Greg Hansen: Wildcats waiting on bench; Zona Zoo, 'Narco' hit makes McKale a blast

The truth, the whole truth, half-truths, shades of the truth and other items admissible as UA basketball news:

ITEM 1: Everyone is curious to see how Arizona will be able to replace NBA early-entrees Bennedict Mathurin, Dalen Terry and Christian Koloko, but there’s a more pressing question: How are the Wildcats going to replace last season’s Big 3 bench contributors, Pelle Larsson, Oumar Ballo and Justin Kier?

In Tuesday’s 91-61 exhibition victory over Western Oregon, the UA bench was, shall we say, a work in progress.

Sophomore Adama Bal scored 15 points in 15 minutes, but 10 of those were after-the-fact free throws. More concerning is that Bal committed two consecutive turnovers against Western Oregon’s full-court press when the game was relatively close in the first half.

If Bal isn’t a steady hand, Arizona is in deep trouble. To his credit, Lloyd referred to Bal as an “alpha dog” and that he is “growing up.” Exactly. Give him time.

The other leading options off the bench appear to be freshman Henri Veesaar and grad transfer Cedric Henderson. We won’t know for another few weeks if they can play at a level to keep Arizona competitive in showdowns with big-hitters like Tennessee, Indiana, UCLA and Oregon.

ITEM 2: Here’s why the bench matters so much: After 20 years of excellence, Arizona’s program ebbed in 2007 and 2008 in Lute Olson’s last season and Kevin O’Neill’s bumpy transition season. The problem wasn’t as much with the starters as it was with the bench.

In ‘07, freshman center Jordan Hill averaged 4.7 points per game and no one else averaged more than two points. Daniel Dillon and Fendi Onobun were the most frequently used subs. No wonder the Wildcats went just 20-11 and were knocked out in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

In ‘08, freshman Jamelle Horne was the first man off the bench, averaging just 3.1 points per game. Behind him? Dillon averaged 1.9. The ‘08 Wildcats had their worst Pac-10 season, 8-10, dating to the mid 1980s.

A year ago, Ballo, Larsson and Kier combined to average 21 points per game. They were fully reliable, forming the Pac-12’s most imposing bench.

The wild card this season is freshman Kylan Boswell, whose recovery from a foot injury essentially idled him the last four or five months. He’s just getting started. At first glance Tuesday, Boswell appears to have the “it” factor. He’s a dogged defensive player. His shooting form leaves no doubt why he was ranked the No. 4 point guard in the high school class of 2023.

Give Boswell credit for being bold enough to skip his senior season of high school to play with the big boys. It’s a significant jump. His old school, Arizona Compass Prep, is getting ready to play Seven Lakes High School of Katy, Texas next week.

My guess is that if Arizona is indeed to finish in the Pac-12’s Big 3 with UCLA and Oregon, Boswell will develop into a productive, 15-minutes-a-game (or more) threat off the bench.

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ITEM 3: Lloyd is the most quotable coach in the Pac-12, a night and day difference between him and the seemingly detached Dana Altman of Oregon and USC’s dispassionate Andy Enfeld.

Asked Tuesday how he’ll divide minutes among his players, Lloyd said: “I’m not a guy that sits around at night and, you know, gets out my protractor and a ruler and three different color pens and says, ‘Well, if you play him 16.4 minutes. … ‘ I don’t do that. I coach off my gut and instinct and coach off what my eyes are telling me.”

Lloyd would not be a good baseball coach, where analytics and metrics now outrank “gut and instinct’’ for many important decisions. Thank goodness.

ITEM 4: Game-day changes at McKale Center let you know one thing: These aren’t the Sean Miller days.

Gone is the traditional pregame video in which former players like Steve Kerr say “four Final Fours’’ and “one national championship,’’ ending with Olson flashing his championship ring and Miller’s “This is – Arizona.’’

At Tuesday’s Western Oregon game, the pregame video was a fresh and unique theme with 1970s Wildcats standout Bob Elliott walking in the Tucson mountains among current UA players, talking about challenges of the future. It works.

Even better, moments before tipoff, Timmy Trumpet’s “Narco” tune — the popular walk-up anthem for New York Mets reliever Edwin Diaz — played. If that music doesn’t get you on your feet, what will? Plus, it has a feel of the old Southwest. Good choice.

ITEM LAST: What sets McKale Center apart from its Pac-12 opponents is that Zona Zoo has bought in.

On Tuesday, the Zona Zoo section in the north end zone appeared to be full. Keyed by the Pep Band, they spent much of the game standing, fully participating, energized, at an exhibition game.

Through the years, I’ve only seen Stanford’s old “Sixth Man Club” from 1988-2005 match the Zona Zoo’s energy game after game, year after year.

The Zoo is the Pac-12 equivalent of Utah’s football student section. The MUSS — Mighty Utah Student Section — has given the Utes a home-field advantage at Rice-Eccles Stadium the way McKale Center has been since 1985.

They are the league’s two most feared road venues, any sport.

If you can deliver against Western Oregon on Nov. 1, the remaining 17 home games should be prime entertainment.