The Arizona Wildcats center Dusan Ristic just completed his junior season. Let’s take an in-depth look on how this year went for him.
Dusan Ristic has the most beautiful floater in the NCAA. That said, Wildcats fans had a love frustration relationship with the big man this season. Fans can agree that watching Dusan Ristic play defense this year made them go crazy at times, but at the end of the day, you gotta love the guy. This year he started 34 games for the Arizona Wildcats and was a key contributor to the team’s inside play.
There were times when he struggled on the inside, whether it was a turnover or an easy miss down low. Ristic, however, was able to find ways to score, rebound and defend against the other team’s big men.
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From his sophomore to junior season there was a significant improvement:
- Ristic went from averaging seven points a year ago to almost 11 points per game this season.
- He averaged almost six rebounds a game compared to four rebounds per game the previous season.
- Minutes per game increased as well for Ristic, averaging about 23 minutes a game.
Over the course of the season, Ristic’s confidence grew. In 25 out of the 36 games played (he was out one game against Washington due to injury), Ristic scored in double digits, made 55.6 percent of his shots and earned two double-doubles.
| Rk | Date | School | Opponent | MP | FG | FG% | 2P | 2P% | 3P | 3P% | FT | FT% | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2016-11-11 | Arizona | Michigan State | 18 | 1 | .167 | 1 | .167 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2 | 2016-11-15 | Arizona | Cal State Bakersfield | 21 | 2 | .286 | 2 | .286 | 0 | 2 | 1.000 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | |
| 3 | 2016-11-18 | Arizona | Sacred Heart | 22 | 6 | .600 | 6 | .600 | 0 | 1 | .500 | 15 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 13 | |
| 4 | 2016-11-21 | Arizona | Northern Colorado | 19 | 3 | .500 | 3 | .500 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | ||
| 5 | 2016-11-24 | Arizona | Santa Clara | 26 | 6 | .545 | 6 | .545 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 12 | |
| 6 | 2016-11-25 | Arizona | Butler | 22 | 3 | .500 | 3 | .500 | 0 | 2 | 1.000 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | |
| 7 | 2016-11-30 | Arizona | Texas Southern | 21 | 4 | .500 | 4 | .500 | 0 | 2 | .667 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 10 | |
| 8 | 2016-12-03 | Arizona | Gonzaga | 23 | 4 | .500 | 4 | .500 | 0 | 4 | .571 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 12 | |
| 9 | 2016-12-06 | Arizona | UC-Irvine | 30 | 8 | .727 | 8 | .727 | 0 | 2 | 1.000 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 18 | |
| 10 | 2016-12-10 | Arizona | Missouri | 28 | 3 | .375 | 3 | .375 | 0 | 6 | 1.000 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 12 | |
| 11 | 2016-12-14 | Arizona | Grand Canyon | 31 | 4 | .800 | 4 | .800 | 0 | 3 | .750 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 11 | |
| 12 | 2016-12-17 | Arizona | Texas A&M | 26 | 8 | .667 | 8 | .667 | 0 | 2 | 1.000 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 18 | |
| 13 | 2016-12-20 | Arizona | New Mexico | 26 | 3 | .429 | 3 | .429 | 0 | 2 | 1.000 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 8 | |
| 14 | 2016-12-30 | Arizona | University of California | 28 | 8 | .800 | 8 | .800 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 16 | ||
| 15 | 2017-01-01 | Arizona | Stanford | 19 | 7 | .700 | 7 | .700 | 0 | 2 | 1.000 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | |
| 16 | 2017-01-05 | Arizona | Utah | 26 | 7 | .700 | 7 | .700 | 0 | 4 | .800 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 18 | |
| 17 | 2017-01-07 | Arizona | Colorado | 33 | 7 | .467 | 7 | .467 | 0 | 3 | .600 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | |
| 18 | 2017-01-12 | Arizona | Arizona State | 25 | 6 | .667 | 5 | .625 | 1 | 1.000 | 3 | 1.000 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 16 |
| 19 | 2017-01-19 | Arizona | USC | 27 | 2 | .400 | 2 | .400 | 0 | 3 | .500 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | |
| 20 | 2017-01-21 | Arizona | UCLA | 22 | 4 | .500 | 4 | .500 | 0 | 3 | 1.000 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | |
| 21 | 2017-01-26 | Arizona | Washington State | 25 | 6 | .667 | 6 | .667 | 0 | 1 | .500 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | |
| 22 | 2017-01-29 | Arizona | Washington | 24 | 5 | .556 | 5 | .556 | 0 | 2 | 1.000 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 12 | |
| 23 | 2017-02-02 | Arizona | Oregon State | 23 | 4 | .571 | 4 | .571 | 0 | 2 | 1.000 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 10 | |
| 24 | 2017-02-04 | Arizona | Oregon | 20 | 6 | .600 | 6 | .600 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | ||
| 25 | 2017-02-08 | Arizona | Stanford | 26 | 1 | .200 | 1 | .200 | 0 | 2 | 1.000 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | |
| 26 | 2017-02-11 | Arizona | University of California | 31 | 6 | .462 | 6 | .462 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 12 | ||
| 27 | 2017-02-16 | Arizona | Washington State | 12 | 1 | .167 | 1 | .167 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 28 | 2017-02-23 | Arizona | USC | 18 | 5 | .625 | 5 | .625 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 10 | ||
| 29 | 2017-02-25 | Arizona | UCLA | 23 | 1 | .333 | 1 | .500 | 0 | .000 | 1 | .500 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 30 | 2017-03-04 | Arizona | Arizona State | 15 | 1 | .143 | 1 | .143 | 0 | 2 | 1.000 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | |
| 31 | 2017-03-09 | Arizona | Colorado | 21 | 7 | .875 | 7 | .875 | 0 | 1 | .250 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 15 | |
| 32 | 2017-03-10 | Arizona | UCLA | 18 | 5 | .833 | 5 | .833 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | ||
| 33 | 2017-03-11 | Arizona | Oregon | 13 | 2 | .667 | 2 | .667 | 0 | 1 | 1.000 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | |
| 34 | 2017-03-16 | Arizona | North Dakota | 19 | 5 | .500 | 5 | .500 | 0 | 2 | 1.000 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 12 | |
| 35 | 2017-03-18 | Arizona | Saint Mary’s (CA) | 18 | 6 | .667 | 6 | .667 | 0 | 1 | 1.000 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 13 | |
| 36 | 2017-03-23 | Arizona | Xavier | 23 | 7 | .700 | 7 | .700 | 0 | 3 | 1.000 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 17 | |
| 36 Games | 822 | 164 | .556 | 163 | .556 | 1 | .500 | 62 | .765 | 197 | 16 | 11 | 16 | 391 |
Provided by CBB at Sports Reference: View Original Table
Generated 4/11/2017.
Here are some highlights from one of Ristic’s 18-point game against Texas A&M.
Enjoy some photos of Ristic during this season:
Nov 11, 2016; Honolulu, HI, USA; Arizona Wildcats center Dusan Ristic (14) takes a shot against Michigan State Spartans forward Kenny Goins (25) at the Stan Sheriff Center . Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
March 18, 2017; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Arizona Wildcats center Dusan Ristic (14) is defended by Saint Mary’s Gaels fguard Joe Rahon (25) and center Jock Landale (34) during the first half in the second round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at Vivint Smart Home Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports
January 21, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins forward TJ Leaf (22) moves to the basket against Arizona Wildcats center Dusan Ristic (14) during the second half at Pauley Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 11, 2017; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Arizona Wildcats center Dusan Ristic (14) dunks during the Pac-12 Conference Championship game against the Oregon Ducks at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 11, 2017; Tucson, AZ, USA; Arizona Wildcats center Dusan Ristic (14) celebrates after scoring during the second half against the California Golden Bears at McKale Center. Arizona won 62-57. Mandatory Credit: Casey Sapio-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 11, 2017; Tucson, AZ, USA; Arizona Wildcats center Dusan Ristic (14) drives to the basket as California Golden Bears center Kingsley Okoroh (22) defends during the second half at McKale Center. Arizona won 62-57. Mandatory Credit: Casey Sapio-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 25, 2017; Tucson, AZ, USA; Arizona Wildcats guard Allonzo Trier (35) and center Dusan Ristic (14) react to a call during the second half against the UCLA Bruins at McKale Center. UCLA won 77-72. Mandatory Credit: Casey Sapio-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 12, 2017; Tucson, AZ, USA; Arizona Wildcats center Dusan Ristic (14) celebrates after scoring against the Arizona State Sun Devils during the first half at McKale Center. Mandatory Credit: Casey Sapio-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 11, 2017; Tucson, AZ, USA; Arizona Wildcats center Dusan Ristic (14) shoots the ball as California Golden Bears center Kameron Rooks (44) defends during the second half at McKale Center. Arizona won 62-57. Mandatory Credit: Casey Sapio-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 17, 2016; Houston, TX, USA; Arizona Wildcats center Dusan Ristic (14) dunks the ball during the first half against the Texas A&M Aggies at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
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Next year we look forward to seeing more of Ristic’s inside presence and senior leadership on the court. Bear Down Ristic!