Senior forward Keanu Pinder hasnβt played at all in two Pac-12 games already this season, and heβs on pace to log fewer minutes for the Wildcats than he did a year ago.
Yet his role might be just as important, if not more so. In Arizonaβs 90-83 win over Oregon on Saturday, Pinder had two steals, a block and four game-clinching free throws in 18 minutes, with his unique combination of size, athleticism and intensity matching the smaller frontline Oregon increasingly went with.
βWe wouldnβt have won this game if it wasnβt for Keanu,β forward Rawle Alkins said. βEveryone on this team has to be ready.β
It was the second time the Wildcats have found Pinder ready to go against the Ducks. Pinder actually started against Oregon in the Pac-12 Tournament final last season, although he was largely serving as a designated foulee assigned to guard crafty Ducks forward Dillon Brooks.
UA coach Sean Miller was aiming to keep standout forward Lauri Markkanen out of early foul trouble by keeping him from having to defend Brooks, and the strategy largely worked: Pinder had four fouls and two turnovers in 12 minutes of that game, but scored two points and had three rebounds while Markkanen played 31 minutes with only two fouls.
This time, Pinderβs role was arguably more critical. Pinder blocked a shot and threw down a dunk in a six-minute first half appearance, drawing enthusiasm from his teammates, and played another key 12 minutes in the second half.
βI love blocking shots,β Pinder said. βThatβs what really helps our team get energized.β
In the second half, UA center Dusan Ristic picked up his fourth foul with 13:05 to go, and Miller found the Ducks were increasingly going with a smaller lineup. While Miller has been first turning to freshman forward Ira Lee off the bench in the frontcourt, Pinderβs bouncy athleticism matched up well.
It was almost the opposite of Thursdayβs game, when Miller determined that Oregon Stateβs more traditional frontcourt wasnβt a good fit for Pinder to play against.
βOregon State played big and we needed shooting and scoring against the way they play defense,β Miller said. βDusan did a really good job (Saturday). Itβs just once he got four fouls, (Oregon coach) Dana Altman is not gonna let him get away with playing with four fouls. Heβs gonna take advantage of him and drive it, and they went small.
βThey went with their skilled lineup, which we thought they might, and Keanu and Ira Lee were the answers. And we went a little bit more with Keanu because heβs more experienced in that situation.β
Pinderβs ability to lunge for steals or blocks also brings a different dimension to Arizonaβs gap-oriented packline defense, provided heβs careful enough to meet Millerβs standards.
βHe just has that innate ability to do it and he has to be smart with some of the things he does,β Miller said. βIn the first half he went for a shot fake β and the guy went right by him and scored the layup. Those are sometimes some things heβll do in the negative, but his intent is what we want. And he has the intent of coming in the game and playing really hard.β
He was ready.
βYouβve just got to take it one game at a time and keep working on your game,β Pinder said. βWhen your number gets called, youβve got to take advantage of it.β
Maybe it will be again, soon. Millerβs entire bench averaged just 38.5 minutes between the Oregon State and Oregon games, but Miller noted that his reserves had turnovers when they came in the Oregon game β Pinder had three, Brandon Randolph had two and Dylan Smith had one.
The Wildcatsβ next opponent, Cal, starts a frontcourt of 6-foot-5, 6-7 and 6-11, meaning Pinder or Lee might also be of use.
βItβs a work in progress,β Miller said of his bench. βThereβs a lot of teams like ours. But (against Oregon), when we really needed the bench, Keanu delivered.
βThe next trip in the Bay, weβre gonna need everybody β (if thereβs) foul trouble, illness, injuries, styles of the opponent. You just canβt win with five and we have to continue to develop our group off the bench.β
