Arizona Wildcats Productivity Report: Wing pairs big storyline to UA-Utah matchup

FOLLOW @JAVIERJMORALES ON TWITTER!

[rps-paypal]

Stanley Johnson must follow up his best productivity game with Arizona with another strong performance against Utah (ESPN screen shot)

[ezcol_1half id=”” class=”” style=””]

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 68, COLORADO 54
PRODUCTIVITY RATING
* — STARTERS
[table “” not found /]

PAC-12 RPI RATING
Present RPI ranking of the Pac-12.
[table “” not found /]

[/ezcol_1half]

[ezcol_1half_end id=”” class=”” style=””]

Site founder and award-winning sports journalist Javier Morales has published his first e-book, “The Highest Form of Living”, a fiction piece about a young man who overcomes a troubled upbringing without his lost father and wayward mother through basketball and hope. His hope is realized through the sport he loves. Basketball enables him to get past his fears. His experience on the court indirectly brings him closer to his parents in a unique, heartfelt way. Please order it at Amazon (for only $4.99) by clicking on the photo:

ARIZONA 68, COLORADO 54

The two most consistent productive players by far this season are Arizona’s wing-player standouts Stanley Johnson and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, who rival any top combinations at their positions that the Wildcats have offered over the years.

Some of the better wing combinations are Chris Mills–Khalid Reeves, Miles Simon–Michael Dickerson, Gilbert Arenas–Richard Jefferson, Salim Stoudamire–Luke Walton, Stoudamire-Hassan Adams and Nick Johnson–Solomon Hill.

The best of them all, in my opinion, was Mills and Reeves because of their ability to score inside and outside and play with finesse as well as a physical nature when necessary.

Stanley Johnson and Hollis-Jefferson are not the type of scorers Reeves and Mills were, especially in Miller’s balanced system, but they have the physicality to take over a game much like Reeves and Mills.

They have combined to lead Arizona in productivity in 10 of the Wildcats’ 15 games this season, including Johnson’s season-high 1.250 rating last night in the Wildcats’ 68-54 win over Colorado at McKale Center.

Johnson produced a career-high 22 points, including making 8 of 9 free-throw attempts along with three assists (with only one turnover) and two steals in 32 minutes.

Hollis-Jefferson and Johnson will not be tested better than what they will face tomorrow at McKale Center when matched up against Utah’s Jordan Loveridge and Delon Wright.

The tale of the tape (averages per game):

Johnson and Hollis-Jefferson: 25.5 points, 13.3 rebounds and 3.6 assists.

Wright and Loveridge: 26.4 points, 8.4 rebounds and 6.8 assists.

Johnson and Hollis-Jefferson are more paint-oriented with an attacking style, although Johnson has the ability to extend the defense with his perimeter shooting.

[/ezcol_1half_end]

[ezcol_1half id=”” class=”” style=””]

HOW ARE THEY DOING?
Present RPI ranking of Arizona’s non-conference opponents. Arizona is No. 9 with a strength-of-schedule ranking of No. 85.
[table “” not found /]

Wright and Loveridge are more fluid and perimeter oriented. Whereas the eyes of Johnson and Hollis-Jefferson are more to the rim to make things happen, Wright and Loveridge tend to set up their teammates more.

Johnson has a great respect for Wright with both having a Los Angeles background.

“I consider him a great player in college,” Johnson said last night after the game to reporters. “We’re from the same area, and I’ve played against him a couple of times. I think he does what he does really well.”

These four players — Johnson, Hollis-Jefferson, Wright and Loveridge — are at the core of their respective teams.

Which duo is the most productive tomorrow will translate to what team comes out on top.

Some of the variables involved include potential foul trouble, drawing fouls and making free throws and producing where they are best — Arizona’s duo on the boards and on defense and Utah’s duo with its scoring and ability to set up teammates for high-percentage shots.

Delon Wright: 21 points, 6 assists, 2 rebounds, 12-12 from the FT line #goutes #UTAHvsASU pic.twitter.com/6vhap9yCn0

— Utah Athletics (@utahathletics) January 16, 2015

[/ezcol_1half]

[ezcol_1half_end id=”” class=”” style=””]

SEASON PRODUCTIVITY RATING
[table “” not found /]

ARIZONA PAC-10/12
PLAYERS OF THE YEAR:
[table “” not found /]

ICYMI: Three top observations of #ArizonaWildcats’ 68-54 win over Colorado last night http://t.co/ig8O6vhysx

— Javier Morales (@JavierJMorales) January 16, 2015

[/ezcol_1half_end]

ARIZONA SCHEDULE/PRODUCTIVITY RESULTS
[table “” not found /]

ALLSPORTSTUCSON.com publisher, writer and editor Javier Morales is a former Arizona Press Club award winner. He has also written articles for Bleacher Report and Lindy’s College Sports.