Arizona Basketball: Three things we learned from the road sweep

The Arizona Basketball men’s team left the state of Washington with a sweep and the boost of confidence it needs to get back to the top of the Pac-12. Here are three things we learned from these last two games.

The Pac-12 season has been nothing but crazy so far and still plenty of games to be played. For Arizona Basketball, heading into the state of Washington they had yet to win a Pac-12 road game. No more. They showed what it meant to Bear Down and got the job done.

A full team effort in both games against the Washington Huskies and Washington State Cougars led to the first road sweep in the Pac-12. They are now tied with four other teams with three losses. Crazy to think this is the same Arizona that was picked to finish fourth during Pac-12 media day.

More importantly, we learned three things from this team that they will need to continue to do the remainder of the season in order to be in the best position to possibly with the Pac-12 regular season, Pac-12 Tournament and make a deep run during the NCAA Tournament.

Up next for the Wildcats is USC and UCLA at home. Big opportunity for this team to secure the No.1 spot in the Pac-12 conference. For that to happen though, they need to continue these three things, starting with sustained effort.

Sustained effort. Getting a win in the Pac-12 seems to be harder than usual this season, but getting one on the road is even more difficult. What is required more then anything is 40 minutes of sustained effort, which is what the Wildcats did against both the Huskies and Cougars.

It is easier said then done, but if this team wants to be great, get back to the top of the Pac-12 and make a deep run during March they have to bring it for 40 minutes. Any sort of mental lapses on either side of the court can be costly. In both games, they limited this and help them achieve success.

Even when at times the offensive wasn’t there, on defense they locked down and made it difficult for their opponent to get good looks. When the offensive was on fire, it made it even more difficult for the Huskies or Cougars to get on any significant runs and take control of the game.

One other important factor was how the Wildcats’ freshman starting three handled themselves in both games. Being the first time they played both schools on the road, they remained focused and gave everything they had, even when shots weren’t falling, which is a great sign for this team moving forward

Experienced players stepped up. When the starting five is made up of three freshmen, who are counted on to deliver night in and night out, it’s important for the experienced players on the team to step up and deliver. That they did in a big way!

Against the Huskies, Jemarl Baker had a season-high 17 points, including the game-winning three to put the Wildcats ahead for good. On a night in which they were struggling from three, Baker came up huge. Watching the replay, you could tell he wanted to take that shot and was ready to knock it and he did!

Then two nights later it was Gettings turn. The Wildcats were struggling to shoot the ball, but it was Gettings who was getting in the middle of the zone and knocking down the mid-range jumper. He finished with his first double-double, 19 and 12.

These two players, who both happen to be transfers, showed what can happen when experienced players on the team step up and deliver. Going forward, other players such as Ira Lee, Dylan Smith and Max Hazzard (and maybe Chase Jeter too if he gets better) will need to perform at the same level to make this a dangerous Wildcat team.

Dominating the paint. The last thing we learned about this team is what can happen when they dominate the paint. Rebounding and high percentage shooting down low led to the Wildcats taking full control of both games. In today’s game of college basketball it’s all about shooting the three, but the way this team played it showed that dominating the boards and making twos is just as efficient.

In both games combined the Wildcat outrebound their opponents 76-68. If you break down that stat even further, they had the edge on the offensive glass in both games. Against the Huskies, 10-5, and versus the Cougars 12-4. That’s huge! Those types of numbers resulted in second-chance points and limited their opponent from grabbing the board and going on the fast break. More importantly, it shows everyone is getting involved and doing their job boxing out.

Besides the rebounding, it was the bigs for the Wildcats that delivered. With Jeter still out, Nnaji, Gettings, Lee and Christian Koloko have seen an increase of minutes and responsibility. Since Gettings has stepped into the starting lineup, he is proving to be the x-factor so far.

During the road sweep, Gettings had 32 points and 15 rebounds, Nnaji had 19 points and 18 rebounds, Lee had five points and seven rebounds and Koloko had two points and six rebounds. Those type of numbers, combined with the guards for the Wildcats getting it down as well in various ways, is what this team needs going forward to have the best chance of making some noise during the postseason.

See what Sean Miller had to say after his team accomplished the road sweep:

https://twitter.com/APlayersProgram/status/1223999603797704704?s=20

At Zona Zealots, we love when this team plays to its full potential because we know how good this team can be. Arizona Basketball now heads back up to face USC and UCLA. Buckle up, things are about to get really exciting! As always, Bear Down, Arizona!