Thursday, November 18, 2004
Sloppy Wildcats hopefully won't be as sloppy tonight
My disgust is a little late, yes, but here's my take on Arizona's game this past Tuesday.
In their win over San Diego, UofA looked bad. "Sloppy" is probably the best word to describe their play in the second half. Mustafa Shakur was the only player that I thought had a good game and even he made some careless passes. Ivan Radenovic's play was inspiring, though. No Christian Drejer here (sorry Florida fans).
Aside from the obvious criticisms about their virtually non-existent defense (and it was pathetic in the 2nd half, especially on the interior), one of my biggest complaints from last season so far has not been addressed by the staff: feed the ball inside to Channing Frye. This guy is at least one of the three best centers in the country and can fill it up if you get him the rock. UA lives and dies far too much on the perimeter. If you want to win, you get Frye the ball consistently. He should be taking at least 12-15 shots a game. Period. It's imperative that he be the focal point of the offense.
And where was Hassan Adams???
San Diego's roster looks pretty different from last year's and I expect that team to be much more competitive this season. It's also possible that Arizona just lost interest in the second half after dominating and building a comfortable lead in the first. Season openers are never a team's best performance. Also, missing Isiah Fox (because he got fat) probably hurt a bit as far as slowing down USD in the middle. Those are the reasons why Arizona fans shouldn't be crying just yet. Still... not a good game for the Wildcats.
After they beat Wright St. tonight ("when", not "if"), they have a tricky Michigan squad waiting for them. I think the much-improved Wolverines will provide a good test and set a barometer for where Arizona really is at. Still hoping to see a Zona v. Wake matchup in the pre-NIT final.
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In their win over San Diego, UofA looked bad. "Sloppy" is probably the best word to describe their play in the second half. Mustafa Shakur was the only player that I thought had a good game and even he made some careless passes. Ivan Radenovic's play was inspiring, though. No Christian Drejer here (sorry Florida fans).
Aside from the obvious criticisms about their virtually non-existent defense (and it was pathetic in the 2nd half, especially on the interior), one of my biggest complaints from last season so far has not been addressed by the staff: feed the ball inside to Channing Frye. This guy is at least one of the three best centers in the country and can fill it up if you get him the rock. UA lives and dies far too much on the perimeter. If you want to win, you get Frye the ball consistently. He should be taking at least 12-15 shots a game. Period. It's imperative that he be the focal point of the offense.
And where was Hassan Adams???
San Diego's roster looks pretty different from last year's and I expect that team to be much more competitive this season. It's also possible that Arizona just lost interest in the second half after dominating and building a comfortable lead in the first. Season openers are never a team's best performance. Also, missing Isiah Fox (because he got fat) probably hurt a bit as far as slowing down USD in the middle. Those are the reasons why Arizona fans shouldn't be crying just yet. Still... not a good game for the Wildcats.
After they beat Wright St. tonight ("when", not "if"), they have a tricky Michigan squad waiting for them. I think the much-improved Wolverines will provide a good test and set a barometer for where Arizona really is at. Still hoping to see a Zona v. Wake matchup in the pre-NIT final.
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