Arizona struggles from deep, Zeke Nnaji shows first-round talent — and the Cats strike out on a 'Wolf'

‘Ace Wolf’ doesn’t wanna be a Cat

I’m staying home. Watch me rise🔷🔶 pic.twitter.com/wL8EMyHoNr

— Adam AceWolf Miller (@AceWolf44) November 22, 2019

Arizona missed out on Chicago guard Adam Miller after the four-star prospect committed to Illinois over the Wildcats and Louisville on Thursday night, just before the UA took on South Dakota State.

He announced his decision at a Jordan Brand store in Chicago, which was streamed live on NBC Sports.

Miller, a 6-foot-3-inch, 170-pound standout, is rated as the No. 32 overall recruit and the seventh-best shooting guard nationally for the 2020 class. Just before Miller pledged to the Fighting Illini, he revealed a custom Illinois wolf mask. “Ace Wolf” is Miller’s nickname.

Arizona and Illinois were widely viewed as the favorites to land Miller. One factor that could’ve played in his decision to stay close to home is his former Morgan Park High School teammate Ayo Dosunmu is currently starting in Illinois’ backcourt.

Miller became the latest top-shelf recruit to spurn Arizona. Earlier this month, Hillcrest Prep small forward Puff Johnson committed to North Carolina despite having strong ties to the UA. Last month, four-star Los Angeles-area guard Devin Askew committed to Kentucky over Arizona.

Arizona is still in contention to land five-star small forward Ziaire Williams and four-star shooting Kerwin Walton, who is Zeke Nnaji’s ex-teammate at Hopkins High School in Minnesota.

Raining 3s

It’s rained in Tucson in each of the last three days, but there’s been a different kind of rain in McKale Center this season, coming in the form of 3-pointers.

The Wildcats have been one of college basketball’s best 3-point shooting teams to start the year. Prior to the game against South Dakota State, Arizona ranked 12th in the country in 3-point shooting percentage at 43% (34 of 78). Arizona’s leading 3-point shooter is Jemarl Baker, who has made 8 of 15 from deep.

Although, the Cats didn’t have much success from beyond the arc Thursday as they hit just 3 of 17.

Happy anniversary

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Happy anniversary to the love of my life, Wilma Wildcat. There’s no one else I would rather cheer on the Cats with, travel the world with, or spend all my time with. I love you Wilma, happy anniversary https://t.co/j6RJJfaZMa

— Wilbur T. Wildcat (@AZWilburWildcat) November 21, 2019

Arizona mascots Wilbur and Wilma celebrated their 33rd anniversary Thursday. Wilbur’s origins date back to 1959 when he was introduced at a football game against Texas Tech and became an instant hit with the fans. Wilma entered the picture in March 1986 and married Wilbur prior to the ASU football game on Nov. 21 that same year. The two have been a staple at UA sporting events ever since.

‘Flush it down the toilet’

"Flush it down the toilet, literally you move on. You don't take anything from a game like this." – Steve Kerr after the Warriors' 48-point loss last night to the Mavs pic.twitter.com/h1hASrgeAE

— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) November 21, 2019

Winning and excellence have been synonymous with former Wildcat Steve Kerr, but the Golden State Warriors  coach endured the franchise’s worst loss in nearly 50 years this week. The Warriors were blown out by 48 points against the Dallas Mavericks to a tune of 142-94.

After the game, Kerr told reporters that the team needs to “flush it down the toilet.” The Warriors may need to flush the entire season down the toilet as the team’s 3-13 record is dead last in the NBA.

The big number

3,553

miles that South Dakota State has traveled across the country through its first seven games of the season. SDSU went on a three-game road trip two weeks ago, facing Cal State Bakersfield and USC before finishing its travel at Nebraska. Just under 1,500 miles separates Tucson from Brookings, South Dakota.

He said it

“He’s an absolute monster. The energy, the motor he plays with, the physicality — I was able to sit in on a practice and he was wearing the gold jersey and there’s a reason why. … Even if he’s a guy you’re not going to run your offense through, because he’s active on the perimeter and active on the glass, he’s such an energizer and impacts the game in so many ways. He’s clearly opened up a lot of eyes so far. If he keeps this up, he’s gonna get looks for the first round.” — ESPN NBA draft analyst Mike Schmitz on Zeke Nnaji.