Arizona Basketball: Wildcats vs USC Trojans Round 2
By Mark Barrera
The L.A. schools visit Tucson this week. Arizona won the first meeting with USC and look to complete the season sweep.
Arizona is back in Tucson after finishing up a season sweep of the Washington schools. There are only three games left before the Pac-12 tournament, and each game is essentially a must-win from here on out if Arizona hopes to win the Pac-12.
The Wildcats are still sitting in first place in the conference with a half-game lead over Oregon. Oregon holds the tiebreaker over Arizona, so if Arizona wants to be Pac-12 Regular Season Champs, they cannot afford to drop a game.
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Everyone is aware of what is looming Saturday night. ESPN College GameDay will be broadcasting live from McKale. The nation will have all eyes set on the top-5 match-up between Arizona and UCLA.
The players undoubtedly will be looking forward to Saturday night, but USC can’t be overlooked. USC wants to play spoiler Thursday and will come ready.
When USC and Arizona first met, the Wildcats came out on top 73-66. However, both teams were without their star players: Allonzo Trier for Arizona and Bennie Boatwright for USC.
Trier is averaging 13.9 points, 2.8 assists and 5.1 rebounds per game for Arizona. He is coming off of a 21-point outing against Washington. USC is going to come right at Trier and challenge him from the beginning.
Allonzo will need to stay out of foul trouble, get to the free throw line, and limit his turnovers. In the last four games, he has nine turnovers, but only two total last weekend.
USC getting Boatwright back makes them even more dangerous. Even though they’re on a two-game skid, Boatwright hasn’t disappointed since his return.
He has yet to score less than 13 points, went for 20+ twice, and has been rebounding efficiently. Since coming back from an MCL injury, Boatwright is averaging 17.4 ppg, 5.8 rebounds, and 2.6 assists.
Sean Miller and the Wildcats also look to not squander a huge lead as they did last time. Arizona had a 23-point lead in the second half before allowing USC to go on several runs to close the gap. After that game, Miller ripped into his players and vowed to make changes.
Arizona hasn’t had a big let down in the second half since the first USC game. Maybe Miller’s comments finally set in, or maybe it’s because games have been much closer as of late. Whatever the reason, the Wildcats will need to continue avoiding late game collapses.
During Sean Miller’s press conference earlier this week, he announced Dusan Ristic and Kadeem Allen were given the “all-clear” sign for Thursday night. Having these two back, even if not 100-percent, will help the team avoid blowing a huge lead.
Since we all know USC is going to play one of their best games Thursday night, as most teams do against Arizona, the Wildcats will need to set the tone early.
Rebounding the ball, limiting turnovers, and getting out in transition on both ends, are keys to the game. In the first match, USC out-rebounded Arizona 32-31. Getting Dusan and Kadeem back eases any discomfort of rebounding, but the rest of the team must chip in. Boatwright is coming off a double-double (points and rebounds) and knows how to use his 6-foot-10 frame on the glass.
Arizona won the turnover battle in the first go-around 12-9. USC looks to push the ball every chance they get, So limiting the opportunities for USC to run will help the Wildcats in their transition game. You put less stress on your defense if you turn the ball over, and your team wears down faster.
Individually, Arizona will lean heavily on Lauri Markkanen and Trier, as expected. Lauri will have a lot to take on guarding and going against Boatwright. Bennie is extremely athletic and can be a nightmare to deal with.
Markkanen must stay disciplined on offense and defense. As of late the game plan for Lauri is to go inside. This will still be a focus, especially off of screens, but watch for Lauri to get back on track shooting from three.
Aside from Lauri and Allonzo, there are two other players who need to be effective when on the floor: Parker Jackson-Cartwright and Chance Comanche.
PJC has been remarkable as of late. It’s unknown how many minutes Allen will play, which makes PJC’s job crucial. His poise, confidence, and leadership, makes him a leader. He will need to be efficient with the ball in his hands, limiting turnovers. But now teams have to worry about his scoring ability.
During the Washington trip, PJC shot 7-10 from three, scored 31 points, had seven assists and stole the ball six times. It was the first time since his ankle injury we’ve seen the full repertoire of Parker.
“[ankle injury] really took him about eight weeks. I look at him now, whether it be in practice or a game, he’s become who he once was,” said Miller at his press conference, “Now, when you watch him shoot the basketball from three, he’s also returned to form. The way he shot the ball against Washington State and Washington is a big reason we won both of those games.”
Chance, aka ‘The Chief,’ will be called upon to play a heavier load with Dusan’s minutes up in the air. How he plays will have an effect on Arizona’s success.
The Wildcats won’t need him to go off for 20 and 10, although it would be more than welcomed, they will need him to hold his own as he did in Washington.
As of late, we’ve seen the tremendous growth and improvement from last season to today. The Chief posted numbers of eight points and five rebounds against WSU, and 13 points and seven rebounds against UW.
He only had a total of two turnovers and wasn’t ever in big foul trouble. If he can put up similar numbers against USC, the Trojans will have to take notice, which frees up space for others.
As long as Arizona plays their game, keeps up the energy and effort levels, a USC sweep should be in the bag.
The games this week are the last two games in McKale this season, so winning both is extremely important. Plus, Arizona is looking to extend their home-court winning streak. Everyone wants to play spoiler and beat Arizona at home, and of course, knock off who’s on top.
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Arizona vs. USC is scheduled for a 8:00 p.m. MST tip-off. You can catch the game on the Pac-12 Network. BEAR DOWN!