Arizona Basketball

Arizona Wildcats quick hits: ESPN lauds players Arizona has beaten

By Javier Morales

Posted on January 21, 2015

[rps-paypal]

[ezcol_1half id=”” class=”” style=””]

Some quick hits involving Arizona:

— If you have an ESPN Insider account, which I have, you’ll learn today that writer John Gasaway ranks the Top 25 players in college basketball, and two of the top three have played Arizona. They are Utah’s Delon Wright at No. 2 and Gonzaga’s Kyle Wiltjer at No. 3. Both lost at McKale Center this year as they were non-factors.

— Stanley Johnson is the lone Arizona player ranked No. 9 in Gasaway’s poll.

— ESPN analysts Jay Bilas and Jeff Goodman also rank the top point guards and backcourts. Wright is Goodman’s top point guard in the nation. The Arizona alum also likes Gonzaga’s Kevin Pangos to take the last shot in a game. Bilas likes Stanford’s Chasson Randle in that regard. Randle plays visiting Arizona tomorrow night.

— In a detailed DraftExpress.com video, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson’s defense on Wright is highlighted. Very good detail on the matchup by Mike Schmitz, who points out more than once how frontcourt players Kaleb Tarczewski and Brandon Ashley were instrumental in their help defense. The defense of Tarczewski and Ashley has been questioned this season.

— Tomorrow’s game at Maples Pavilion will pit the Pac-12 Player of the Week (Johnson) against the CBSSports.com National Player of the Week (Randle). The senior is averaging a Pac-12 best 19.8 points this season. Randle could pass Todd Lichti and become Stanford’s all-time leading scorer if the Cardinal make a run in the NCAA Tournament.

[/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:

[/ezcol_1half_end]

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.