Back in the starting lineup

Freshman guard Brandon Williams returned to the starting lineup Saturday after coming off the bench in Wednesday’s win over Montana. According to coach Sean Miller, Williams “banged knees” with Justin Coleman a day before the Baylor game, which caused his knee to swell. It was the same knee Williams had issues with in high school.

When Williams was a junior at Crespi High School, he dealt with a congenital issue with his right knee that the Los Angeles Daily News identified as osteochondritis dissecans, in which bone underneath the cartilage of a joint dies due to lack of blood flow.

Miller said there wasn’t any structural damage to Williams’ knee.

Williams scored three points and made 1 of 7 shots from the field against Montana. Back with the starters on Saturday, he scored nine points on 4-of-10 shooting and added three assists.

Feeling the holiday spirit

The Pac-12 Networks crew was in the holiday spirit Saturday night. Color analyst (and former Wildcat) Matt Muehlebach sported a navy blue suit and a red ugly Christmas sweater. His broadcast partner, play-by-play announcer Daron Sutton, wore a red blazer festooned with a snowmen, reindeer and a Christmas tree pattern.

The UA cheerleaders also wore ugly sweaters, while Wilbur T. Wildcat dressed as Santa Claus.

The big number

35

Number of charging fouls Arizona drew in nonconference play. UA center Chase Jeter had over half of them with 18. Jeter has taken a charge in every game this season except against Montana.

He said it

“What can be our best record? What can be our worst record? We’re probably somewhere in between. ... For us it’s about getting better, learning and being the best team that we can be. We do not have a lot of room for error.” — Miller, on his assessment of Arizona’s nonconference performance, heading into Pac-12 play.

Season of giving

As Season of Giving continues, we made Dennis’ dream come true: meeting his favorite player @ISO_ZO 🙌😁 pic.twitter.com/3bIM2xQFSv

— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) December 22, 2018

New York Knicks guard and former Arizona Wildcats standout Allonzo Trier provided a Christmas present one Knicks fan will never forget.

A young Knicks fan, Dennis, recycles year-round and uses the money he earns to attend the Junior Knicks Camp during the summer.

Trier is Dennis’ favorite NBA player, so Trier and the Knicks gave the superfan a signed No. 14 jersey.

Dennis first learned about his Christmas present on a video chat with Trier, when the undrafted rookie signed the jersey on camera.

Trier signed a two-year deal worth $7 million with the Knicks earlier this month.

The Knicks play the Milwaukee Bucks on Christmas Day; the game will be televised on ESPN at 10 a.m.

Bad beat

Arizona was a 17-point favorite over UC Davis, and with a 15-point halftime lead the Wildcats were on pace to cover before the Aggies rallied. UC Davis shot 80 percent from 3-point range to start the second half and eventually tied the game at 51 before trading buckets with UA down the stretch.

Another big number

89-4

The UA’s home record since the start of the 2013-14 season. Kentucky (91-6) is the only program that has more home wins during the six-season span. Duke and Kansas both trail the Wildcats by five wins with 84 each.

Holiday cheer

The holiday season has been good to Miller and the Wildcats. Miller is undefeated (10-0) at UA in games right before or on Christmas Day. The last time Arizona lost its game right before the Christmas break was in 2002, when the top-ranked Wildcats fell to LSU 66-65 in Baton Rouge.

The bigger number

256

UC Davis’ RPI when it lost to Arizona by a basket.