ARIZONA
- G Parker Jackson-Cartwright (5-10 junior)
- G Kadeem Allen (6-3 senior)
- G Rawle Alkins (6-5 freshman)
- F Lauri Markkanen (7-0 freshman)
- C Dusan Ristic (7-0 junior)
CAL STATE BAKERSFIELD
- G Brent Wrapp (6-3 junior)
- G Dedrick Basile (5-10 senior)
- F Jaylin Airington (6-4 senior)
- F Matt Smith (6-6 senior)
- C James Suber (6-7 junior)
HOW THEY MATCH UP
The series: A Division II power in the 1990s, the Roadrunners have only faced UA once before, and never as a Division I team. UA beat Cal State Bakersfield 94-87 at McKale Center in the opener of the 1972-73 season.
Cal State Bakersfield overview: A Division I team for only a decade, the Roadrunners broke through last season, winning 24 games while edging past New Mexico State in the WAC Tournament final to make their first NCAA Tournament appearance. They were picked to finish third this season behind NMSU and Grand Canyon. While they lost all-WAC picks Aly Ahmed and Kevin Mays, the Roadrunners return three starters and six rotation players from their NCAA tournament team and have three juco transfers among their seven newcomers. The Runnersβ top returning scorer is Dedrick Basile, who hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer to upend WAC power NMSU in the conference tourney final, a smaller off-guard who has a high level of confidence. Brett Wrapp is a steady point guard who led the WAC in assist-turnover ratio (2.78-1) last season, while wing Jaylin Airington had a strong postseason. Off the bench, guard Damiyane Durham led the WAC in three-pointers made last season, hitting them at a 35.6-percent rate. He scored 20 points in just 14 minutes against NAIA San Diego Christian on Saturday.
KEY PLAYERS
Cal State Bakersfield β Dedrick Basile
The senior from Houston isnβt likely to be awed by McKale Center. He was the WAC Tournament MVP last season, averaging 12.3 points in the event, and hit 3 of 7 three-pointers against Oklahoma in the NCAA tournament.
Arizona β Kadeem Allen
UA is facing a potential letdown situation, having beaten Michigan State in Honolulu just four days ago, and now facing a good mid-major. They might need some direction and intensity from their senior leader, who made the game-winner against the Spartans.
He SAID IT
βI think theyβre an NCAA tournament team. Rod Barnes does an excellent job. They press on every possession, they trap, they deny and they play really hard. They go 10 players deep. ... Their (big players) can pose some real matchup problems. Their big guys are like forwards. They can drive the ball and are quick underneath the basket.β
β UA associate head coach Joe Pasternack, who scouted the Roadrunners.
SIDELINES
Walkerβs tea leaves
The recruitment of five-star Pennsylvania guard Lonnie Walker has been kept pretty close to the vest, but there are clues that may give UA fans hope.
Walker tweeted out the words βdecisions, decisions,β on Sunday night, then retweeted a few fan reactions, including one that simply said βArizona!β
Arizona, meanwhile, has been sitting on an announcement of the four recruits who signed with the Wildcats last week, saying it wanted to wait until the class was complete.
Walker is trending strongly for Arizona in 24/7 Sportsβ Crystal Ball (87 percent of its analysts say heβll choose UA), while Villanova, Syracuse, Miami (Fla.) and Kentucky are his other finalists.
In a June interview with the Lexington (Ky.) Herald-Leader, Walker gushed over those other Wildcats, saying he is impressed with Kentucky coach John Calipari.
βHe said he really loves my game,β Walker said. βIt was rejuvenating. I had an abundant amount of feelings going through my stomach. Words I canβt really express.β
Getting Walker would likely put UA back on top of the consensus 2017 recruiting class rankings. UCLA took over the top spot after Indiana wing Kris Wilkes chose the Bruins on Sunday.
Wildcats stay put at No. 10
Even though UA pulled out a dramatic win over Michigan State, the Wildcats couldnβt move up a single notch in the AP Top 25, staying at No. 10.
Yet itβs not really a surprise. Nobody in the Top 10 lost except Kansas, which fell from No. 3 to No. 7.
And the Wildcatsβ win didnβt likely command a move up on its own merits, because it was a close victory on a neutral court over a team it was ranked higher than. In other words, UA played exactly as the rankings suggested.
Simmons misses Pac-12 award
Arizona freshman Kobi Simmons almost singlehandedly bailed UA out of an early 17-2 hole, and finished with 15 points on 4-for-6 shooting and 5-for-6 free-throw shooting in the Wildcatsβ win over Michigan State on Friday.
But while UA nominated him for the Pac-12 Player of the Week award, the honor went to Oregon Stateβs Tres Tinkle, who averaged 23.0 points, 13.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists in the Beaversβ wins over Prairie View A&M and UTSA.
Numbers game
14 Straight home openers Arizona has won since losing to Kansas in 2001-02.
32 Days since UA coach Sean Miller said he wouldnβt discuss βrumorsβ about the apparent ineligibility of his top returning scorer, Allonzo Trier. UA has continually declined to categorize why Trier is not playing.
60Β Percent increase (nearly) in Cal State Bakersfieldβs ticket revenue after its NCAA tournament appearance last season.
β Bruce Pascoe
