Sure, there is a month and a half of season left, but it sure is fun to think about a potential Final Four or National Championship matchup between No. 1 Arizona and No. 2 Syracuse. I'm not the only one.
A lot can certainly change between now and April, or until the conference tournaments begin in March, for that matter. Witness what has has become a sad reality for Oregon.
Consider also that on Sunday UofA hosts a tough Utah team that defies its 3-4 record in the Pac-12. It still has 14 overall wins. At McKale and then again at the Huntsman Center next month in Salt Lake City, the Utes and their 62.1 points per game allowed is the best defensive team Arizona will face until the NCAA tournament. Then, next week, the Wildcats have their first real road-weekend test when they travel to Stanford and Cal.
Those three squads, especially with Oregon falling apart and Colorado without Spencer Didwiddie for the rest of the season, suddenly have the best shot to thwart the Wildcats' chances at a perfect regular season.
The Orange, on the other hand, have their hands full. They will face four of the nation's Top 10 defenses (No. 1 Clemson, No. 5 Virginia, No. 9 Miami, and No. 10 Pitt) over the next month and a half. Ken Pomeroy actually ranks Pittsburgh two spots higher than 'Cuse in his college basketball ratings right behind No. 1 Arizona. And it's never easy to win against Duke at Cameron Indoor.
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| Arizona Coach Sean Miller: "Let's get it on!" Source:AZAthletics |
Much has been made again this season about Jim Boeheim's vaunted zone defense, as his Orange are playing their similar style of choking opposing teams into submission. But Arizona, statistically is slightly better, holding opponents to 56.7 points per game versus 58.2 by Syracuse.
The true test, should the two teams meet, could be how the offenses respond.
Against San Diego State, which boasts the second lowest points-per-game average in the nation at 55.4, UofA prevailed 69-60 at Viejas Arena, one of the more difficult places to play for a road team. Regularly this season, the Wildcats have shown little problem dissecting a zone. In fact, overall Arizona has the 12th best FG percentage in the nation shooting 49.1 percent. Syracuse is No. 86 at 46.1 per game.
While Syracuse plays perhaps the best zone year in and year out, the Orange lack the size down low to compete with the triumvirate of Kaleb Tarczewski, Brandon Ashly and Aaron Gordon, all of whom pass better than some guards, and they set solid screens to free up Nick Johnson and Gabe York on the perimeter or allow Johnson or Rondae Hollis-Jefferson slash to the rim.
And then there's the true difference maker this season for the Wildcats: point guard T.J. McConnell. While Johnson is suddenly eliciting Wooden Award-caliber praise, McConnell is the team's MVP, providing a steady hand under pressure and a pass-first mentality that has eluded the Wildcats for years.
However, the Syracuse counters with its own fabulous freshman at the point with Tyler Ennis, who scores more than McConnell (11.9 per game versus 7.1) and averages more steals (2.7 to 1.9). Ennis also has 4:1 assist-turnover ratio, while McConnell only averages 3 assists to every one giveaway.
C.J. Fair leads Syracuse in scoring at 16.8 per game, which is countered nicely by Johnson's 16.4 average. Trevor Cooney (13.6) and Jerami Grant (12.5) along with Ennis round out the majority of Syracuse's firepower. Meanwhile, Arizona's Gordon (12.4), Ashley (12.2) and Tarczewski (9.8) hold their own. The Cats' wild cards are Hollis-Jefferson and Gabe York, who are both scoring about 7.5 per game, whereas Syracuse's only remaining scorer of significance is Rakeem Christmas at 5.6 per game, especially with DeJuan Coleman out.
Syracuse is good, no question. But Arizona is firing on all cylinders both offensively and defensively. Still, questions, as they always do, remain. Will complacency creep in? Coach Sean Miller has done a superb job of getting his squad to check egos at the door and to play his unrelenting style. Still, these are 19 and 20 year old kids were talking about. And will they stay healthy? The Cats have so far dodged bullets after Tarczewski missed a couple of games after spraining his ankle at Michigan.
Syracuse definitely has the tougher remaining schedule, and a loss or two at this point in the season is not a bad thing. But don't forget that the Pac-12 actually has the stronger RPI. Arizona has the better players who play as a team. Neither team shoots particularly well from beyond the arc or from the free throw line, though Arizona has a slight edge in both.
If this game does happen, it will come down to teamwork, and probably a few lucky bounces along the way. The best team resides in Tucson. But the best team, as we know, doesn't always win.
Something's gotta give. Should the stars align, maybe we'll find out what.
If this game does happen, it will come down to teamwork, and probably a few lucky bounces along the way. The best team resides in Tucson. But the best team, as we know, doesn't always win.
Something's gotta give. Should the stars align, maybe we'll find out what.
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