Sweet sweep by Wildcats, Arizona Basketball beats rival ASU in rematch

With NBA Scouts in the house, the Wildcats traveled to Tempe Normal to take on rival ASU in front of one of the biggest crowds ASU has had in many years.

Was Bobby Hurley going to get ejected in this game? We hoped so, but instead, the referee tossed an Arizona Cheerleader. It was probably worth it, but we are dying to know what he said that got him ejected. Arizona Basketball starters Deandre Ayton, Allonzo Trier, Dusan Ristic, Parker Jackson- Cartwright and Rawle Alkins showed up when it counted to put another notch in

Arizona’s win column keeping them in first place with an 11-3, 21-6 record. The Wildcats will travel back to Tucson with another win in their pocket (77-70), sweeping the ASU Sun Devils in the regular conference season.

Arizona Wildcats Basketball

The Cylinder rule is not enforced properly by the referees. There was a foul called on Deandre Ayton  Fran Fraschilla was dead on, “I’m still stunned about how that was a foul on Deandre Ayton, I’d be losing my mind if I was in that game.” It was kind of a turning point in the game, seemed like it anyway. It got the fans, and Bobby Hurley all jacked up. So again, the referee’s were a factor in the game. Hate when that happens.

“Gotta pass it to the guys in the blue,” Said Sean Miller at the half after being asked what his team needed to do.

First half highlights:

• PJC scored the first five points with an acrobatic layup and a three-pointer followed by a steal. He got three fouls, and that hurt the team on defense because he was sitting on the bench.
• Dusan Ristic scored back-to-back three’s within 39 seconds in the first half.
• Deandre Ayton scored eight points, and Allonzo Trier scored seven points and dished three dimes before the halfway mark of the first half.
• Ira Lee blocked a shot causing Hurley to get fired up because they thought he went backcourt.
• Rawle Alkins had a rough first half missing five of six shots, but made both free throws and played some great defense.
• Arizona blew an 18-point lead, ASU came back on three’s to come within one point with 1:47 to go in the half 39-38.

Key’s to the second half was simple. Alkins needed to make more of his shots, Ayton needed the ball more, everyone had to hit their free throws, and PJC had to be on the court.

Second half highlights:

• The Sun Devils started picking up the Wildcats at half court, which caused some issues for Arizona, fell behind. ASU went on a 31-6 run in 10:30 minutes.
• Ristic was shooting nicely, missed only one shot through 26 minutes.
• ASU committed five team fouls six minutes in, Arizona had none. Mickey Mitchell had committed four fouls and had to sit with 13:15 left.
• Arizona had turned over the ball more than ASU, which seemed to be the difference in the score.
• Tra Holder went cold, hadn’t scored in the second half for 12 minutes, but started his run in the last six minutes.
• Alkins scored a much-needed put back layup and got the foul call making his free throw in front of the curtain of distraction. Note: Keanu Pinder made his two free-throws as well.
• Ayton earned a double-double with over six minutes left.
• The team made 21-27 free throws.
• Second half Arizona dominated on the boards, Ayton got eight defensive rebounds by himself, the team racked up 44 total, 29 in the second half.

Team Leaders:

Postgame comments on ESPN and TuneIn (Arizona IMG Network):

“Deandre was extremely focused tonight, from the outset you could just see that he was really dialed into having an impact on this game and he certainly did,” said coach Lorenzo Romar after the game talking about going inside to Ayton was the key to the game. “When they came back on us, we got away from throwing the ball inside, and coach Miller did a great job of making sure that we understood that we needed to get the ball inside and that’s what we did, changed the game,” explained Romar.

Romar sees the team growing, understands their roles, that the team knows who is going to get shots where and the players understand their schemes better, “The group comes out expecting to win because we know we are going to play the right way.”

Tim Legler on ESPN feels Deandre Ayton will be the number one pick, “He’s got a great soft touch when he goes pick and pop — he can shoot either block, either shoulder, either hand — his vision is sensational, and it has improved as the year has gone on because he has seen more double teams. — Also a guy you can run the offense through — I think the one thing that separates him from everybody else is there are great rebounders, and there are just flat-out men in the paint. Deandre Ayton has the ability to not only just get the ones that come to him. He will chase them down block to block.”

Bobby Hurley on Deandre Ayton (via House of Sparky):

"“He may be the best big I’ve seen in college as a player and as a coach,” Hurley said. “He doesn’t get that tired either. We had him on the perimeter, running him around on ball screens and think it might be easier for guards to go by, but he holds his own under the basket on defense.”"

Deandre on the Curtain of Distraction, the Wrestler, caught him a little bit:

Miller on ASU and who his team had to guard, and his strategy of keeping Ayton staying guarding one guy:

Miller post game speech to the team with Nick Johnson and Stanley Johnson in the locker room:

Next: More on Arizona Basketball from ZZ..

It’s NBA All-Star weekend, and the Wildcats get a week to practice and rest a bit before flying to Oregon to take on the Ducks and the Beavers again starting next Thursday.