β Bennett said of UA. βAnd then they declined and then Lute (Olson) came inβ¦ As a young coach, you start studying those: How did they get good? How did Arizona happen?
βBecause when I was in high school, Arizona State was ahead of Arizona. And then it changed, and it never really changed back.βΒ
- Bruce Pascoe Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
Gonzaga coach Mark Few knows both Saint Maryβs and Arizona well, facing the Gaels annually in the WCC and the Wildcats nearly every season in nonconference play.
So, when asked what he might tell coaching friend Sean Miller about the Gaels, Few didnβt say much, especially since UA and Saint Maryβs have played three exhibitions in the past four years.
Just this:
βTheyβre playing a team with a Ph.D in ball-screen execution,β Few said. βSo itβs ball-screen coverage and theyβre going to have to deal with (Jock) Landale. Heβs a heck of a low-post player.βΒ
- Bruce Pascoe Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
10: Straight seasons Saint Maryβs has participated in either the NIT or NCAA Tournament, having reached five of each.Β
- Bruce Pascoe Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
40:Β Arizona NCAA Tournament games played between 100-point scoring efforts against Eastern Illinois in 2001 and North Dakota in 2017.Β
- Bruce Pascoe Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
89.7:Β Saint Maryβs regular-season win percentage, the highest in school history.
Matchup:Β No. 2 seed Arizona (31-4) vs. No. 7 seed Saint Mary's (29-4)Β
Game:Β NCAA Tournament, second roundΒ
Location:Β Vivint Smart Home Arena, Salt Lake CityΒ
Time:Β ApproximatelyΒ 4:45 p.m.Β
TV:Β CBSΒ
Radio:Β 1290-AM, 107.5-FMΒ
G Kadeem Allen (6-3 senior)
G Rawle Alkins (6-5 freshman)
F Allonzo Trier (6-5 sophomore)
F Lauri Markkanen (7-0 freshman)
C Dusan Ristic (7-0 junior)Β
G Emmett Naar (6-1 junior)
G Joe Rahon (6-2 senior)
F Calvin Hermanson (6-6 junior)
F Evan Fitzner (6-10 sophomore)
C Jock Landale (6-11 junior)Β
Saint Maryβs won every game in the West Coast Conference regular season and tournament except the ones it played against Gonzaga, finishing second and earning the No. 7 West Region seed. The Gales then beat 10th-seeded VCU 85-77 on Thursday, when five players scored in double figures and Landale had 18 points and 13 rebounds. Arizona beat Colorado, UCLA and Oregon to win the Pac-12 Tournament last week, earning a No. 2 seed in the West, then put away North Dakota 100-82 in the first round Thursday.Β
Arizona and Saint Maryβs havenβt played since 2005-06, a 73-61 Arizona win at McKale Center, but the two matched up for closed preseason scrimmages in 2013-14, 2014-15 and 2015-16. Arizona is 4-2 alltime against Saint Maryβs, and hasnβt lost to the Gaels since 1951-52.Β
Arizona is 3-1 among teams both have played while Saint Maryβs is 3-3.
β’ Gonzaga: Arizona lost 69-62 on Dec. 3 at Los Angeles. Saint Maryβs lost 79-56 on Jan. 14 at Spokane, lost 74-64 on Feb. 11 at Moraga, Calif., and lost 74-56 in the WCC Tournament at Las Vegas on March 7.
β’Β Santa Clara: Arizona won 69-61 on Nov. 24 at Las Vegas, Saint Maryβs won 72-59 on Jan. 28 at Santa Clara, Calif., won 70-56 on Feb. 25 at Moraga, Calif.
β’Β Stanford: Arizona won 91-51 on Jan. 1 at Stanford, won 74-67 on Feb. 8 at McKale Center. Saint Maryβs won 66-51 on Nov. 30 at Stanford.
β’Β UC Irvine: Arizona won 79-57 on Dec. 6 at McKale Center. Saint Maryβs won 84-53 on Dec. 11 at Moraga, Calif.Β
Operating somewhat below the radar in the WCC thanks to Gonzagaβs massive shadow, the Gaels quietly put together their best regular-season mark in school history β losing only to the Zags (albeit three times) and Texas-Arlington β by patiently and efficiently playing in a tempo that is faster than only Virginia out of 351 Division I teams. They average 20.6 seconds per offensive possession, and shoot the second-highest adjusted shooting percentage (incorporating 3-pointers) of 58 percent while outrebounding opponents by an average margin of 9.3. Their 3-point shooting is the 12th highest in the nation at 39.8 percent and they keep opponents to an average of just 29.9 percent from 3-point range while using mostly man-to-man defense. Because of their slow tempo, Saint Maryβs has only two players scoring in double figures but four players are shooting at least 40 percent from 3-point range.Β
The big Aussie nearly averages a double-double which is particularly impressive if you adjust for the Gaelsβ slow pace. Heβs an effective shooter who converts 61 percent of his field goals and is a career 74-percent free-throw shooter.Β
Arizonaβs Serbian 7-footer had his way against North Dakotaβs undersized post players on Thursday but itβs another story on Saturday. While Ristic has improved defensively as a junior, he'll face a unique test in handling Landale.Β
βLandale would be one of the top centers in our league. Heβs an exceptional low-post scorer. Heβs a tremendous offensive rebounder. They play two point guards, (Emmett) Naar and (Joe) Rahon, whose stats are almost identical. They make their team go and they take care of the ball. They come off screens and find their guys. (Calvin) Hermanson is a left-handed guy who can really play. These guys can play in any league. We havenβt played a team this year that is as patient offensively, that has the ability to score at the end of the shot clock like this team. Defensively, theyβre a man-oriented team. They play tough, hard-nosed defense and thatβs what coach Bennett is known for. They donβt make mistakes.β β UA associate head coach Joe Pasternack, who scouted the Gaels.Β
Saint Maryβs coach Randy Bennett has seven Australians on his roster this season, and he better not recruit any more than needed to replace those who leave.
Because thereβs eight Americans on the team this season.
βItβs important that we hold down the majority in the locker room,β said Calvin Hermanson, a forward from Oregon. βWe keep them in their place.β
Hermanson was joking, of course, as was Joe Rahon, an alum of San Diegoβs Torrey Pines High School. Rahon said the two sides have actually been able to learn from each other off the court while working together on it.
βThere are no Australians in my hometown,β Rahon said. βItβs cool β¦ you get to meet all of them. Theyβre from different parts of Australia but they all talk the same and laugh at the same jokes. The kind of dive into their culture a little bit and (we) learn about the second-best country in the world, I guess.β
Apparently, though, Saint Maryβs coach Randy Bennett may not be on the inside of this cultural exchange even as heβs become known for a productive Aussie pipeline that has produced NBA players Matthew Dellavedova and Patty Mills.
βHe tries to act like heβs got the Australian culture down,β Saint Maryβs center Jock Landale said. βBut I donβt think he does whatsoever.βΒ
A native of Perth, Australia, UA forward Keanu Pinder has played with nearly every one of the Gael Aussies in one form or another β even though heβs from Western Australia and they tend to hail from Sydney, Melbourne or Tazmania.
But while Saint Maryβs guard Emmett Naar said the Gaelsβ history of success with Australian players made them his No. 1 choice, Pinder didnβt feel the same sort of emotion.
βI never wanted to go somewhere where all the Australians were,β Pinder said. "I wanted to go somewhere different.β
Pinder instead went from Perth to Kansas, where he spent two seasons at Hutchinson Community College, and then on to Arizona as a junior this season.Β
Bennett has Arizona roots that go back to Westwood High School in Mesa and Mesa Community College, where he helped the Thunderbirds go 31-4 and receive the No. 10 national ranking back in 1980-81.
In those days, young basketball playersβ attention didnβt automatically head south.
βI was around for (Fred) Snowdenβs days, and they were actually pretty good then,β Bennett said of UA. βAnd then they declined and then Lute (Olson) came inβ¦ As a young coach, you start studying those: How did they get good? How did Arizona happen?
βBecause when I was in high school, Arizona State was ahead of Arizona. And then it changed, and it never really changed back.βΒ
Gonzaga coach Mark Few knows both Saint Maryβs and Arizona well, facing the Gaels annually in the WCC and the Wildcats nearly every season in nonconference play.
So, when asked what he might tell coaching friend Sean Miller about the Gaels, Few didnβt say much, especially since UA and Saint Maryβs have played three exhibitions in the past four years.
Just this:
βTheyβre playing a team with a Ph.D in ball-screen execution,β Few said. βSo itβs ball-screen coverage and theyβre going to have to deal with (Jock) Landale. Heβs a heck of a low-post player.βΒ
10: Straight seasons Saint Maryβs has participated in either the NIT or NCAA Tournament, having reached five of each.Β
40:Β Arizona NCAA Tournament games played between 100-point scoring efforts against Eastern Illinois in 2001 and North Dakota in 2017.Β
89.7:Β Saint Maryβs regular-season win percentage, the highest in school history.
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