Here’s some information the Arizona Wildcats probably don’t want to think about right now:
Oregon is in a bit of trouble. The 14th-ranked Ducks, picked to win the Pac-12, lost to Arizona State on Thursday despite erasing an 11-point second-half deficit, sliding out of a first-place tie.
“I’m really proud of the guys for fighting back, but when we got it there we weren’t tough enough to finish it,” Oregon coach Dana Altman said.
The Ducks have lost three of their past five games, and they’ve yet to beat one of the league’s top six teams away from Matthew Knight Arena.
Meanwhile, their once-imposing inside game has crumbled, putting even more pressure on Pac-12 Player of the Year candidate Payton Pritchard, whose fouling out at ASU proved critical.
But … it’s still Oregon. The team that has won seven of nine from Arizona, including the last four straight — and even two of the last three at McKale Center.
The team that will throw a mind-spinning array of defenses at you, sometimes changing in the middle of a possession, making you think even harder about every step you make. And one that will be presumably motivated to stay in the race by winning Saturday, with three home games remaining after that.
That’s why Arizona coach Sean Miller will be happy to reframe exactly what the Wildcats’ game with the Ducks on Saturday is about.
“It’s like March Madness,” Miller said after Arizona beat Oregon State 89-63 on Thursday. “It’s a late-season game. Oregon’s program speaks for itself. I think they were the preseason favorite to win the conference. They’ve got an outstanding team and coach. They’ve been in the winner’s circle, and they’ve played well against us in McKale. We have to be ready.”
Arizona head coach Sean Miller reacts as the Wildcats give up a bucket from Oregon State in the first half of their Pac12 game at McKale Center, February 20, 2020 Tucson, Ariz.
Here’s the thing, though: 24th-ranked Arizona would appear more likely to be ready for this one than at any point of the season.
While the Wildcats have had swings of inconsistency from week to week during Pac-12 play, jumping in and out of the AP Top 25, they’re a different team than the one that took the Ducks to overtime before losing on Jan. 9 in Eugene.
Arizona’s three freshmen continue to grow from the experience of conference play, and the move of versatile grad transfer Stone Gettings into the starting lineup has made them more difficult to guard.
Then there’s the difference 7-foot freshman Christian Koloko has been making in selected matchups while effectively soaking up the minutes from senior Chase Jeter, who was removed from the starting lineup after the Wildcats’ trip to Oregon.
Against the Beavers on Thursday, Koloko had three blocked shots and five points in 10 minutes while also being part of a double-technical with OSU star Tres Tinkle. That move proved critical after a second technical resulted in Tinkle’s automatic ejection in the second half.
“He keeps getting better,” Miller said of Koloko. “Boy, I tell you he comes in and he’s just different. The same shots that seem to get around the basket and go in sometimes — they’re eliminated with him. And the other thing is Christian has good hands. As he gets stronger, he’s going to be fine in the post.”
Arizona center Christian Koloko (35) has the reach to reject the shot by Oregon State guard Ethan Thompson (5) in the first half of their Pac12 game at McKale Center, February 20, 2020 Tucson, Ariz.
The Wildcats still aren’t a great shooting team, but they have improved their mental approach.
While they followed their triumphant Utah-Colorado home sweep with a 22-point meltdown in a loss at ASU, then followed a road sweep in Washington with a late-game slide against USC and a 13-point loss to UCLA, the Wildcats have now put together three straight wins.
“Confidence comes with momentum,” Miller said. “It feels good, but we haven’t always handled it when things have gone well. We’ve talked a lot about that. But that doesn’t mean that it’s going to change.”
They were fat and happy, then quickly humbled.
But after leading the Wildcats with 18 points against OSU on Thursday, freshman wing Josh Green indicated things have changed.
“Our practices over the last two weeks have been really good,” Green said. “I think everyone’s bringing a competitive environment every single day and I think it really translated to the game.”
Saturday’s game may be the ultimate judge of whether the Wildcats’ seesaw ride is over for good.
Maybe they’re ready now for consistent success, ready to jump from a third big win to a fourth.
“I sure hope so,” Miller said. “I mean, we have a good group of guys. Their hearts are in the right place, they’ve practiced well, and they’ve overcome obstacles.”
