The Star's Bruce Pascoe previews all of the game day essentials, from projected starting lineups to storylines and series history, ahead of Arizona's highly-anticipated showdown with No. 14 Oregon.Β
Game info
Who: No. 14 Oregon (20-7, 9-5) at No. 24 Arizona (19-7, 9-4)Β
Where: McKale Center
When: Saturday, 7 p.m.
TV: ESPN
Radio: 1290-AM, 107.5-FM
Follow:Β @TheWildcasterΒ on Twitter /Β TheWildcasterΒ on Facebook
Probable starters: Arizona
G Nico Mannion (6-3 freshman)
G Dylan Smith (6-5 senior)
F Josh Green (6-6 freshman)
F Stone Gettings (6-9 senior)
C Zeke Nnaji (6-11 freshman)
Probable starters: Oregon
G Payton Pritchard (6-2 senior)
G Chris Duarte (6-6 junior)
F Will Richardson (6-5 sophomore)
F Chandler Lawson (6-8 freshman)
C Shakur Juiston (6-7 senior)
How they match up
Arizona guard Dylan Smith (3) flies under Oregon center N'Faly Dante (1) for a wrap around pass under the basket in the second half of their Pac-12 game at Matthew Knight Arena, January 9, 2020.
The last time: Nico Mannion had 20 points but couldnβt inbound the ball to Josh Green at the end of overtime to set up a potential game winner, and Oregon won 74-73 in overtime on Jan. 9 in Eugene. Green had 17 points while Zeke Nnaji had 11 points and 14 rebounds. Payton Pritchard had 18 points, seven rebounds and six assists for the Ducks.
The last time at McKale Center: Arizona had nine turnovers and shot just 2 for 11 from 3-point range in the first half, and finished with 36.5% shooting from the field overall during Oregonβs 59-54 win on Jan. 17, 2019. Chase Jeter led Arizona with 12 points and 10 rebounds, while Brandon Williams had 10 points and seven rebounds.
Series history: Oregon has won seven of the past nine matchups with Arizona and two of the past three in McKale Center. Overall, the Ducks and Wildcats have split 20 games since Sean Miller took over the Wildcats in 2009-10, while Oregon leads 10-8 since Dana Altman took over the Ducks in 2010-11. Arizona leads the all-time series 51-33.
Whatβs new with the Ducks: Despite being in the Top 20 all season, the Ducks havenβt been able to beat the Pac-12βs top teams on the road. Thursday was the latest example, a 77-72 loss at ASU despite the fact that Oregon went on an 11-0 run to erase a 54-43 deficit with 10 minutes left in the game. The Ducks have lost three of their past five games overall.
The Ducksβ biggest problem lately is the lack of an inside presence, despite what initially appeared to be a formidable group. Freshman NβFaly Dante has been out for eight straight games with a knee injury and while he is on the Arizona trip, he is questionable at best for Saturday. Normally an energetic presence inside, sophomore Francis Okoro has struggled since his father died in December and he traveled to Nigeria for the funeral. Oregon has turned to freshman forward Chandler Lawson as a starter inside along with grad transfer Shakur Juiston, but Lawson has been inconsistent so far.
On the perimeter, freshman Addison Patterson has found an increasing role off the bench, while starters Pritchard, Chris Duarte and Will Richardson continue to be the Ducksβ biggest weapons. Having scored 21 points against Arizona on Jan. 9, Richardson has scored in double figures in six of his past seven games. He had 18 against ASU on Thursday. But Oregon is vulnerable if their guards are limited.
Β
He said it
βWe have to play with everything we have.β β Sean Miller on Saturdayβs showdown with No. 14 Oregon pic.twitter.com/9tptxAb4kY
— The Wildcaster (@TheWildcaster) February 21, 2020
Key player (Oregon): Payton Pritchard
It might have been no coincidence that after the Ducksβ conference player-of-the-year candidate fouled out with about two minutes to go Thursday, Oregon couldnβt close out a comeback win at ASU. Pritchardβs leadership and clutch play have been undoubtedly tied to the Ducksβ success this season.
Key player (Arizona): Nico Mannion
Arizona guard Nico Mannion (1) drives into the lane against Oregon State guard Sean Miller-Moore (1) in the first half of their Pac12 game at McKale Center, February 20, 2020 Tucson, Ariz.
While Mannion had six turnovers, the last a failed inbounds pass that wound up in Pritchardβs hands during the Ducksβ overtime win on Jan. 9, the Wildcats wouldnβt have made it to overtime without him: He had 20 points while playing a tiring 43 minutes in that game. His matchup with Pritchard is again must-see basketball.
Sidelines
Thoroughbred Tres
Oregon State forward Tres Tinkle (3) throws an elbow in the face of Arizona guard Jemarl Baker Jr. (10) and picks up an ejection in the second half of their Pac12 game at McKale Center, February 20, 2020 Tucson, Ariz.
After one of the Pac-12βs best players was tossed from Arizonaβs win over Oregon State on Thursday, both OSU coach Wayne Tinkle and UA coach Sean Miller defended Tres Tinkle.
The versatile Beaver forward was ejected for picking up two technicals, the second an elbow he lifted into the side of Jemarl Bakerβs head while driving to the basket after Baker drew a personal foul for contacting him.
βI donβt look at that as a cheap shot in any way, shape or form,β Miller said. βIt is what it is. He might have connected above the shoulders, but I know heβs a great kid, high-character guy. β¦
βI know he probably feels bad, but he shouldnβt. If youβve played this game, things happen quickly, and Jemarl was actually in his space and sometimes that happens. Back in the day, that would have been a common move. But in todayβs game with the rules, thatβs how it needs to be called and it was called.β
But Tres Tinkle had shown signs throughout the game that he didnβt exactly find the βfreedom of movementβ spirit being fully integrated into the officiating. His dad, who picked up a technical foul of his own when he said he argued a traveling non-call, said Tresβ elbow as an βuncharacteristicβ show of frustration.
βI tell you what: Heβs been ridden like American Pharoah all over the league and heβs got to be better,β Wayne Tinkle said. βHeβs got to play through that. But Iβve told people that if the way the gameβs called doesnβt change, that something silly is going to happenβ¦ This whole freedom of movement, all that stuff. I mean, itβs hogwash. Itβs hogwash.
βThereβs been this big memorandum the last few years about freedom of letting the players play, taking the physicality out of the game and itβs a bunch of crap.β
Game time moved to 7 p.m.
ESPN color man Bill Walton, left, and play-by-play announcer Dave Pasch call the first half in wigs as Arizona goes up against UCLA in the first half of their Pac-12 game at McKale Center, February 8, 2020 Tucson, Ariz.
Saturdayβs game was initially scheduled for an 8 p.m. tipoff but it was moved to 7 p.m. so it could be shown on ESPN instead of ESPN2.
The UA said ESPN asked the Pac-12 if it could move the time an hour earlier, and both teams agreed. It was a no-brainer for the UA, which has long preferred earlier tipoff times for the convenience of its fans.
Setting the tone
After Oregon Stateβs Jerod Lucas threw down a wide-open 3-pointer in the first half Thursday, Miller put on one of his angriest displays of the season.
In the timeout huddle with eight minutes left in the first half, a clipboard could be heard slamming against the McKale Center floor. After the timeout, Miller threw his towel on the floor.
Even though the Wildcats wound up winning by 26, they had shown the kind of pattern that worried Miller deeply.
βWe didnβt know who we were guarding,β Miller said. βThose are November mistakes. You donβt make that mistake in February. Thatβs the play that ends up beating you. Itβs not the last play of the game β itβs every play, and thereβs no excuse for five players to not know who we have. Two of Lucasβ 3-point shots came because we didnβt identify the players that we were guarding. Itβs not one playerβs fault; itβs everybodyβs fault.β
Miller went on.
βWe canβt allow them to get an offensive rebound on a missed free throw,β he said. βItβs the little things at this time of year that mean more, because every team is kind of the best version of themselves ... and itβs those mistakes that we make that a lot of times come back to haunt us.
βIf we make that mistake on Saturday and we give him six points because we donβt know who weβre guarding, I mean, itβs gonna be hard to beat Oregon. Right? So Iβm going to hold the bar incredibly high in those areas because thatβs things that we can control. Itβs being a well-prepared team thatβs not going to beat themselves. And so thatβs really what that was about.β
High-flying Wildcats
Arizona guard Josh Green (0) has a wide open path to a dunk after an Oregon State turnover in their Pac12 game at McKale Center, February 20, 2020 Tucson, Ariz.
When he powered his 18 points Thursday on 7-for-11 shooting β and four steals β Josh Green may have shown some flashes of the sort of explosiveness Richard Jefferson brought the Wildcats two decades earlier.
Yet the two hadnβt met until before Thursdayβs game, which Jefferson was working as an analyst for the Pac-12 Networks.
βHeβs a great guy, and it was amazing to be able to talk to him,β Green said. βHeβs a legend here at Arizona, and heβs done amazing things. So just to be able to talk to him and have him tell me whatβs up, it was a cool. I really respect him for that.β
Numbers game
1
More win Arizona needs to give Miller 20 wins for the 13th time in the past 16 seasons, counting his stint at Xavier.
8
Ranked teams Oregon will have faced this season after Saturday, a program high.
12.4
Percent of the time Oregon steals the ball during opponentsβ possessions in Pac-12 play, the leagueβs best steal percentage.
19
Points ASU scored off Oregonβs 16 turnovers on Thursday in Tempe.
