2017–18 Arizona Wildcats men's basketball team

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2017–18 Arizona Wildcats men's basketball
Arizona Wildcats logo.svg
NCAA Tournament, First Round
ConferencePac-12 Conference
Ranking
APNo. 12
2017–18 record27–8 (14–4 Pac-12)
Head coach
Associate head coachLorenzo Romar
Assistant coaches
Home arenaMcKale Center
Seasons
2017–18 Pac-12 Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 12 Arizona † 14 – 4   .778 27 – 8   .771
USC 12 – 6   .667 24 – 12   .667
UCLA 11 – 7   .611 21 – 12   .636
Utah 11 – 7   .611 23 – 12   .657
Stanford 11 – 7   .611 19 – 16   .543
Oregon 10 – 8   .556 23 – 13   .639
Washington 10 – 8   .556 21 – 13   .618
Colorado 8 – 10   .444 17 – 15   .531
Arizona State 8 – 10   .444 20 – 12   .625
Oregon State 7 – 11   .389 16 – 16   .500
Washington State 4 – 14   .222 12 – 19   .387
California 2 – 16   .111 8 – 24   .250
† Pac-12 Tournament winner
Rankings from AP Poll
Arizona recruit Deandre Ayton at the 2017 McDonald's All-American Boys Game.

The 2017–18 Arizona Wildcats men's basketball team represented the University of Arizona during the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team was led by ninth-year head coach Sean Miller, and played their home games at McKale Center in Tucson, Arizona as members in the Pac-12 Conference. They finished the season 27–8, 14–4 in Pac-12 play to win the regular season championship. They defeated Colorado, UCLA, and USC to win the Pac-12 Tournament. As a result, they received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament where, as a No. 4 seed, they were upset in the First Round by No. 13 seed Buffalo.

Previous season[]

Main article: 2016–17 Arizona Wildcats men's basketball team

Entering the 2016–17 season, Arizona had been ranked in 78 consecutive AP polls and 81-straight Coaches polls. The Wildcats were ranked every week extending their streak to 97 weeks for the AP and 100 weeks for the Coaches poll. The 97 consecutive weeks in the AP poll is currently the second-longest streak in the nation behind Kansas at 161 weeks.[1] Arizona won its first 10 conference games, the best start since the 1997–98 season when they started 16–0. During the season, Arizona was invited and participated in the Armed Forces Classic in Honolulu. Arizona defeated Michigan State. Arizona also defeated Texas A&M in the Lone Star Shootout in Houston. Arizona also defeated Sacred Heart, Northern Colorado and Santa Clara but lost to Butler in the championship game of the Las Vegas Invitational in Paradise, NV.

They finished the season 32–5, 16–2 in Pac-12 play to finish in a first place tie with Oregon. The championship marked the school's 15th Pac-12 regular season championship title. As the No. 2 seed in the Pac-12 Tournament, Arizona defeated Colorado, UCLA and Oregon (avenged from 85–58 loss on February 4 in Eugene, OR) to win the sixth Pac-12 tournament championship title since 2002. As a result, the Wildcats received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament for the fifth consecutive year (32nd NCAA tournament appearances). As a No. 2 seed in the West region, they defeated North Dakota 100–82 and Saint Mary's 69–60 to advance to the Sweet Sixteen. However, in the Sweet Sixteen, they lost to No. 11 seed Xavier 71–73.

Offseason[]

Offseason Departures
Name Position Year Hometown Reason
Kadeem Allen G RS Senior Wilmington, NC Graduated/2017 NBA draft. Drafted No. 53 overall in the 2nd round to Boston Celtics.[2]
Chance Comanche C Sophomore Beverly Hills, CA Declared for 2017 NBA draft.[3] Went undrafted.
Paulo Cruz G Sophomore San Diego, CA Walk-on; Transferred to Cal Poly.[4]
Ray Smith F RS Freshman Las Vegas, NV Retired from basketball due to multiple injuries[5]
Kobi Simmons G Freshman Atlanta, GA Declared for the NBA Draft. Went undrafted.[6] Signed an undrafted free agent deal with Memphis Grizzlies.[7]
Lauri Markkanen F Freshman Jyväskylä, FI Declared for 2017 NBA draft.[8] Drafted No. 7th overall in the 1st round to Minnesota Timberwolves and traded to Chicago Bulls.[9]
Reference:[10]
Incoming Transfers
Name Position Year Hometown Previous School Remaining Eligibility Notes
Chase Jeter F/C Junior Las Vegas, NV Duke 2 Will sit out the 2017–18 season due to NCAA transfer rules.[11]
Reference:[10]

2017 recruiting class[]

Tempe, Arizona product Alex Barcello was the first commitment in the Arizona class. He committed to Arizona on August 26 at a press conference at his high school. He chose Arizona over Butler, Indiana, Stanford and Virginia. He was a consensus four star prospect, and was ranked the consensus No. 93 overall player by the four main recruiting services.

Deandre Ayton, a Bahamian attending school in Phoenix, was the second commitment in the Arizona class. He committed to Arizona on September 6 live on ESPN. He chose Arizona for an upset over Kansas and Kentucky. He was a consensus five star prospect, and was ranked the consensus No. 2 overall player by the four main recruiting services.

Brandon Randolph, originally from Yonkers, New York, was the third commitment in the Arizona class. He committed to Arizona on October 12. He chose Arizona over Syracuse, Oregon and Wake Forest. He was a consensus top fifty player, ranked No. 42 by the four main recruiting services.

Ira Lee, from Los Angeles, was the fourth commitment in the Arizona class. He committed to Arizona on October 20. He chose Arizona over California and Oregon. He was a consensus top-25 player and ranked as a four-star player by the four main recruiting services Rivals, ESPN, Scout, and 24/7 Sports.

Emmanuel Akot from Winnipeg, CA, was the first commitment in the 2018 Arizona class, but he will reclassified to 2017 class (fifth and final commitment). He committed to Arizona on March 9 at a press conference at his high school. He chose Arizona over Louisville, Oregon and Utah. He was a consensus five star prospect, and was ranked the consensus No. 21 overall player by the four main recruiting services.

Arizona also added Preferred Walk-on Matt Weyand from Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, California.

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Alex Barcello
PG 		Tempe, AZ Corona del Sol HS 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 168 lb (76 kg) Aug 26, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars   ESPN grade: 83
Deandre Ayton
C 		Nassau, BS Hillcrest Prep Academy (AZ) 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 241 lb (109 kg) Sep 6, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:5/5 stars   Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports:5/5 stars    ESPN:5/5 stars   ESPN grade: 97
Brandon Randolph
SG 		Yonkers, NY Westtown School (PA) 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 176 lb (80 kg) Oct 12, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars   ESPN grade: 89
Ira Lee
PF 		Los Angeles, CA Crossroads School 6 ft 7.5 in (2.02 m) 217.5 lb (98.7 kg) Oct 20, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars   ESPN grade: 85
Emmanuel Akot
F/G 		Winnipeg, MB Wasatch Academy (UT) 6 ft 7.5 in (2.02 m) 192.5 lb (87.3 kg) Mar 9, 2017 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:5/5 stars   Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports:5/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars   ESPN grade: 88
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: #3   Rivals: #3  247Sports: #3  ESPN: #3
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Arizona 2017 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved May 22, 2017.
  • "2017 Arizona Basketball Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved May 22, 2017.
  • "2017 Arizona Wildcats Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 22, 2017.
  • "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved May 22, 2017.
  • "2017 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved May 22, 2017.

School Offers by Recruit

ESPN 100

  • Alex Barcello:[12] Arizona, Butler, Indiana, Stanford and Virginia
  • Brandon Randolph:[13] Arizona Syracuse, Oregon and Wake Forest
  • Ira Lee:[14] Arizona, California and Oregon
  • Deandre Ayton:[15] Arizona, Kansas and Kentucky
  • Emmanuel Akot:[16] Arizona, Louisville, Oregon and Utah

FBI investigation[]

Main article: 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball corruption scandal

On September 26, federal prosecutors in New York announced charges of fraud and corruption against 10 people involved in college basketball, including Arizona assistant coach Emmanuel "Book" Richardson.[17] The charges allege that Richardson and others allegedly received payments from financial advisers and others to influence student-athletes to retain their services and in turn used those payments to secure recruits.[18][19] Following the news, Richardson was suspended and relieved of all duties.[20] On January 11, 2018, UA fired assistant basketball coach Book Richardson after his appeal failed.[21]

On February 23, 2018, according to a published report by ESPN, an FBI wiretap revealed that head coach Sean Miller talked with Christian Dawkins (another key figure in the scandal) to discuss paying their top prospect, Deandre Ayton, $100,000 to commit to Arizona, with the monetary situation being dealt with directly with him.[22] While Miller would not coach their next game that day against Oregon, Arizona allowed Ayton to play.[23] Coach Sean Miller subsequently denied the allegation and the University of Arizona announced he will remain the coach of Arizona Wildcats men’s basketball team, with Ayton also allowed to continue playing with the team for the rest of the season. However, as a consequence of the report involving Ayton, both of Arizona's remaining committed recruits from the class of 2018, Shareef O'Neal and Brandon Williams, announced they had decommitted.[24]

Personnel[]

Roster[]

2017–18 Arizona Wildcats men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 0 Parker Jackson-Cartwright 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Sr Sierra Canyon School Los Angeles, CA
G 1 Rawle Alkins 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 220 lb (100 kg) So Word of God Christian Brooklyn, NY
G 3 Dylan Smith 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 170 lb (77 kg) RS So UNC Asheville Mobile, AL
F 4 Chase Jeter Current redshirt 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 230 lb (104 kg) Jr Duke Las Vegas, NV
G 5 Brandon Randolph 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Fr Westtown School Yonkers, NY
F 11 Ira Lee 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 235 lb (107 kg) Fr Crossroads School Glendale, AZ
C 13 Deandre Ayton 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) 250 lb (113 kg) Fr Hillcrest Prep Nassau, Bahamas
C 14 Dušan Ristić 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 245 lb (111 kg) Sr Sunrise Christian Academy Novi Sad, Serbia
G 20 Talbott Denny 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 215 lb (98 kg) GS Lipscomb Tucson, AZ
G 23 Alex Barcello 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Fr Corona del Sol HS Chandler, AZ
G 24 Emmanuel Akot 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Fr Wasatch Academy Winnipeg, MB
F 25 Keanu Pinder 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Sr Hutchinson C.C. Perth, Australia
G 35 Allonzo Trier 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Jr Findlay Prep Seattle, WA
G 50 Tyler Trillo (W) 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) 170 lb (77 kg) RS Jr Roger Williams Southbury, CT
G 52 Kory Jones Injured (W) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 170 lb (77 kg) So Westfield HS Herndon, VA
G 54 Matt Weyand (W) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Fr Mater Dei HS Santa Ana, CA
F 55 Jake DesJardins (W) 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 215 lb (98 kg) So Coronado HS Henderson, NV
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster
Last update: February 2018

  • Aug 23, 2017 – Sophomore walk-on Kory Jones will miss the 2017–18 season after tearing his left ACL.[25]
  • Sept 27, 2017 – Sophomore Rawle Alkins out 8–12 weeks with a broken right foot.[26]
  • Feb 22, 2018 – Junior Allonzo Trier ruled ineligible by NCAA for testing positive of a banned substance.[27]

Depth chart[]

Pos. Starting 5 Bench 1 Bench 2 Bench 3
C Dušan Ristić Keanu Pinder
PF Deandre Ayton Ira Lee Jake DesJardins
SF Rawle Alkins Brandon Randolph Emmanuel Akot
SG Allonzo Trier Dylan Smith Matt Weyand Kory Jones +
PG P. Jackson-Cartwright Alex Barcello Talbott Denny Tyler Trillo

Coaching staff[]

Name Position Year at Arizona Alma Mater (year)
Sean Miller Head Coach 9th Pittsburgh (1992)
Lorenzo Romar Associate Head Coach 1st Washington (1980)
Mark Phelps Assistant Coach 3rd Old Dominion (1996)
Ryan Reynolds Director of Basketball Operations 9th Xavier (2007)
Austin Carroll Assistant Director of Basketball Operations 2nd American (2014)

Preseason[]

Summer Exhibition Tour[]

Practices began earlier than otherwise allowed by the NCAA in preparation for a three-game foreign tour to Spain in August. (NCAA rules allow teams to conduct 10 practices in preparation for a foreign tour.) NCAA rules allow for foreign tours once every four years and the Spain tour was Arizona's first since 2012.[28] It was the eighth in program history. The University of Arizona basketball program will travel to Spain in August for a foreign tour, including a trio of exhibition games. The Wildcats will spend time in Barcelona and Valencia Aug. 11 through Aug. 19.

UA will take on Combinado Valenciano on Saturday, Aug. 13 at 7 p.m. local at the Pabellon Municipal Fuente de San Luis in Valencia.

The trip's second exhibition features Arizona and the Mataro All-Stars on Wednesday, August 16 at 7:10 p.m. in Barcelona inside the Pavello Municipal Teresa Maria Roca prior to the final exhibition two days later against Mataro Parc Boet in the same arena.

All three of the exhibitions will be streamed online by FloHoops.com with a subscription required.

Red and Blue game[]

The annual Red-Blue game will take place at McKale Center on October 20, 2017. After freshman Brandon Randolph won the dunk contest,[29] the Blue team, led by Deandre Ayton, knocked off the Red team, 55-37.[30]

Preseason rankings[]

For the fifth time in the past six seasons, Arizona Wildcats voted 2017-18 Pac-12 preseason favorite by media poll.[31] On October 19, Arizona was pre-season ranked 5th in USA Today coaches preseason poll.[32] On November 1, Arizona was pre-season ranked No. 3 in AP Top 25 preseason poll.[33]

In its preseason college preview, Lindy's Sports ranked the Wildcats No. 2 in the country. The ranked UA No. 2 in its preseason rankings. Athlon Sports ranked the Wildcats No. 1 in the country. Street & Smith ranked UA No. 1 in the country. ranked UA No. 3 in the country. NBC Sports ranked the Wildcats No. 3 in the country. CBS Sports ranked No. 2 for the Wildcats. ESPN ranked No. 2 for the Wildcats. Sports Illustrated ranked UA No. 1 in the country.

Schedule and results[]

On June 8, Arizona released the non-conference schedule is highlighted by marquee match-ups at McKale Center and across the country.[34] Arizona will also host Alabama, Cal State Bakersfield, UConn, Long Beach State, North Dakota State, Northern Arizona and UMBC in Tucson, AZ. Arizona will travel to Phoenix to play Texas A&M at Talking Stick Resort Arena in the annual Valley of the Sun Shootout, to Nassau, Bahamas to play three of the following teams: (NC State, Northern Iowa, Purdue, SMU, Tennessee, Villanova or Western Kentucky) in the Battle 4 Atlantis at Imperial Arena, to Alburquerque to play against New Mexico, and finally face UNLV in Paradise, NV.

The 2018 Pac-12 Tournament will begin March 7 in Las Vegas and conclude on March 10.[35] Selection Sunday occurs the following day.[36]

In the unbalanced 18-game Pac-12 schedule, Arizona will not play the Washington teams (Washington/Washington State) at home and Los Angeles teams (UCLA/USC) on the road.

Date
time, TV 		Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Spain Exhibition Tour
August 13, 2017*
10:00 am, FloHoops.com 		vs. Combinado Valenciano W 113–44 
 21 – Randolph   16 – Ristic   7 – Jackson-Cartwright  Pabellon Municipal Fuente de San Luis 
Valencia, ES
August 16, 2017*
10:10 am, FLOHoops.com 		vs. Mataro All-Stars W 99–74 
 21 – Trier   10 – Ayton   8 – Trier  Pavello Municipal Teresa Maria Roca 
Barcelona, ES
August 18, 2017*
10:10 am, FLOHoops.com 		vs. Mataro Parc Boet Canceled Pavello Municipal Teresa Maria Roca 
Barcelona, ES
Exhibition
November 1, 2017*
7:00 pm, P12N 		No. 3 Eastern New Mexico W 91–63  –
  31 – Ayton   10 – Ayton   6 – Akot  McKale Center (13,803)
Tucson, AZ
November 5, 2017*
4:00 pm, P12N 		No. 3 Chico State W 91–53  –
  22 – Trier   11 – Ayton   6 – Akot  McKale Center (13,865)
Tucson, AZ
Non-conference regular season
November 10, 2017*
6:00 pm, P12N 		No. 3 Northern Arizona W 101–67  1–0
  32 – Trier   12 – Ayton   8 – Jackson-Cartwright  McKale Center (14,644)
Tucson, AZ
November 12, 2017*
4:00 pm, P12N 		No. 3 UMBC
Battle 4 Atlantis campus-site game 		W 103–78  2–0
  30 – Trier   13 – Ayton   9 – Jackson-Cartwright  McKale Center (13,496)
Tucson, AZ
November 16, 2017*
8:00 pm, P12N 		No. 3 Cal State Bakersfield W 91–59  3–0
  28 – Trier   10 – Ayton   4 – Trier  McKale Center (14,301)
Tucson, AZ
November 22, 2017*
5:00 pm, ESPN3 		No. 2 vs. NC State
Battle 4 Atlantis quarterfinals 		L 84–90  3–1
  27 – Tied   14 – Ayton   5 – Jackson-Cartwright  Imperial Arena (2,850)
Nassau, BAH
November 23, 2017*
7:30 pm, ESPN3 		No. 2 vs. SMU
Battle 4 Atlantis 2nd round consolation 		L 60–66  3–2
  17 – Ayton   15 – Ayton   3 – Tied  Imperial Arena (1,236)
Nassau, BAH
November 24, 2017*
7:30 pm, ESPN3 		No. 2 vs. No. 18 Purdue
Battle 4 Atlantis 7th place game 		L 64–89  3–3
  22 – Ayton   8 – Ayton   7 – Jackson-Cartwright  Imperial Arena (2,298)
Nassau, BAH
November 29, 2017*
6:00 pm, P12N 		Long Beach State W 91–56  4–3
  15 – Trier   9 – Tied   5 – Jackson-Cartwright  McKale Center (13,626)
Tucson, AZ
December 2, 2017*
8:00 pm, CBSSN 		at UNLV W 91–88 OT 5–3
  29 – Trier   10 – Ayton   3 – Tied  Thomas & Mack Center (14,579)
Paradise, NV
December 5, 2017*
7:00 pm, ESPN2 		vs. No. 7 Texas A&M
Valley of the Sun Shootout 		W 67–64  6–3
  13 – 4 tied   10 – Ayton   4 – Barcello  Talking Stick Resort Arena (8,907)
Phoenix, AZ
December 9, 2017*
8:00 pm, ESPN2 		Alabama W 88–82  7–3
  29 – Ayton   18 – Ayton   6 – Trier  McKale Center (14,644)
Tucson, AZ
December 16, 2017*
6:00 pm, CBSSN 		No. 23 at New Mexico W 89–73  8–3
  26 – Alkins   13 – Ayton   5 – Tied  The Pit (13,207)
Albuquerque, NM
December 18, 2017*
7:00 pm, P12N 		No. 18-t North Dakota State W 83–53  9–3
  25 – Ayton   9 – Ayton   4 – Trier  McKale Center (14,048)
Tucson, AZ
December 21, 2017*
7:00 pm, ESPN2 		No. 18-t UConn W 73–58  10–3
  20 – Alkins   9 – Ristic   5 – Ayton  McKale Center (14,392)
Tucson, AZ
Pac-12 regular season
December 30, 2017
7:00 pm, P12N 		No. 17 No. 3 Arizona State
Rivalry 		W 84–78  11–3
(1–0) 		 23 – Ayton   19 – Ayton   6 – Jackson-Cartwright  McKale Center (14,644)
Tucson, AZ
January 4, 2018
7:00 pm, ESPN 		No. 14 at Utah W 94–82  12–3
(2–0) 		 24 – Ayton   14 – Ayton   5 – Trier  Jon M. Huntsman Center (13,543)
Salt Lake City, UT
January 6, 2018
12:00 pm, P12N 		No. 14 at Colorado L 77–80  12–4
(2–1) 		 26 – Ayton   11 – Ristic   8 – Jackson-Cartwright  Coors Events Center (8,519)
Boulder, CO
January 11, 2018
7:00 pm, P12N 		No. 17 Oregon State W 62–53  13–4
(3–1) 		 21 – Trier   10 – Ayton   5 – Jackson-Cartwright  McKale Center (14,644)
Tucson, AZ
January 13, 2018
12:00 pm, ESPN2 		No. 17 Oregon W 90–83  14–4
(4–1) 		 25 – Trier   7 – Ayton   6 – Alkins  McKale Center (14,644)
Tucson, AZ
January 17, 2018
7:00 pm, P12N 		No. 14 at California W 79–58  15–4
(5–1) 		 20 – Ayton   11 – Ayton   6 – Jackson-Cartwright  Haas Pavilion (7,721)
Berkeley, CA
January 20, 2018
2:00 pm, CBS 		No. 14 at Stanford W 73–71  16–4
(6–1) 		 21 – Trier   9 – Ristic   5 – Tied  Maples Pavilion (6,079)
Stanford, CA
January 25, 2018
6:30 pm, FS1 		No. 11 Colorado W 80–71  17–4
(7–1) 		 23 – Trier   8 – Ristic   4 – Jackson-Cartwright  McKale Center (14,644)
Tucson, AZ
January 27, 2018
3:30 pm, FOX 		No. 11 Utah W 74–73  18–4
(8–1) 		 23 – Ristic   8 – Ayton   6 – Jackson-Cartwright  McKale Center (14,644)
Tucson, AZ
January 31, 2018
8:00 pm, P12N 		No. 9 at Washington State W 100–72  19–4
(9–1) 		 25 – Ayton   11 – Ayton   4 – Jackson-Cartwright  Beasley Coliseum (4,607)
Pullman, WA
February 3, 2018
8:30 pm, P12N 		No. 9 at Washington L 75–78  19–5
(9–2) 		 21 – Ristic   12 – Ayton   5 – Jackson-Cartwright  Alaska Airlines Arena (10,000)
Seattle, WA
February 8, 2018
8:00 pm, ESPN 		No. 13 UCLA
Rivalry 		L 74–82  19–6
(9–3) 		 17 – Trier   12 – Ayton   4 – Jackson-Cartwright  McKale Center (14,644)
Tucson, AZ
February 10, 2018
8:15 PM, ESPN 		No. 13 USC W 81–67  20–6
(10–3) 		 20 – Alkins   11 – Ristic   5 – Alkins  McKale Center (14,644)
Tucson, AZ
February 15, 2018
7:00 pm, ESPN 		No. 17 at No. 25 Arizona State
Rivalry 		W 77–70  21–6
(11–3) 		 25 – Ayton   16 – Ayton   5 – Trier  Wells Fargo Arena (14,233)
Tempe, AZ
February 22, 2018
7:00 pm, FS1 		No. 14 at Oregon State W 75–65 OT 22–6
(12–3) 		 19 – Ayton   12 – Ayton   4 – Ayton  Gill Coliseum (4,963)
Corvallis, OR
February 24, 2018
8:15 pm, ESPN 		No. 14 at Oregon L 93–98 OT 22–7
(12–4) 		 28 – Ayton   18 – Ayton   5 – Tied  Matthew Knight Arena (12,364)
Eugene, OR
March 1, 2018
8:00 pm, FS1 		No. 19 Stanford W 75–67  23–7
(13–4) 		 21 – Ristic   10 – Ayton   4 – 3 tied  McKale Center (14,644)
Tucson, AZ
March 3, 2018
4:30 pm, P12N 		No. 19 California W 66–54  24–7
(14–4) 		 26 – Ayton   20 – Ayton   7 – Trier  McKale Center (14,644)
Tucson, AZ
Pac-12 Tournament
March 8, 2018
1:00 pm, P12N 		(1) No. 15 vs. (8) Colorado
Quarterfinals 		W 83–67  25–7
  22 – Trier   11 – Ristic   4 – Jackson-Cartwright  T-Mobile Arena (15,182)
Paradise, NV
March 9, 2018
7:00 pm, P12N 		(1) No. 15 vs. (4) UCLA
Semifinals/Rivalry 		W 78–67 OT 26–7
  32 – Ayton   14 – Ayton   4 – Jackson-Cartwright  T-Mobile Arena (16,596)
Paradise, NV
March 10, 2018
8:00 pm, FS1 		(1) No. 15 vs. (2) USC
Championship 		W 75–61  27–7
  32 – Ayton   18 – Ayton   5 – Jackson-Cartwright  T-Mobile Arena (16,501)
Paradise, NV
NCAA Tournament
March 15, 2018*
6:40 pm, CBS 		(4 S) No. 12 vs. (13 S) Buffalo
First Round 		L 68–89  27–8
  16 – Ristic   13 – Ayton   5 – Alkins  Taco Bell Arena (11,673)
Boise, ID
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. S=South.
All times are in Mountain Time.

Schedule Source: ArizonaWildcats.com[37]

Ranking movement[]

See also: 2017-18 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings
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11		 Wk
12		 Wk
13		 Wk
14		 Wk
15		 Wk
16		 Wk
17		 Wk
18		 Final
Arizona 3 (18) 3 (16) 2 (11) RV RV 23 18T 17 14 17 14 11 9 13 17 14 19 15 12
  Pre Wk
3		 Wk
4		 Wk
5		 Wk
6		 Wk
7		 Wk
8		 Wk
9		 Wk
10		 Wk
11		 Wk
12		 Wk
13		 Wk
14		 Wk
15		 Wk
16		 Wk
17		 Wk
18		 Final Postseason (final)
Arizona 5 (2) 4 RV RV 23 19 18 16 21 17 12 9 13 19 14 22 17 15 RV
  • Number in italic indicates the number of first place votes

^Coaches did not release a Week 2 poll.
*AP does not release post-NCAA Tournament rankings

Player statistics[]

Individual player statistics (Final)
Minutes Scoring Total FGs 3-point FGs Free-Throws Rebounds
Player GP GS Tot Avg Pts Avg FG FGA Pct 3FG 3FA Pct FT FTA Pct Off Def Tot Avg A TO Stl Blk
Alex Barcello 16 0 187 11.7 46 2.9 16 44 .364 8 26 .308 6 8 .750 3 17 20 1.3 19 8 3 0
Allonzo Trier 26 26 878 33.8 509 19.6 159 293 .543 61 144 .424 130 153 .850 11 73 84 3.2 81 59 16 11
Brandon Randolph 25 4 323 12.9 109 4.4 38 101 .376 14 44 .318 19 26 .731 4 20 24 1.0 25 19 12 4
Deandre Ayton 26 26 841 32.3 509 19.5 200 331 .604 10 29 .318 96 130 .738 71 207 278 10.7 36 45 12 47
Dušan Ristić 26 26 658 25.3 308 11.8 128 216 .593 3 8 .375 49 61 .803 56 127 183 7.0 26 31 9 15
Dylan Smith 25 6 384 15.4 116 4.6 39 104 .375 25 69 .362 13 15 .867 8 32 40 1.6 31 24 4 5
Emmanuel Akot 22 4 218 9.9 39 1.8 15 39 .385 8 19 .421 1 5 .200 8 18 26 1.2 20 14 4 3
Ira Lee 25 0 273 10.9 60 2.4 23 51 .451 1 2 .500 13 23 .565 19 41 60 2.4 10 12 5 11
Jake DesJardins 3 0 7 2.3 2 0.7 1 2 .500 0 2 .000 0 0 .000 0 3 3 1.0 1 1 0 0
Keanu Pinder 23 0 220 9.6 49 2.1 18 27 .667 0 0 .000 13 21 .619 10 37 47 2.0 1 12 7 12
Matt Weyand 0 0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0 .000 0 0 .000 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0
Parker Jackson-Cartwright 26 26 810 31.2 190 7.3 62 144 .431 36 81 .444 30 41 .732 5 51 56 2.2 127 43 37 3
Rawle Alkins 14 12 415 29.6 191 13.6 63 136 .463 23 59 .390 42 56 .750 25 33 58 4.1 39 35 18 11
Talbott Denny 2 0 5 2.5 0 0.0 0 0 .000 0 0 .000 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0.0 0 1 0 0
Tyler Trillo 1 0 5 5.0 3 3.0 1 1 1.000 1 1 1.000 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0.0 0 1 0 0
Total 26 - - - 2128 82 763 1489 .512 190 482 .394 412 539 .764 251 681 932 36 417 313 127 122
Opponents
Legend
  GP  Games played   GS  Games started  Avg  Average per game
  FG  Field-goals made  FGA  Field-goal attempts  Off  Offensive rebounds
 Def  Defensive rebounds   A  Assists   TO Turnovers
 Blk  Blocks  Stl  Steals  High  Team high

Awards and honors[]

Weekly awards[]

  • Allonzo Trier
    • Week 1, Pac-12 Player of the Week (Nov. 13) [38]
    • NBC Sports Player of the Week (Nov. 13)[39]
  • Deandre Ayton
    • Week 4, Pac–12 Player of the Week (Dec. 4)[40]
    • Wayman Tisdale National Freshman of the Week (Dec 10)[41]
    • Wayman Tisdale National Freshman of the Week (2) (Feb 25)[42]
    • NCAA Men's Player of the Week (Jan. 1)[43]
    • NBC Sports Player of the Week (Jan. 1)[44]
    • Pac-12 Player of the Week (2) (Jan. 2)[45]
  • Dusan Ristic
    • Pac-12 Player of the Week (Jan. 29)[46]

Watchlists[]

  • Allonzo Trier
Jerry West Award Preseason Watch List (2018)[47]
Oscar Robertson Award Preseason Watch List (2018)[48]
Lute Olson Award Preseason Watch List (2018)[49]
Naismith Trophy Award Preseason Watch List (2018)[50]
John R. Wooden Award Preseason Watch List (2018)[51]
John R. Wooden Award Midseason Top 25 (2018)[52]
  • Rawle Alkins
Julius Erving Award Preseason Watch List (2018)[53]
Naismith Trophy Award Preseason Watch List (2018)
John R. Wooden Award Preseason Watch List (2018)
  • Deandre Ayton
Karl Malone Award Preseason Watch List (2018) [54]
Oscar Robertson Award Preseason Watch List (2018)
Naismith Trophy Award Preseason Watch List (2018)
John R. Wooden Award Preseason Watch List (2018)
John R. Wooden Award Midseason Top 25 (2018)[52]
Oscar Robertson Trophy Midseason Watch List (2018)[55]
Karl Malone Award Finalist (2018) [56]
Naismith Trophy Award Finalist (2018)
  • Dušan Ristić
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award Preseason Watch List (2018) [57]

Pac-12 awards[]

  • Deandre Ayton
Pac-12 Tournament Most Outstanding Player (2018)
Pac-12 Player of the Year (2018)
Pac-12 Freshman Player of the Year (2018)

National district awards[]

  • Deandre Ayton
USBWA District IX Player of the Year (2018)

All-American and national awards[]

  • Allonzo Trier
AP Pac-12 First Team All-American (2018)
AP Preseason First Team All-American (2017)
Street & Smith Preseason Second Team All-American (2017)
NBC Sports Preseason First Team All-American (2017)
ESPN Preseason First Team All-American (2017)
Sports Illustrated Preseason First Team All-American (2017)
USA Today Preseason First Team All-American (2017)
Blue Ribbon Preseason Second Team All-American (2017)
Athlon Sports Preseason Second Team All-American (2017)
Sporting News Preseason Second Team All-American (2017)
USBWA District IX All-District Team (2018)
NABC District 20 Second Team (2018)
AP All-American Honorable mention (2018)
  • Deandre Ayton
Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Award (2018)
AP Pac-12 Player of the Year (2018)
AP Pac-12 Newcomer of the Year (2018)
AP Pac-12 First Team All-American (2018)
NBC Sports First Team All-American (2018)
AP Preseason Second Team All-American (2017)
NBC Sports Preseason Third Team All-American (2017)
Blue Ribbon Preseason Third Team All-American (2017)
Athlon Sports Preseason Third Team All-American (2017)
Sporting News Preseason Third Team All-American (2017)
Sports Illustrated Preseason Honorable Mention All-American (2017)
USA Today Preseason Honorable Mention All-American (2017)
USA Today First Team All-American (2018)
Sporting News First Team All-American (2018)
USBWA District IX All-District Team (2018)
USBWA First Team All-American (2018)
NABC First Team All-American (2018)
NABC District 20 First team (2018)
AP First Team All-American (2018)

All-Pac-12 team[]

  • Deandre Ayton
All Pac-12 First team (2018)
All Pac-12 Freshman team (2018)
All Pac-12 Defensive team (2018)
  • Allonzo Trier
All Pac-12 First team (2018)
  • Dusan Ristic
All Pac-12 Second team (2018)
  • Rawle Alkins
All Pac-12 Honorable mention (2018)

All-Pac-12 tournament team[]

  • Deandre Ayton
All Pac-12 tournament team (2018)
  • Dusan Ristic
All Pac-12 tournament team (2018)

See also[]

2017–18 Arizona Wildcats women's basketball team

References[]

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  2. ^ Pascoe, Bruce. "Kadeem Allen drafted No. 53 by Boston Celtics". Tucson.com. Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved 22 June 2017.
  3. ^ Pascoe, Bruce. "Arizona sophomore Chance Comanche says he won't return to Wildcats". Tucson.com. Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved 5 May 2017.
  4. ^ Rosenblatt, Zach. "Arizona Wildcats walk-on guard Paulo Cruz transferring to Cal Poly". Tucson.com. Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
  5. ^ Pascoe, Bruce. "Ray Smith's career over after Arizona Wildcats confirm he tore ACL". Tucson.com. Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved 3 November 2016.
  6. ^ Presnell, Kelly. "Arizona Wildcats freshman Kobi Simmons declares for NBA draft". Tucson.com. Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved 5 April 2017.
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  11. ^ Pascoe, Bruce. "Duke transfer Chase Jeter commits to Arizona Wildcats". Tucson.com. Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved 16 May 2017.
  12. ^ "ESPN Profile of Alex Barcello". ESPN. Retrieved 27 May 2017.
  13. ^ "ESPN Profile of Brandon Randolph". ESPN. Retrieved 27 May 2017.
  14. ^ "ESPN Profile of Ira Lee". ESPN. Retrieved 27 May 2017.
  15. ^ "ESPN Profile of DeAndre Ayton". ESPN. Retrieved 27 May 2017.
  16. ^ "ESPN Profile of Emmanuel Akot". ESPN. Retrieved 27 May 2017.
  17. ^ "NCAA coaches among 10 arrested for corruption". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2017-09-26.
  18. ^ Pascoe, Bruce. "Report: Arizona Wildcats assistant coach Book Richardson arrested, charged in federal kickback ring". Tucson.com. Retrieved 2017-09-26.
  19. ^ "FBI arrests four college basketball assistants on charges of fraud". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2017-09-26.
  20. ^ Villarreal, Phil (2017-09-26). "UA suspends assistant basketball coach, postpones media day". KGUN. Retrieved 2017-09-26.
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  24. ^ https://www.si.com/college-basketball/2018/03/03/sean-miller-deandre-ayton-arizona-nba-draft
  25. ^ Pascoe, Bruce. "Arizona basketball: Walk-on Kory Jones out for season with torn ACL". Tucson.com. Tucson.com. Retrieved 23 August 2017.
  26. ^ Pascoe, Bruce. "Arizona Wildcats standout Rawle Alkins out 8-12 weeks with broken foot". Tucson.com. Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  27. ^ "Arizona to appeal NCAA ruling after Allonzo Trier tests positive for banned substance". espn.com. Retrieved 22 February 2018.
  28. ^ Star, Bruce Pascoe Arizona Daily. "Arizona basketball: Bahamas trip gives Cats time to mesh". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved 2017-06-14.
  29. ^ Kelapire, Ryan (20 October 2017). "Brandon Randolph wins Red-Blue Game dunk contest". AZDesertSwarm.com. Retrieved 20 October 2017.
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  35. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-10-17. Retrieved 2017-06-22.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  36. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2018-03-13. Retrieved 2018-04-05.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
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  40. ^ "POW, Week 4". Pac-12.com. 13 November 2017. Retrieved 4 December 2017.
  41. ^ "ARIZONA'S AYTON NAMED WAYMAN TISDALE FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK".
  42. ^ "ARIZONA'S AYTON NAMED WAYMAN TISDALE FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK".
  43. ^ "Arizona Basketball: Deandre Ayton | Player of the Week".
  44. ^ "Player of the Week: Deandre Ayton, Arizona".
  45. ^ "Arizona's Ayton adds second Pac-12 men's basketball weekly honor".
  46. ^ "Dusan Ristic Named Pac-12 Player of the Week".
  47. ^ "College basketball: 20 players named to 2018 Jerry West Award watch list". NCAA.com. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
  48. ^ "2017 Oscar Roberston Trophy Preseason Watchlist". Sportswriters.net. 6 November 2017. Retrieved 6 November 2017.
  49. ^ "2017-18 Lute Olson Preseason Watch List". LuteOlsonAward.com. 6 November 2017. Retrieved 6 November 2017.
  50. ^ "Citizen Naismith Trophy Watch List Released". NaismithTrophy.com. Retrieved 9 November 2017.
  51. ^ "Preseason Top 50".
  52. ^ a b "Wooden Award midseason top 25".
  53. ^ "College basketball: 21 players named to 2018 Julius Erving Award watch list". NCAA.com. Retrieved 18 October 2017.
  54. ^ "College basketball: 21 players named to 2018 Karl Malone Award watch list". NCAA.com. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  55. ^ "USBWA Unveils Oscar Robertson Trophy Midseason Watch List".
  56. ^ "2018 Finalist".
  57. ^ "College basketball: 20 players named to 2018 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar watch list". hoophallawards.com. Retrieved 20 October 2017.
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