Arizona Wildcats guard Gabe York is testing his sprained ankle in practice today with the possibility of playing Saturday against Utah.
During a brief interview today before practice at the Richard Jefferson Gym, UA coach Sean Miller was optimistic York would be available.
βWeβll have a better feel for how he can move and weβll go on that after todayβs practice,β Miller said. βHeβs making a lot of progress and I would be hope he can contribute in some way but I donβt know for sure right now.β
Miller said Utah was the favorite Saturday but Las Vegas oddsmakers donβt agree. UA opened as a six-point favorite, though Vegas Insider has them as a 4 1/2-point favorite.
When told that, Miller smiled. Then he spoke highly of Utah again.
βHonestly Iβm not playing games when I say it,β Miller said. βI really watch Utahβs team with great admiration. They have two players β Jakob Poeltl and Delon Wright β who are just terrific players and I think theyβll have long careers beyond Utah and you can feel it when those guys play. They impact the game on both ends they are two really dynamic players β one a mobile seven-footer who βs a great rebounder and itβs amazing to me how intelligent he is as a freshman and itβs one of the things thatβs helped Utah go from very good to great.
βAnd Delon Wright has added to what he did a year ago. Heβs done it in assists, rebounds, defense, and obviously scoring. They have those two guys and they have a lot of parts that go with those two guys, experienced veterans in some cases and obviously you love the way they play defense and also you really appreciate the way they play offense -- they move the ball. They seem to be a very together team especially right now, a very in-sync team so when you play a team like that you know you have to be at your best.β
Will the Wildcats be at their best? A game against a team like Utah has the potential to bring them together although Miller said he would like them to have a consistent approach.
"I hope so," Miller said about a potentially strong UA effort. "Obviously, we we want our guys to be the same in every game. That's when you know you have a really special team. Regardless of the circumstances... you want to be the same, have great effort and togetherness. Sometimes we play better than others, but it should never be driven (by external factors) so with that being said I hope that tomorrow weβre able to play with great effort."
On a Pac-12 Networks preview, Kevin O'Neill is picking UA while Lamar Hurd says he's going with Utah after hearing Miller's concerns about team chemistry.
KO says the Wildcats will win because of an edge in talent, a commitment to defense and because they will be playing at home.
"Utah is going to play a great game and they're gonna lose," O'Neill said.
The Salt Lake Tribune's Kurt Kragthorpe said Saturday's game could be a program-defining moment for Larry Krystkowiak's Utes.
Certainly, Saturday's outcome isn't expected to be the UA blowout that was during the Pac-12 Tournament last season.
Utah stayed in Tempe today and practiced at ASU, finishing up with some halfcourt shot attempts.
And how does Poeltl feel about coming back to UA, where he visited a year ago before choosing the Utes?
According to a tweet from Salt Lake Tribune reporter Kyle Goon, Poeltl said Arizona and McKale Center were great but ... that "I'm looking forward to going back there and kicking their ass."
Wrote Goon: "I don't think you can chalk up his response to his English."
Aaron Gordon may be returning from his foot injury tonight against Memphis. We caught up with the recovering Gordon last weekend in Portland, if you missed it.
