Arizona Basketball: Fast Conference Play Start and Rest of the Season
Men’s Basketball has gotten off to a fast start with an undefeated conference record so far. What could this mean for the rest of the season?
This Saturday’s matchup against UCLA is another high-profile game in the Pac-12 schedule that will test Arizona’s undefeated conference record. The only other team also undefeated in conference play is the Oregon Ducks. These fast starts to the season are a déjà vu of the 2013-2014 season where Arizona and Cal both started 5-0.
That season Arizona finished conference play with a 15-3 record, made it to the championship game of the Pac-12 tournament and made it to the Elite Eight of the March Madness Tournament. Cal, on the other hand, finished 10-8 in conference play and made it to the quarterfinals of the NIT tournament. This can only show us that a season’s unpredictability is a variable that no one can calculate.
Next, up after this weekend’s trip to LA, the Cats head back to Tucson to play the Washington schools that have had a rough start to their respective seasons. Right now Washington sits at 9th in the Pac-12 rankings, and Washington State is right behind them at 10th. Both schools have the ability to score at will; however, their defenses are where they lack stability.
We could all predict that the Wildcats will sweep these teams and continue to pad their healthy conference record. Yet when we look at recent history, we stop ourselves from running the risk of overlooking these match-ups. We all remember the 4-overtime loss to USC last year that morally drowned the squad for the rest of the season.
What we do know is that reinforcements are on the way. Arizona’s 8-man roster could see the return of premier scoring guard Allonzo Trier if he passes his next medical evaluation for performance enhancing drugs. Until then, Arizona will have to Bear Down and keep the faith in the process and program in place.
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