What we learned about Arizona Basketball following Maui

Marred by ups and downs, here is what we learned about the Arizona Basketball team following the Maui Invitational Tournament.

A trip to the beautiful island Maui gave the Arizona Basketball team a chance to prove themselves against some of the nations best. A tournament which included Gonzaga, Auburn, Duke and Iowa State, the road would be daunting.

Well, following a packed, three-day packed, we now have a better idea about where our Wildcats stand just ahead of the remainder of our non-conference schedule as well as ahead of the Pac-12.

Arizona Wildcats

As most of us are well aware now, our Cats finished 1-2 in Maui. Arizona won the first game over Iowa State, but followed that opening round win with losses to No. 3 Gonzaga and No. 8 Auburn.

Looking on the bright side, the Cats did improve on their island performance from last year, when Arizona left Atlantis without a single win.

But aside from all that, there was plenty to learn from the tournament as fans and for the team as well!

The first lesson we learned about this years team is that they are fully bought into what Sean Miller is selling them. While the results are not quite what we were hoping for or expect at Arizona, it is clear that the effort and intensity level from this years’ team exceeds last year.

This can be seen in their effort given on defense and willingness to get up in the opponents faces on defense to force tough shots and challenging their opponents.

While the defense is still a work in progress, the other bright spot I saw was with Arizona’s trio of guards. Together, senior transfer Justin Coleman, sophomore Brandon Randolph and freshman Brandon Williams have been quite fun to watch in the back court.

The three of them are leading the charge when it comes to putting the ball in the basket and making the offense efficient, so long as they’re all clicking. When these guys are running on cylinders, the Wildcats can compete with anyone in the Country!

Now for the not so fun part, which are the weaknesses that were exposed in Maui. The first one I saw was the lack of size and depth on the front court. We are no longer blessed with having two seven footers in the middle of the paint in Deandre Ayton and Dusan Ristic.

While Chase Jeter has been a pleasant surprise so far, averaging 11.5 points and 7.2 rebounds per game, beyond that, Arizona’s post play hasn’t been particularly great. Both weaknesses can’t necessarily be fixed this season.

Moving forward, Arizona is going to need more from players like Ryan Luther and Ira Lee. Due to the lack of size and depth we’re accustomed to, we will have to rely on putting a body on someone, boxing out to get rebounds and being as efficient as possible here.

Arizona was out-rebounded in Maui, allowed too many second chance points and were greatly outscored from the bench. Arizona will need to work on the concept of boxing out, limiting those those opportunities for opposing teams and getting production beyond the likes of three or four players.

Another glaring weakness of this team was forcing highly contested or bad shots from beyond the arc. This led to transition points on the other end, which many could argue is what led to Gonzaga catching fire in the second half.

Whether the players are pressing or still trying to find a groove as a cohesive unit, these problems needs to be addressed sooner rather than later, especially if Arizona is going to improve and contend for a potential NCAA Tournament spot.

The Wildcats return to action next Thursday, when they take on Georgia Southern at home!

As Wildcats fans, we have to realize that this is a whole new team from last year, a whole new starting five that is still looking to find an identity as a team. Patience as a fan base will be critical as this team will continue to learn and grow through out the 2018 season. As always Go Cats and Bear Down!