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Point guard T.J. McConnell says UA men are 'motivated' by doubters http://t.co/pPMCgInr2B #azcsports #BearDown #Pac12
— Paul Barrett (@paulbarrett6) February 10, 2014
WHAT IS PRODUCTIVITY RATING?:
PP: Productivity Points (Points, assists, rebounds, steals, blocked shots, FGs made, FTs made added together and then subtracted by missed FGs, missed FTs, personal fouls and turnovers)
MIN: Minutes played overall
PR: Productivity rating per minute played (Productivity points divided by minutes played)
ARIZONA 76, OREGON STATE 54
PRODUCTIVITY RATING
* — STARTERS
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The Arizona Wildcats do not beat a team with their scorers because they don’t have a Derrick Williams, Khalid Reeves or Michael Dickerson.
Their top scorer is Nick Johnson, who is averaging 15.9 points a game, which ranks tenth in the Pac-12. The Wildcats are the only upper-division conference team with one player among the top 25 scorers in the league.
Washington State (none in the top 25) and USC (only Byron Wesley at No. 6 with 17.3 points a game) are similarly void of scorers, but they are at the bottom of the Pac-12 standings because they are lacking in most facets.
OFFENSIVE REBOUND PERCENTAGE
Offensive rebound percentage is an estimate of the percentage of available offensive rebounds a team grabs
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Arizona coach Sean Miller knows the Wildcats, who play five of their last seven games on the road, have a chance in every game because of his team’s hustle on defense and rebounding. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson is not yet a skilled shooter or scorer, but he epitomizes the Wildcats with his relentless style.
Oregon coach Dana Altman, whose team is the most disappointing in the Pac-12 this season, should be envious of Miller’s personnel despite the Ducks having three players ranked among the top 25 scorers in the league (Joseph Young, No. 5; Mike Moser, No. 20; and Jason Calliste, No. 22).
Oregon and Oregon State are the only teams with three players each among the top 25 scorers. Their combined Pac-12 record: 8-14.
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TOP FIVE ARIZONA REBOUNDING TEAMS
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Nick Johnson is in a shooting slump but his defense remains as strong as ever
Arizona is 2-0 without Brandon Ashley, who averaged 11.5 points a game and extended the defense with his ability to shoot from the perimeter.
The difference: Arizona’s rebounding (after Miller questioned his team’s collective manhood at halftime of the Oregon game) and the Wildcats’ suffocating defense. Matt Muehlebach, who knows the Wildcat program as well as anybody being a broadcaster and former player, said last night during the Pac-12 Networks telecast that this is the best Arizona defense that he has seen.
The Wildcats rank ninth nationally and first in the Pac-12 in offensive rebounding percentage, which means Miller is getting the most out of his team with second-chance points. Arizona outscored Oregon State 13-0 in putbacks last night.
CAREER POINTS SCORED
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With such an effort devoted to rebounding and defense, it’s a wonder that Arizona shot 50 percent from the field against Oregon State.
Johnson is in a 10-for-40 shooting slump from the field in the last three games. He has missed 12 consecutive three-pointers since making the go-ahead shot at Stanford on Jan. 29. Aaron Gordon broke out of his 11-for-42 shooting funk with an 8-for-12 performance against the Beavers.
They deserve a pass for their shooting slumps because of the amount of energy they expend on defense. Pac-12 leading scorer Roberto Nelson scored 12 points below his average (with only 10) mostly going against Johnson. That means Johnson was worth much more than his 10 points he scored for the Wildcats. His defense set the tone.
Johnson will again face a difficult task in his return home to Phoenix, playing at ASU on Friday. Jermaine Marshall, who missed the game against Arizona last month with a groin injury, ranks 12th in the Pac-12 scoring 15.6 a game.
Jahii Carson ranks No. 3 at 19 a game. T.J. McConnell’s defense on Carson will be significant.
Defense and rebounding matter the most. As Miller and Arizona can attest, scoring opportunities and a chance to be in every game will come because of that effort.
PAC-12 STANDINGS
MN-Magic number to win regular-season title
z-Eliminated from regular-season title contention
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PAC-12 RPI (ESPN.com)
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LOWEST HIGH SCORE ALLOWED IN A SEASON
BY ARIZONA WILDCATS AT McKALE CENTER
*Two home games remaining
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ARIZONA OVERALL PRODUCTIVITY RATING
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ARIZONA PAC-10/12
PLAYERS OF THE YEAR:
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MOST AP TOP 5 APPEARANCES
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2013-14 AP RANKINGS
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ARIZONA SCHEDULE/PRODUCTIVITY RESULTS
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WILDABOUTAZCATS.net publisher, writer and editor Javier Morales is a former Arizona Press Club award winner. He also writes articles for Bleacher Report and Lindy’s College Sports.
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