Last week, Arizona held on to their top ranking in the AP poll by only one point. With Michigan’s loss to unranked Wisconsin, the Cats should be the unanimous #1 team in the country come Monday.
What’s Not to Love
Evan Miyakawa posted soon after the Wolverines loss but just before tipoff of the Cats game against the Horned Frogs.
Consistent is right. Arizona is just rock solid right now. It says a lot when a game is “edge of your seat” worthy because the lead is hovering around 10. When a team is this good, it can start to seem less impressive as each game goes by. I have been trying to remind myself to enjoy every minute of it. Here’s some things I have loved in the last two games:
Braden Burries Defensive Improvement
Burries rebounding has been a topic recently1 but his defense is quietly his biggest leap. After the Utah game, Burries was asked about how he was being guarded and instead answered about how is guarding:2
“I just felt like at the beginning of the year, I was like a little new to new to this. In high school I didn’t really guard guards. So when I got to college, I started learning a little techniques, and I’m still learning to this day. And Coach is just like, he’s on me. I just feel like I’m getting better and better by the game.”
This makes a ton of sense. Burries certainly has the body to cover forwards, especially at the high school level. And while he has been decent on the ball, I think navigating off ball actions (e.g., chasing guards around multiple screens) is something that took some getting used to. That’s why I’ve been so encouraged to see his extra effort recently. Burries even gets rewarded with the dunk after his pass denial leads to a Bradley steal in the third clip.
Defensive Synergy
Arizona’s defense sits fourth in the nation according to KenPom, but they keep getting better.
We covered Arizona’s offensive use of Spain PnR sets versus San Diego State. This is a common action that many teams use. Arizona first saw this on the defensive end in their exhibition game versus Embry-Riddle and had mixed results trying to switch the action.
A few months later, check out how smooth the switches are with Krivas identifying and dropping back early to let the defender of the backscreening guard get up to take the ball handler. Just beautiful.
Interestingly, Krivas was not dropping, but hedging against TCU’s Iverson Series. Look how far Dwayne Aristode and Ivan Kharchenkov come to tag Krivas’s man rolling, with the backside defender (Awaka/Peat) splitting the distance between two men on the weakside. Everyone is communicating and moving together on a string.
Motiejus Krivas Verticality
Krivas is averaging just under two blocks per game, yet advanced analytics rate him as one of the best defenders in the country. Why?
None of the plays in the clips below show up in the box score (i.e., not blocks) but they all stopped the Horned Frogs from scoring. The best way to attack Krivas is downhill with a head of steam. Players who try to finesse their way around him are at a severe disadvantage.
Koa Peat Rim Runs
Okay, that’s enough defensive talk, lets talk offense.
Outsiders might think Coach Lloyd’s two big system is plodding but any big men that play at Arizona must run the floor. See where Peat is on the shot in the second clip? Watch his first three steps in which he passes two TCU players and is well on his way to being the first man down the floor.
Jaden Bradley “45 Cuts”
Bradley excels at recognizing where there is opportunity to cut once the ball goes into the post area. These 45 cuts, where Bradley starts on the wing and cuts behind the defenders into the paint both open up shots for himself and passes to others by making the defense collapse. A small thing but so valuable.
Late Clock Snipers
I thought it was great for Anthony Dell’Orso to end up with the ball in his hands with the shot clock draining early against TCU. For a shooter thats been slumping, it’s kind of great to get one where you don’t have time to think about it and just have to fire. Same thing happened late in the game.
Not to be outdone, Koa Peat had three baskets of his own creation go down with 10 or less on the shot clock. While I don’t always love some of the contested midrange jumpers at other points in the clock, it is really nice to have a guy that you know can get a decent shot off at any time.
And of course, Jaden Bradley, The Closer, was as clutch as ever knocking down one tough shot after another late.
BLOB Watch
If you haven’t had a chance, here’s another shameless plug to view my breakdown of Arizona’s baseline out of bounds plays.
Against TCU, Arizona had seven BLOB opportunities and ran almost exclusively triangle (screen the screener) and high cut, double screen actions. They got Koa Peat open on an early triangle set, but continue to settle for midrange jumpers on a couple of others. This was a criticism I had in my breakdown of both of these plays.
Meanwhile, against Kansas State, Arizona used a play that I had not seen this year, starting with four high and then X’ing back to back pairs. My guess is that this was a counter to K-State’s matchup zone type defense on ball out underneath. A reminder that Arizona struggled earlier this year against Florida, who played it similarly.
Use It or Lose It
NCAA rules give teams four timeouts per game but one of those must be used in the first half or else it is lost. Arizona has lost eight time outs in the 16 games it has played. Most of those were in blowouts, but also included games against UCONN and San Diego State, which were close at the half.
Of the nine first half timeouts taken3, five have occurred with less than 40 seconds remaining for the Cats final offensive possession, including against both of the last two opponents.4
I’m thoroughly team Trust in Tommy, but he may be being a little too conservative with his timeouts.5 This seemed like a good time to bring it up since Arizona went scoreless against TCU from 6:30 to 2:00 left without intervention.
Two For One
As long as we are talking end of half, the Wildcats don’t appear to be a team that believes much in trying to take advantage of two for one opportunities.
Analytics would tell you that getting two medium quality shots is better than trying to get one good shot and therefore it is optimal if you can get a quick look with 40-45 seconds left and then get the ball back for an extra possession6. However, some coaches worry that they will end up with two bad shots trying to execute the optimal.
Arizona had great opportunities to push the ball for such a look after baskets by Utah and Kansas State with 51 and 57 seconds left, respectfully. In both cases, they chose to walk the ball up the floor instead.
Don’t Look Now
Let’s close with Jaden Bradley channeling Steph Curry with this dribble-back three and the look-away to the bench before the splash. I see you Chef Jaden.
Next up: Home versus “the team from up north” on Wednesday, January 14th, 8:30PM MST.
He has 26 rebounds in the last three games.
Credit Juan Serrano for transcription.
They took two in the first half against South Dakota State. Is it possible they forgot they took one at 4:16 and thought they were using the use-it-or-lose-it at 0:37?
Koa Peat’s jumper against TCU was the first points scored coming out of one of those end-of-half timeouts.
Arizona has used 22 of its allotted 64 timeouts so far this season, winning challenges excluded.
30 second shot clock.