Notes and Numbers: Arizona Wildcats vs. Oregon

LAS VEGAS, Nev. — Ryan Anderson is in select company when it comes to rebounding in a season, only 58 shy of matching Jordan Hill’s school-record 375 set in 2008-09 under interim coach Russ Pennell. Hill was Lute Olson’s second recruited player to record at least 300 rebounds in a season. Ben Davis had 313 in 1995-96. Anderson is Sean Miller’s third player to eclipse 300 with his 317 following another triple-double (17 points and 11 rebounds) against Colorado on Thursday here. Derrick Williams had 314 in 2010-11 and Aaron Gordon posted 303 in 2013-14. I immediately had to research stats because I thought Pete Williams and Michael Wright must have produced more than 300 rebounds in a season. Wright came close in 1999-2000 with 297. Williams had 278 in 1983-84, Olson’s first season at Arizona …

— In terms of rebounding, Arizona hopes to literally rebound against Oregon today in the semifinals of the Pac-12 tournament at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. The Wildcats allowed Colorado too many second chances in the 82-78 win yesterday as the Buffaloes pulled down 25 offensive rebounds, which translated to a 34-24 scoring edge of points in the paint. Colorado often did not cash in on those second opportunities because Arizona matched in second-chance points with 26. The Wildcats might not be so lucky to win if that kind of effort, or lack thereof, happens against Oregon today. “We didn’t play hard; we didn’t box out,” Kadeem Allen told reporters afterward. “(Colorado’s) 25 offensive rebounds is probably a record for Coach Miller. Our lack of effort sticks out the most.” Those words must make Miller’s blood boil. Entering the Colorado game, the Wildcats ranked third in the nation in defensive rebounding percentage at .766 (according to KenPom) and sixth in rebounding margin at plus-9.9. The only Arizona team with a better rebounding margin was the 1950-51 Wildcats, who had an unassailable mark of plus-19.3 rebounding margin. …

— Allen said he and Miller have talked often about what it means to be the starting point guard and the significance of his role with the Wildcats. Allen played a credible game against Colorado, scoring 12 points while making all four of his shots and he also had two blocked shots and one steal. But he had only two assists (with no turnovers) and just two rebounds in 29 minutes. As he gains more confidence coming off a redshirt year — he should have crossed that hurdle by now through 32 games — he is becoming a little more demonstrative with his teammates, a true sign of a leader. He clapped his hands emphatically after making a couple of his shots against Colorado. “I don’t show a lot of emotion when I play,” Allen admitted. “I was talking to Coach Miller and he was telling me to enjoy it, to enjoy the excitement because things go really fast.” Seize the opportunity, in other words. Miller is recruiting multi-talented guards who can handle the point guard position if necessary. Allen will be a senior next year. He must show he should have the ball in his hands as much as possible. “In talking to Coach Miller, he told me to be more aggressive,” Allen said. “He told me that’s why he brought me here.” Expect Allen to penetrate more and try to draw fouls with either attempting to shoot or find the open man. He has an athleticism and strength edge over Oregon point guard Casey Benson, who has a 4.3-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio. Can Allen disrupt Benson enough with his aggressive play? That is something to watch on the defensive end. How Allen and Parker Jackson-Cartwright run Arizona’s motion offense against Oregon’s 2-3 zone is also intriguing. …

— Oregon has the athleticism, length and versatility to stretch Arizona’s defense tonight. The Ducks showed that in the first meeting, outscoring Arizona 44-28 in the paint. Although the Wildcats have more bulk and size with Anderson and Tarczewski, Oregon owned the lane, outscoring Arizona 9-3 in second-chance points. Anderson had 22 points and 10 rebounds and Tarczewski posted 11 points and five rebounds but the performance of Oregon guard Dillon Brooks (24 points on 10 of 19 shooting) and forward Dwayne Benjamin (15 points on 3 of 5 shooting from three-point range) was more pronounced. Slender forward Chris Boucher also extended Arizona defense with his ability to shoot from the outside (although he missed two three-pointers against the Wildcats). …

— A significance difference for Arizona was that freshman scoring sensation Allonzo Trier was out for the first time in that Oregon game following the four-overtime loss at USC in which he broke his right hand. The Wildcats missed his scoring punch. His absence disrupted the flow as Arizona committed 19 turnovers, which contributed to Oregon taking 21 more shots than Arizona (62 to 41). When asked what he could have provided the Wildcats in that game, Trier said, “Another body, another guy who can contribute. I’m a guy who can bring energy and make good things happen.” … Trier is coming off scoring 23 crucial points against Colorado, making 6 of 11 shots from the field (3 of 4 from three-point range) and 8 of 9 from the free-throw line. Trier now has eight games of scoring at least 20 points. The game against Oregon today figures to be his type of game with Oregon being a guard-oriented team. “Every game is my type of game,” Trier said matter-of-factly. Who can argue with him? …

— Gabe York mentioned playing a team full of guards and wings like Oregon “are games I live for.” He is coming off a 1-of-5 shooting performance from three-point range after going 9 of 14 against Stanford. He said he had games of making 13 and 12 three-pointers in high school. Arizona needs him to have a hot hand and make at least four or five today. “I have to outmatch my opponent,” York said, referring to Oregon guards like Brooks and Tyler Dorsey and Elgin Cook. “They broke our (winning) streak at home. You have to keep that in the back of your mind. We made a lot of mistakes in this game (against Colorado). How you improve upon mistakes like that sets you apart.” …

— Boucher had three blocked shots Thursday against Washington to move his season total to 101. That allowed him to become the first player in Pac-12 history to have 100 blocks and 30 three-pointers in the same season, as well as the first to do it at the NCAA Division I level since 1996. His 19 points and 11 rebounds against the Huskies increased his team-high double-doubles to eight … Arizona had 11 blocked shots against Colorado increasing its season total to 154. That ranks seventh in school history. The record of 192 was set in 1999-2000 behind Loren Woods and Wright. Allen is second on the team with 27 blocked shots behind Tarczewski’s 30. Allen also leads the team with 34 steals. …

— The Wildcats are on a “Revenge Tour” here in Vegas. They have already defeated Colorado, which upset the Wildcats two weeks ago in Boulder, Colo. They can try to exact revenge on Oregon, which snapped the Wildcats’ 49-game winning streak at McKale Center. If the Wildcats advance, they could face Utah, which defeated the Wildcats in Salt Lake City two weeks ago. Arizona has avenged losses to UCLA and Cal. Maybe the Wildcats could get a shot at Providence in the NCAA tournament and have some payback there. …

PAC-12 POMEROY RATINGS
Present RPI ranking of Pac-12 teams according to KenPom.com.

ARIZONA’S 1,000-POINT SCORERS
Overall

THREE-POINT GOALS SEASON

THREE-POINT FIELD GOALS CAREER