Arizona Wildcats Basketball: Anderson Shines as Wildcats Win 79-61

Arizona Wildcats start out slow but soon gathered their senses. Friday the 13th wouldn’t be playing any role in this game as Arizona handles Pacific.

Ahhh…it’s that time of year again, and it is a great one at that. Arizona Wildcats basketball kicked off the 2015/16 season with a Friday night game against Pacific. With early upsets across the country (ha-ha-ha ASU!! UCLA!! Wisconsin!!), the Wildcats showed they wouldn’t be part of that story.

Coach Sean Miller started the game with a starting five of Kadeem Allen at PG, Gabe York at SG, Mark Tollefsen at SF, Ryan Anderson at PF, and Kaleb Tarczewski at Center. With a lineup consisting of quickness, length, and solid shooting, Arizona quickly showed Pacific what they have to offer.

Nov 13, 2015; Tucson, AZ, USA; Arizona Wildcats forward Ryan Anderson (12) dunks the ball during the first half against the Pacific Tigers at McKale Center. Mandatory Credit: Casey Sapio-USA TODAY Sports

Zeus gave Arizona its first two points at the free throw line. Not much later he threw it down from an assist from Kadeem. With Gabe York having a more significant role going into this year, he did not shy away from the light. He started his night off with a three to match Pacific’s first bucket of the night.

The Wildcats traded a couple buckets back and forth with Pacific before Ryan Anderson made his presence known. Anderson rattled off four points in a row, seemingly picking up right where he left off after the exhibition win.

The score was only 15-9 with just under 12 minutes left in the first half. Things were moving kind of slowly for the Wildcats as they were still feeling each other out on the floor. After a pair of free throws from Zeus, and a couple of exchanges with Kadeem and Pacific, Arizona grew their lead to 10, 22-12, with close to 7 minutes left in the half.

Gabe York showed his smooth shooting in the first half by hitting a couple of three’s to help drive the lead. Allonzo Trier also made his mark by stroking it from long-range in the first half. Arizona’s head coach Sean Miller moved players in and out throughout the first half, showing the depth and range his team can play. With a combination of size, speed, and experience, the Wildcats were able to head into the half with a 41 – 24 point lead over Pacific.

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Arizona came out of the gate stronger than the beginning of the game. Anderson and Zeus each chipped in to get the Wildcats rolling, as Pacific never had a chance when it came to defending the two down low.  When you throw in Tollefsen, who had a quiet first half, the sheer power of Arizona is felt. Tollefsen came out with more fire and started his second half off nicely with a three-point play.

By about midway through the second half, Arizona had built their lead to 57-38. Coach Miller, as expected, used most of the second and third unit groups in the latter part of the second half. Parker Jackson-Cartwright, Dusan Ristic (who had a big 11 boards), Justin Simon, Allonzo Trier, and Chance Comanche saw a lot of playing time down the stretch. Even with the depth Arizona has, even Coach Miller himself was surprised with how fast he went to his backups. He had this quote after the game:

“I went with a very young group earlier than I normally would. I didn’t want to get anybody hurt here down the stretch.”

The second and third groups hit a dead zone for quite a stretch of time late in the game. Coach Miller could be seen getting upset for actually the first time in the game, for what only could have been the lack of effort and smart play late in the game. In fact, with just over a minute left in the game, Miller put his entire starting five back on the court to close it out. Kadeem Allen scored the final two points at the free throw, with four seconds left in the game.

The final score was Arizona 79 and Pacific 61. It may not have been the cleanest team game for the entire night, but this team is still learning to trust one another out on the court. One thing is for certain; you can put a lot of confidence in Kadeem Allen and Ryan Anderson.

Kadeem moved effortlessly out on the floor, showing that moving him to PG was a great move by Miller. He finished the night with 13 pts, 4-5 from the field, four rebounds, and five assists. He was one of four Arizona Wildcats with double-digit points. York had 13, Allen had 13, Tollefsen had 10, and Zeus chipped in with 9 pts.

Next: Welcome Home Triple Crown Winner and Arizona Wildcats Bob Baffert

The star of the night was Ryan Anderson, who finished the night with a double-double: 18 pts, 12 rebs, one assist. Arizona has an absolute stud in Anderson. It’s just too bad we only have him for one year, but he will be flirting with a double-double each and every night.

Here are a few things from the fans tonight:

Next up is Bradley, Monday night at 7:00 p.m. This is going to be a fun ride this year!