Screening Report: Arizona Wildcats vs. Bulldogs Gonzaga | Arizona Wildcats Basketball

Likely entries: Arizona

G Justin Coleman (5-10 years old senior)

G Brandon Williams (freshman 6-2)

F Brandon Randolph (6-6 second year)

F Ryan Luther (6-9 years old senior)

C Chase Jeter (6-10 years old)

Probable starters: Gonzaga

G Zach Norvell Jr. (6-5 years old)

G Josh Perkins (6-3 senior)

F Corey Kispert (6-6 years old)

F Brandon Clarke (6-8 junior)

C Rui Hachimura (6-8 years old)

How they correspond

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History of the series

Arizona is 6-2 in what has become one of the most important rivalries in the West, even though two of the Wildcats' victories were won in overtime (an epic double overtime match in the tournament. the NCAA in 2003 and the McKale Center in 2014-2015). Arizona won both games in its most recent two-year series in 2014-15 and 2015-16 in Spokane, Washington, but Gonzaga beat AU 69-62 in Los Angeles during the season 2016-17.

How did they get here

Gonzaga defeated Illinois 84-78 in a Maui Invitational first-round match Monday, 23 points behind Rui Hachimura, while four other players scored double digits to make up for the Zags 22 reversals . Arizona beat Iowa State 71-66, led by Justin Coleman (18 points) and Chase Jeter (10 points, 12 rebounds).

Overview of Gonzaga

The top of the Zags' rotation could be as solid as the one that led them to the 2017 Final Four, but they are not as deep, making the loss of the Killian Tillie center particularly troublesome. Gonzaga coach Mark Few said he was counting on other players like Serbian rookie Filip Petrusev and junior Brandon Clarke to help further. Clarke is a product of Phoenix Desert Vista High School which has become an all-west choice of San Jose State before being transferred after the 2016-17 season. Few people do not worry a lot with a backyard run by Josh Perkins and Zach Norvell, Jr., although Illinois made them sweat Monday. Perkins had nine assists against Illinois, but struggled against Illini pressure and returned seven times. Reserve guard Geno Crandall also had five turnovers. Overall, even taking into account the match against Illinois, the Zags still have the fifth most effective attack of the country. The Zags hit 33.7% of their 3-pointers, 63.7% of their two-pointers and often go to the free throw line.

Who went out

The Gonzaga Killian Tillie Center is missing until December after undergoing surgery to repair a fatigue fracture in the ankle. Tillie is on Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's watch list as one of the best university basketball centers.

He said it

"We had some great battles during my 10 years here in Arizona, and before my arrival, Arizona and Gonzaga had real epic games. It's one of the best programs in the country. Mark Few and his staff are the best of the best and you see what you get with them. From one year to the next, it does not deviate a lot. We know that they like to push it in transition. "

– AU coach Sean Miller (his complete quotes on the podium can be found here).

Key actor: Rui Hachimura

Especially without Tillie, we rely on the Japanese import Zags for just about everything. He has the skills to do this, with athleticism and perimeter shooting that are surprising for his 6-foot-8 and 230-pound frame. Hachimura scored 23 points in 34 minutes against Illinois.

Key actor: Ryan Luther

Sean Miller has promised to get the Wildcats forward offensively on Monday after shooting twice against UTEP, and that has paid off. Luther scored 12 points and eight rebounds against Illinois, and he will have a tough match on Tuesday against Hachimura or Brandon Clarke.

He almost zagged

After Brandon Williams was disengaged from Arizona last March as a result of the federal survey on college basketball and an ESPN report according to which the AU coach Sean Miller reportedly discussed a payment scheme for the game, Williams went to Oregon and Gonzaga.

It was the second round for Few, who had already recruited Williams prior to his Arizona commitment.

"Love him, love him," said little, but he added that "it was a long road with Brandon."

According to Williams' father-in-law, Chris Wright, Gonzaga tried to sell Williams on the idea of ​​playing alongside Gonzaga guard Josh Perkins in the same way that Nigel Williams-Goss played with other guards.

But Williams instead chose to play for the Wildcats, where he is highly sought after while sharing the backyard with Justin Coleman.

"I do not know if one of us ever had the feeling of knowing what was happening with this recruiting, but he's a great kid," Few said of Williams. "A neat family and he is a very good player. That's why we all tried with such foolishness to take it and I think that now shows why. You can see not only talent but self-confidence, kind of all of that. "

Tight rotation

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By winning their first-round match, Arizona received an extra bonus on Tuesday: they will have the chance to play an evening game, which means they will have almost 24 hours of rest after beating the state of Iowa .

The overtime could be particularly important as Miller significantly increased his rotation on Monday: he played the five starters over 29 minutes, gave Ira Lee 13, Dylan Smith 12, but only nine to Emmanuel Akot and five to Alex Barcello .

Akot grabbed four rebounds but missed both shots he took, his two attempts to 3 points, while Barcello was 0-in-1 and made two fouls in five minutes.

"We did not play so much on our bench tonight because some guys did not seem as confident as they had been," Miller said. "I hope that now that we have one on our belt, they will be able to get back to shape.

"Part of what we love about our team this year is the nine, ten, six, seven and eight guys who really contributed, they have a role and we can play for long periods of time because we go under. So I hope we help, that's what we're going to do on Tuesday. "

He's not fooled

Because Gonzaga's coach, Mark Few, is a friend of Miller and he's already faced his team five times – the last three games having been decided on average by five points – he does not have a chance. did not buy everything that was about the situation. The Wildcats lost five starters last season.

"Every time you face Sean's teams, they are tough," Few said after Gonzaga defeated Illinois on Monday. "They will put themselves in your grill and they will protect you. They are physical, and it seems to me that they seem to really play well together and have a good pace in offense.

"I remember this summer, when people started to write them off and I did not stop informing the staff that they had six or seven five-star guys." not because they played behind the upper classes last year that they lost all their abilities. "

In reality, only Chase Jeter was a five-star player, but several others awarded four stars.

Numbers game

Bench points Iowa State scored against Arizona on Monday, the first time an opponent has not scored a bench point since the Wildcats beat UCLA 57-47 in 2014-15.

Straight Arizona wins in Hawaii, with a 3-0 Diamond Head Classic in 2012-13, a 3-0 Maui Invitational in 2014-15 and a 65-63 victory over Michigan State in the 2016 Armed Forces Classic. 17.

Aid without a business figure before Brandon Williams hires two in the second half Monday against the Iowa State. He now has 22 assists for two turnovers of the season.

Figures for Gonzaga in a 84-78 win against Illinois, who was chosen to finish 13th in the Big Ten.