Arizona: The good stats,
Scoring: 17th, (78.4 pts)
FG %: 17th, (.480)
13th in Offensive Efficiency
20th in FT%
14th in RPI
the “mediocre-average” stats
103rd in Assist/To ratio
80th in Defensive Efficiency
204th in Rebounding
Zona has only bad loss for the year. A 1 point loss at Oregon State on Jan 2. Their other 3 losses (Kansas, BYU, and Washington) aren’t so bad when realizing the context of those losses. Derrick Williams is a beast. At 19.7 pts, 8.1 reb, and a .631 FG% he is a darkhorse for a National Player of the Year. Completing the roster, they have in essence a solid 10 man rotation, with compatible contributors (Solomon Hill, Kyle Fogg, Lamont Jones). They are all adequate players that seem to round out the central focus of Zona’s offense: namely, Williams. Sean Miller has this team on a resurgence and a Sweet 16 is more than possible. I think they could get knocked out by a more efficient team who force the other Wildcat players to beat them. That being said, it seems as if as Williams goes, Arizona goes. But they shoot well…and if a couple of other players can emerge in the tournament, they could be one of those teams that could mirror an ’03 Syracuse team. #4 seed, freshman leading them (a la Carmelo) to the Promised Land in a plethora of upsets. Team Knight.
Kentucky: There is a lot to like about this team. I prefer this year’s squad over last year’s squad in terms of efficiency. They rank 14th in offensive efficiency and 20th in total rebounds per game. They rank 3rd in the nation in blocks/steals per game, 14th in 3 pt %, 17th in Strength of Schedule RPI rating, and are respectable in other key categories: (61st in TO/AS ratio, 65th in Defensive Efficiency, 100th in FT%). This team is clearly not as talented as last year’s, but due to a reasonably tough schedule and an accomplished (albeit, cheating) coach, they have the makings of a potential final four team. But that won’t happen. Highly skilled players with little experience as a group rarely do well in the NCAA Tournament. I could picture as high as an Elite 8 if the bracket gods are good to them. Their offensive scheme, to me, seems to feature a little bit too much isolation, relying on guards Knight and Liggins to take defenders one on one. Add in the fact, that they essentially play only a 7 man rotation, depth is hard to compensate for in a highly paced March. They look so much like an NBA team.
Makes sense, considering half of them will be probably be there next year. Major quality players with minor experience among the majority of them, formulate into a team worthy of a run, but not the chops to cut down the nets. Calipari’s recruiting will make it hard to compete for national championships year in and year out. Too much balance is lacking. Team Knight.
