Scouting report: Arizona Wildcats vs. California Baptist Lancers

The Star's Bruce Pascoe previews all of the game day essentials, from projected starting lineups to storylines and series history, ahead of Wednesday's showdown with Cal Baptist.

Who: Cal Baptist (3-2) at Arizona (5-0)

Where: McKale Center

When: 5 p.m.

TV: Pac-12 Networks

Radio: 1290-AM, 107.5-FM

Follow: @TheWildcaster on Twitter / TheWildcaster on Facebook

Probable starters: Arizona

G James Akinjo (6-0 junior)

G Jemarl Baker (6-5 junior)

F Dalen Terry (6-7 freshman)

F Jordan Brown (6-11 sophomore)

C Christian Koloko (7-0 sophomore)

Probable starters: Cal Baptist

G Ty Rowell (6-2 junior)

G Tre Armstrong (6-5 sophomore)

F Elijah Thomas (6-5 senior)

F Reed Nottage (6-6 sophomore)

C Gorjok Gak (6-11 senior)

How they match up

The series: Arizona has never faced California Baptist, which is in the middle of a four-year transition to Division I. The Lancers joined the WAC in 2018-19 and are eligible for the league’s tournament this season but will not be eligible for the NCAA Tournament until 2022-23.

Game agreement: California Baptist signed an agreement in January to make the one-time appearance at McKale Center on Dec. 16 for a fee of $90,000.

California Baptist overview: In their first game as a member of the WAC two seasons ago, the Lancers knocked off league power New Mexico State and they’ve been issuing surprises since then. They finished second last season and won 21 games overall and, to start this season after losing league MVP Milan Acquaah, CBU took USC into overtime before losing. Without Acquaah, the former WSU guard, the Lancers still have a veteran core joined by Florida transfer Gorjak Gak and Saint Mary’s transfer Elijah Thomas.

A lot like how Eastern Washington emphasizes the 3-point shot, CBU takes exactly half of its field goals from beyond the arc and hits 3s at a 39.0% rate. (38.0% in its three Division I games). Three players – point guard Ty Rowell, guard Mark Carbone and power forward Reed Nottage – all make at least two 3s a game at better than a 40% rate. The Lancers complement that shooting with the inside work of Gak, who is averaging a double-double over five games. When they do miss, the Lancers are also effective at getting it back for a second chance – they collect 37.8% of their missed shots in Division I games, thanks in part to good anticipation.

The scout says...

“This is a confident group. You can’t look at their name and think we’re going to just walk through it. The majority of their (3-point attack) is in transition, with their four-man trailing a lot of times, and they’re looking to play through him in transition and in the halfcourt. Their guards shoot it with range and you always have to pick them up early. You can’t sit back with your heels on the 3 and think you’re guarding these guys.

“(Gak) reminds me a lot of Christian (Koloko) where he can run the rim very hard and he’s a shot-blocker. He’s a guy we have to pay attention to as well because when they’re not shooting 3s, they’re finding him at the rim for dunks and lobs.”

“Ty Rowell is very efficient with the ball and he has unlimited range. And Nottage – 58% of his shots are threes and he’s also good on the glass. …

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“(Defensively) they play a different coverage, very similar to Stanford, where they down the side ball screens. A lot of NBA teams use it to shrink the court and make you play in a confined space. It’s something that we haven’t faced this year but it’s something we have prepared for.” —  Arizona assistant coach Jason Terry, who scouted California Baptist

Key player (Cal Baptist): Ty Rowell

The Lancers’ Canadian point guard returned from an injury plagued 2019-20 season by dropping 32 points on USC in the season opener. He’s made 47.5% of his 3s and doesn’t need to be near the line before launching them with accuracy. Rowell also has just four turnovers to his 25 assists.

Key player (Arizona): Christian Koloko

With nine blocks over the Wildcats’ three games last week, Koloko will find an even matchup inside this time with the 235-pound Gak. But Koloko, forward Jordan Brown and the Wildcats will also have to figure out a way to defend a lineup that goes with essentially four perimeter players.

Sidelines

Kriisa adding to practices

Even if the NCAA doesn’t clear Kerr Kriisa anytime soon, the Estonian freshman guard is at least back helping the Wildcats in practice.

Kriisa returned to Tucson on Dec. 3 after playing for his national team but still remains stuck in the NCAA clearinghouse. After following health protocols, he returned to watch the Wildcats on Dec. 9 against Cal State Bakersfield and was cleared to practice late last week.

UA coach Sean Miller said he does not treat Kriisa as a scout team player for the purpose of mimicking upcoming opponents, as he often does with redshirts and walk-ons.

“Our practices are just that much more competitive and simulate the game more when he’s a real part of the action,” Miller said. “We’re treating him no differently than the guys that are eligible. It’s the best way to develop him as a player, and he’s so young that every time he has a chance to practice in a given week it develops him. And we’re still early on in that if he has the chance to play, we want him to be ready.”

Still, Miller said he’s “not involved in any of that” regarding Kriisa’s NCAA eligibility status and that Kriisa remains “in a holding pattern.”

So too is freshman forward Daniel Batcho, who is rehabilitating a knee injury that will keep him out until at least February. While there is no incentive to take an injury redshirt this season, with all players eligible to add another season, Miller said it isn’t known if Batcho will be able to help in any form toward the end of the season.

“We’re gonna really proceed with tremendous caution, making sure that he’s healthy, that he’s had a chance to physically be rock solid,” Miller said. “This is truly a year of development for him. We’re hoping that eventually he’s able to return to practice, I think that’s probable, but whether he’ll ever be able to play in any games remains to be seen.”

Staying out of this one

According to a 2011 ESPN story, Miller endorsed Rich Rodriguez in a conversation with then-Arizona AD Greg Byrne on a flight to New York before RichRod was hired to take over the UA football program.

“He said, ‘Greg, I’d think about a couple of things. Who is the most hungry guy out there? And the second thing is who do the coaches in the Pac-12 not want to have show up in Tucson?’” Byrne said, according to ESPN. “He said, ‘My opinion is it’s Rich Rodriguez.’”

Asked about that talk on Tuesday, Miller said he “didn’t do anything to hire or not hire anyone” as much as he just had a conversation with Byrne — and that he’s steering clear of Arizona AD Dave Heeke’s upcoming decision to find another coach after Rodriguez’s replacement, Kevin Sumlin, was fired.

“I don’t have anything to do with that,” Miller said. “Wishing this search and the university well and also, my heart goes out to Kevin Sumlin and his coaching staff, Kevin’s family and the players who played on our football team this year. It’s never an easy thing when a coaching change happens for anybody, for those that made a decision, and obviously those that are affected. So we hope that the new coach can hit the ground running. It could be a great resounding success.”

Don’t lance that name

While moving aggressively up the college sports ladder over the past decade, California Baptist is also making an effort to protect its branding.

On the first page of its official game notes, in a box labeled “CALIFORNIA BAPTIST UNIVERSITY,” the school instructs media about “acceptable usage.”

Acceptable is defined as: “California Baptist University, California Baptist and CBU.

Then it added: “DO NOT USE CAL BAPTIST or CAL BAPT.”

Numbers game

3 — Arizona’s rank among Pac-12 teams in 3-point shooting percentage (37.4) despite going 0 for 9 on Saturday against UTEP.

7 — Players from outside the United States that both Arizona and California Baptist have, putting them in a tie for the third-most international players in Division I. (Maine is first with 11).

89.8 — Arizona’s free-throw shooting percentage over its past two games, counting James Akinjo’s 14-for-14 effort against UTEP. The Wildcats are shooting 74.8% from the line overall this season.