[llperez]

so the two best teams from the pac will face off for the tournament title tomorrow. Here is my breakdown for both teams.

Arizona:

30-3 overall with big wins out of conference vs san diego st, Michigan and duke. A win over ucla for the tourney championship would lock up a #1 seed in the big dance and put them in the discussion for top overall seed for the ncaa tournament depending on what florida does in the sec tourney.

Zona is by far the best defensive team in the pac 12 and in the discussion for best defensive team in all of America. They got to the pac 12 tourney by defeating Utah 71-39 then beating Colorado 63-43. They held 2 solid 20+ win squads to an average of 41 pts showing passion and some anger trying to prove a point after losing their regular season finale to Oregon.

Nick Johnson was named conference player of the year andis the lone wildcat with a green light to let it go. He averaged 16 points on the year. Kaleb tarczewski, aaron Gordon and rondae hollis Jefferson combine to make up one of the biggest most physical frontcourst in America. The wildcats clog up the middle defensively and rebound everything defensively controlling the paint at that end of the floor.

This team also really benefits from having very defined roles for all the players with no ego’s overshadowing anything. Nick is the shooter, tj mconnel is a pass first pg who has elite bball iq and could care less about stats. Gordon for all the hype surrounding him has accepted his limitations offensively and really focused on playing unselfish team ball and excelling at the defensive end and in transition where his ball handling allows him to occasionally push it himself. Tarczewski is a legit 7 footer with nba size who wants nothing to do with playing outside the paint. He is nba bound big who carves out space, finishes around the paint and soft hands.

the weaknesses here revolve around perimeter shooting and depth. Losing starting forward Brandon Ashley really hurt in both regards. He was one of the teams better shooters at 38% from three and he allowed the versatile hollis Jefferson who come off the bench. The starting frontcourt of tarczewski, Gordon and Jefferson features all poor perimeter shooters who can be left alone behind the arc. Mconnel is a good shooter, but rarely forces anything and needs to have his feet set and shoulders squared to have accuracy. Johnson is the quick shot specialist but has had bouts of inaccuracy. He shot a modest 44% from the field and 35% from three on the season. Nick showed potential for going stone cold with shooting performances in conference play of 2-9(wazzu), 1-14(cal), 5-16(Oregon), 5-20(asu) and 4-12(Oregon). In fact the wildcats lost 3 of those games and showed real trouble scoring when nick does not have it going. Offense can go into long droughts and for all the defensive prowess they have, all it takes is one hot performance from an opponent to an end your night when they struggle offensively.

UCLA

ucla went 25-8 on the year and like zona, have blown out both of their oppoents in the pac 12 tourney to reach the finals beating Oregon by 19 then Stanford by 25. Consider the bruins the anti zona in terms of play. They averaged over 80ppg all season long and have continued that trend averaging 82 ppg in the two tourney games. The bruins had only one chance vs zona in the regular season where they lost by 4 points back in January and will have motivation to avenge that game and prove to America they are legit contenders. Zona will also have extra motivation having gone 0-3 vs ucla last season and having been eliminated from the pac 12 tourney by the bruins a year ago.

The bruins are led by kyle Anderson who averaged a hair under 15 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists on the season. He is an exceptional floor general who consistently makes the smart play and finds the open man. The bruins don’t have much in terms of post presence, but have a lot of perimeter talent including Jordan adams, Zach lavine, norman powell as well as the senior bigs travis and david wear who both like to step outside and stretch the floor. Travis in particular is playing well averaging 15 points on 85% shooting in the first 2 conference tourney games.

The weaknesses for the bruins include lack of interior play while relying on outside shots and fast paced play. When they run into defensive minded squads who can slow it down, they can be out-toughed and find themselves relying on one-on-one play. The skill level is undeniable with multiple wings all capable of creating for themselves, but occasionaly they try and do too much as individuals.

 this should be a great game. GO bruins!!!

[aztwulfParticipant]

As you always do, nice job on your preview. I think the Wildcats frontcourt size and athleticism is going to be the difference in this game. The Wear twins can’t match up with Gordon and Zeus. At least a half dozen future NBA players on display. ‘Cats by 12.

Bear Down!

[aztwulfParticipant]

As you always do, nice job on your preview. I think the Wildcats frontcourt size and athleticism is going to be the difference in this game. The Wear twins can’t match up with Gordon and Zeus. At least a half dozen future NBA players on display. ‘Cats by 12.

Bear Down!

[Taylor Gang MikeParticipant]

should be a great game.. Two of my favorite teams.. Rootng for both

[Taylor Gang MikeParticipant]

should be a great game.. Two of my favorite teams.. Rootng for both

[Dale WorthingtonParticipant]

If Tony Parker or one of the Wear twins were to ever step up, this UCLA squad would be top 10 in the land, no question about it. They’re as good as it gets at the point and on the wing.

[Dale WorthingtonParticipant]

If Tony Parker or one of the Wear twins were to ever step up, this UCLA squad would be top 10 in the land, no question about it. They’re as good as it gets at the point and on the wing.

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