Arizona-MSU pregame: Miller unsure what to expect

HONOLULU -- In the middle of his team's four-day trip to Hawaii, Sean Miller did a little math.

"I was thinking about it today," he said Thursday, while standing aboard the USS Chafee. "We’ve lost nine players from a year ago. Talbott (Denny), Ray (Smith), Allonzo (Trier) and Elliott (Pitts) from a year ago, plus the four (departed) seniors.

"As we’re here, we’re still a work in progress. But that doesn't mean we don't have a chance to be good. But judging us on Friday it will be interesting to see because I don’t think anybody really knows what to expect. So many of our guys have different roles. For our freshmen, this is a great experience but the first game isn't easy."

The Wildcats will have center Chance Comanche available, giving them four newcomers and four returning players for an eight-man rotation. Michigan State has been shorthanded, too, though it returns heralded freshman Josh Langford back from a hamstring pull.

The hamstring pull, btw, was nothing considering what Langford went through earlier in life.

The trip and its military connections have given all four teams involved some perspective, and the timing this year may have been particularly needed.

Arizona is selling T-shirts based on the Wildcats' camouflage uniform design today, with proceeds helping families and survivors pay for a trip back to Pearl Harbor for the 75th anniversary of the Dec. 7 attacks.

Here's the official game notes from Michigan State and Arizona.

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Nick Richards, a 6-11 senior from Queens, chose Kentucky over Syracuse and Arizona.

A total of 10 Pac-12 teams open up today, with details on the conference's weekly release.

Washington's Lorenzo Romar says "pressure is always there," as he (and Markelle Fultz) try to get the Huskies back to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2011.

Oregon is something of a trendy pick to win it all, and coach Dana Altman may get an extension today.

Colorado's Derrick White finally gets his time in the D-I spotlight.

Our full advance coverage is attached to this post, along with a short video of Tom Izzo talking about the matchup and a UA video of the team's private tour to the USS Arizona Memorial.