?
Who knows what will become of this season for Arizona?
What once looked so promising - winning 12 of their first 13 - has turned into a nightmare the likes of which have literally never been during the Lute Olson era (read: 5 home losses including the two worst since Olson arrived at the U of A) .
It is disappointing as a fan, sure, but it must be far more disappointing for members of the team, coaches and training staff. I mean, it's not as if they all decided this season was unimportant, and therefore aren't working hard.
Of course, I still love watching Arizona play. I'm already looking forward to the next Thursday after the Saturday game has just ended. But the luster of Arizona basketball just isn't there anymore. Gone are the days when I expected blowout wins over teams like Oregon State, Washington State and ASU. I'm actually a little concerned about Arizona's ability to win at Arizona State next week after watching the Sun Devils beat USC three days after the Trojans owned the Wildcats.
I keep hearing that Arizona doesn't play defense, and really I agree. It's not like they just stand around, but if you watch a team that plays great team defense, they are pressuring the ball constantly, forcing turnovers. And since Lute Olson has always insisted that defensive intensity feeds your offense, I wonder if that - in a way - has been turned against him. Where his teams past have fed the fast break with a surplus of forced turnovers, giving Arizona the image of a run-and-gun team, his teams today seem to concentrate on scoring first, defending second. You'd have to ask high school recruits to be sure, but I bet most of them choose Arizona because of the offensive prowess Lute Olson teams have a reputation for.
Add into the mix the fact that Arizona has limited depth, and you've got the recipe for a team that doesn't have the stamina to really commit to playing 40 minutes of nose-to-the-grindstone defense. That may be why they have trouble winning close games. If you don't execute offensively (see last four minutes against USC), you have no failsafe.
So I guess that doesn't bode well for the rest of this season. We'll just have to wait and see. I'm sure a lot of people gave up on the 97 team, and they ended up winning the National Championship. Arizona's gonna need to get hot fast.
What once looked so promising - winning 12 of their first 13 - has turned into a nightmare the likes of which have literally never been during the Lute Olson era (read: 5 home losses including the two worst since Olson arrived at the U of A) .
It is disappointing as a fan, sure, but it must be far more disappointing for members of the team, coaches and training staff. I mean, it's not as if they all decided this season was unimportant, and therefore aren't working hard.
Of course, I still love watching Arizona play. I'm already looking forward to the next Thursday after the Saturday game has just ended. But the luster of Arizona basketball just isn't there anymore. Gone are the days when I expected blowout wins over teams like Oregon State, Washington State and ASU. I'm actually a little concerned about Arizona's ability to win at Arizona State next week after watching the Sun Devils beat USC three days after the Trojans owned the Wildcats.
I keep hearing that Arizona doesn't play defense, and really I agree. It's not like they just stand around, but if you watch a team that plays great team defense, they are pressuring the ball constantly, forcing turnovers. And since Lute Olson has always insisted that defensive intensity feeds your offense, I wonder if that - in a way - has been turned against him. Where his teams past have fed the fast break with a surplus of forced turnovers, giving Arizona the image of a run-and-gun team, his teams today seem to concentrate on scoring first, defending second. You'd have to ask high school recruits to be sure, but I bet most of them choose Arizona because of the offensive prowess Lute Olson teams have a reputation for.
Add into the mix the fact that Arizona has limited depth, and you've got the recipe for a team that doesn't have the stamina to really commit to playing 40 minutes of nose-to-the-grindstone defense. That may be why they have trouble winning close games. If you don't execute offensively (see last four minutes against USC), you have no failsafe.
So I guess that doesn't bode well for the rest of this season. We'll just have to wait and see. I'm sure a lot of people gave up on the 97 team, and they ended up winning the National Championship. Arizona's gonna need to get hot fast.
posted by mike destasio at 7:04 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home