2015–16 Arizona Wildcats men's basketball team

The 2015–16 Arizona Wildcats men's basketball team represented the University of Arizona during the 2015–16 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team was led by seventh-year head coach Sean Miller, and played their home games at McKale Center in Tucson, Arizona as a member of the Pac-12 Conference. They finished the season 25–9, 12–6 in Pac-12 play to tie with California for third place. They defeated Colorado in the quarterfinals of the Pac-12 tournament to advance to the semifinals where they lost to Oregon. Arizona received an at-large bid to the fourth-straight NCAA tournament, the program's 31st appearance, as a 6-seed in the South Region. They lost in the first round to Wichita State.

2015–16 Arizona Wildcats men's basketball
NCAA tournament, First Round
ConferencePac-12 Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 22
APNo. 17
Record25–9 (12–6 Pac-12)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaMcKale Center
2015–16 Pac-12 Conference men's basketball standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
No. 5 Oregon144 .778317  .816
No. 13 Utah135 .722279  .750
No. 17 Arizona126 .667259  .735
No. 23 California126 .6672311  .676
Colorado108 .5562212  .647
USC99 .5002113  .618
Oregon State99 .5001913  .594
Washington99 .5001915  .559
Stanford810 .4441515  .500
UCLA612 .3331517  .469
Arizona State513 .2781517  .469
Washington State117 .056922  .290
Pac-12 Tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll

Previous season

The 2014–15 Arizona Wildcats finished the season with an overall record of 34–4 and a 16–2 conference record to win their second straight Pac-12 regular season championship (14th overall). Arizona claimed the longest active home winning streak in D-I men's college basketball (38th home win at 2nd all-time, 82nd home win at 5th all-time) after BYU defeated Gonzaga in the regular season finale, snapping the nation's longest active home winning streak of 41 games, as well as Gonzaga's school record 22-game winning streak. In the Pac-12 Tournament as a #1 seed, Arizona defeated #8 seed California Golden Bears; 73–51, and #4 seed UCLA Bruins; 70–64. The Wildcats then went on to beat Oregon Ducks; 80–52 in the Pac-12 Tournament championship game, and claimed their 5th Pac-12 tournament title for the first time since 2002, along with punching their 32nd ticket to the NCAA Tournament. Arizona entered the NCAA tournament as a #2 seed in the West region, and defeated #15 seed Texas Southern Tigers 93–72, then #10 seed Ohio State Buckeyes; 73–58, and #6 seed Xavier Musketeers, to gain its third trip (2nd straight) to the Elite Eight, as well as Sean Miller's first as head coach. The Wildcats then fell to #1 seed Wisconsin Badgers; 85–78 for the second time (from the Elite Eight's by 1 point overtime loss in last year).

Off-season

Departures

NamePos.HeightWeightYearHometownNotes
Matt KorcheckPF6'10"235RS SeniorTucson, ArizonaGraduated
T. J. McConnellPG6'1"195RS SeniorPittsburgh, PennsylvaniaGraduated
Drew MellonSF6’6"205SeniorSanta Ana, CaliforniaGraduated
Brandon AshleyPF6'9"230JuniorSan Francisco, CaliforniaDeclared for 2015 NBA draft[1]
Rondae Hollis-JeffersonSF6'7"220SophomoreChester, PennsylvaniaDeclared for 2015 NBA draft.[2] Selected 23rd overall by the Portland Trail Blazers; later traded to the Brooklyn Nets.
Stanley JohnsonSF6'7"245FreshmanFullerton, CaliforniaDeclared for 2015 NBA draft.[3] Selected 8th overall by the Detroit Pistons.
Craig Victor IIPF6'9"230FreshmanNew Orleans, LouisianaLeft team in January. Elected to transfer to LSU[4]

Incoming transfers

NamePos.HeightWeightYearHometownNotes
Mark TollefsenF6'9"200RS SeniorDanville, CaliforniaGraduate transfer from San Francisco. Is eligible to play immediately for the 2015–16 season per NCAA graduate transfer rules.

2015 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Justin Simon
CG
Temecula, California Temecula Valley HS/Brewster Academy 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 190 lb (86 kg) May 6, 2014 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:5/5 stars   Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars
Ray Smith
SF
Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas HS 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Jul 13, 2014 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:5/5 stars   Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports:5/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars
Allonzo Trier
SG
Seattle, Washington Findlay Prep 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Aug 3, 2014 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:5/5 stars   Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports:5/5 stars    ESPN:5/5 stars
Chance Comanche
C
Beverly Hills, California Beverly Hills HS 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Sep 14, 2014 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: #4   Rivals: #3  247Sports: #4  ESPN: #4
  • 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 2015 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved April 23, 2015.
  • "2015 Arizona Basketball Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved April 23, 2015.
  • "2015 Arizona Wildcats Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 23, 2015.
  • "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved April 23, 2015.
  • "2015 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved April 23, 2015.
  • "2015 Arizona 24/7 Sports Commits". 247sports.com. Retrieved April 23, 2015.
US college sports recruiting information for 2016 recruits
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Lauri Markkanen
PF
Helsinki, Finland Helsinki Basketball Academy 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Oct 17, 2015 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:5/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:5/5 stars    ESPN:5/5 stars
Kobi Simmons
CG
Alpharetta, Georgia St. Francis HS 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Jan 16, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:5/5 stars   Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports:5/5 stars    ESPN:5/5 stars
Rawle Alkins
SG
Middle Village, New York Word of God Christian Academy 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Mar 7, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:5/5 stars   Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports:5/5 stars    ESPN:5/5 stars
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • 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:

Personnel

On April 13, assistant coach Damon Stoudamire left the team to rejoin the Memphis staff under head coach and former UA player Josh Pastner. On May 22 Mark Phelps, joined the Arizona staff.

Roster

2015–16 Arizona Wildcats men's basketball team
PlayersCoaches
Pos.#NameHeightWeightYearPrevious schoolHometown
G 0 Parker Jackson-Cartwright 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m)170 lb (77 kg) SoSierra Canyon School Los Angeles, California
G 1 Gabe York 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)190 lb (86 kg) SrOrange Lutheran HS West Covina, California
F 2 Ray Smith Injured Current redshirt 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)210 lb (95 kg) FrLas Vegas HS Las Vegas, Nevada
G 3 Justin Simon 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)200 lb (91 kg) FrBrewster Academy Temecula, California
G 5 Kadeem Allen 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)200 lb (91 kg) RS JrHutchinson C.C. Wilmington, North Carolina
G 11 Allonzo Trier 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)210 lb (95 kg) FrFindlay Prep Seattle, Washington
F 12 Ryan Anderson 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)235 lb (107 kg) RS SrBoston College Lakewood, California
C 14 Dušan Ristić 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)255 lb (116 kg) SoSunrise Christian Academy Novi Sad, Serbia
C 21 Chance Comanche 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)205 lb (93 kg) FrBeverly Hills HS Beverly Hills, California
F 23 Mark Tollefsen 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)205 lb (93 kg) RS SrSan Francisco Danville, California
G 24 Elliott Pitts 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)190 lb (86 kg) JrDe La Salle HS Dublin, California
C 35 Kaleb Tarczewski 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)250 lb (113 kg) SrSt. Mark's School Claremont, New Hampshire
G 44 Trey Mason (W) 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)195 lb (88 kg) JrLoyola HS Los Angeles, California
G 50 Jacob Hazzard (W) 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)170 lb (77 kg) SrLoyola HS Los Angeles, California
G 51 Paulo Cruz (W) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)195 lb (88 kg) FrFrancis Parker School San Diego, California
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster
Last update: January 19, 2016

  • Oct 24, 2015 – Freshman Ray Smith to miss entire 2015–16 season due to a torn ACL in his right knee.[5]
  • Dec 1, 2015 – Senior Kaleb Tarczewski missed 8 games due to left foot injury.[6] Returned for Pac-12 season play against Arizona State.
  • Jan 10, 2015 – Freshman Allonzo Trier missed 7 games due to a right hand injury.[7] Returned Feb. 6 game at Washington.
  • Junior Elliott Pitts out since Dec. 9 game against Fresno State, due to an undisclosed personal issue.[8]
    After the Feb. 17 game against Arizona State, Sean Miller announced Pitts would not return for the remainder of the season.[9]

Depth chart

Pos. Starting 5 Bench 1 Bench 2 Bench 3
C Kaleb Tarczewski Dušan Ristić
PF Ryan Anderson Chance Comanche
SF Allonzo Trier Mark Tollefsen Elliott Pitts Ray Smith
SG Gabe York Justin Simon Trey Mason Paulo Cruz
PG Kadeem Allen Parker Jackson-Cartwright Jacob Hazzard

Coaching staff

NamePositionYear at ArizonaAlma Mater (year)
Sean MillerHead coach7thPittsburgh (1992)
Joe PasternackAssociate head coach5thIndiana (1999)
Emanuel RichardsonAssistant coach7thPittsburgh-Johnstown (1998)
Mark PhelpsAssistant coach1stOld Dominion (1996)
Ryan ReynoldsDirector of Basketball Operations7thXavier (2007)
Ben TuckerAssistant director of Basketball Operations2ndArizona (2010)

Schedule

Date
time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
Nov 8, 2015*
6:00 pm, P12N
No. 12 Chico State W 90–54 
 19  Anderson  10  Anderson  4  Allen  McKale Center (14,268)
Tucson, Arizona
Non-conference regular season
Nov 13, 2015*
7:30 pm, P12N
No. 12 Pacific W 79–61  1–0
 19  Anderson  12  Anderson  5  Allen  McKale Center (14,644)
Tucson, Arizona
Nov 16, 2015*
6:00 pm, P12N
No. 12 Bradley W 90–60  2–0
 22  Trier  7  Tarczewski  7  Pitts  McKale Center (14,238)
Tucson, Arizona
Nov 19, 2015*
6:30 pm, P12N
No. 12 Boise State
Wooden Legacy campus-site game
W 88–76  3–0
 23  York  15  Anderson  6  Allen  McKale Center (14,644)
Tucson, Arizona
Nov 22, 2015*
6:00 pm, P12N
No. 12 Northwestern State W 61–42  4–0
 18  York  10  Ristić  6  Jackson-Cartwright  McKale Center (14,396)
Tucson, Arizona
Nov 26, 2015*
9:30 pm, ESPN2
No. 11 vs. Santa Clara
Wooden Legacy Quarterfinals
W 75–73 OT 5–0
 17  Anderson  11  Anderson  7  Jackson-Cartwright  Titan Gym (2,460)
Fullerton, California
Nov 27, 2015*
9:30 pm, ESPN2
No. 11 vs. Providence
Wooden Legacy Semifinals
L 65–69  5–1
 27  Anderson  12  Anderson  4  Allen  Titan Gym (2,873)
Fullerton, California
Nov 29, 2015*
2:30 pm, ESPNU
No. 11 vs. Boise State
Wooden Legacy 3rd Place Game
W 68–59  6–1
 13  Tied  7  Tied  2  Tied  Honda Center (4,393)
Anaheim, California
Dec 5, 2015*
1:15 pm, ESPN
No. 19 at No. 13 Gonzaga W 68–63  7–1
 18  York  6  3 Tied  2  3 Tied  McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000)
Spokane, Washington
Dec 9, 2015*
7:00 pm, P12N
No. 13 Fresno State W 85–72  8–1
 27  Trier  8  Anderson  5  Allen  McKale Center (14,262)
Tucson, Arizona
Dec 13, 2015*
6:00 pm, P12N
No. 13 Missouri W 88–52  9–1
 17  Tollefsen  10  Comanche  5  Jackson-Cartwright  McKale Center (14,644)
Tucson, Arizona
Dec 16, 2015*
8:00 pm, P12N
No. 13 Northern Arizona W 92–37  10–1
 19  Tollefsen  12  Anderson  7  Allen  McKale Center (13,566)
Tucson, Arizona
Dec 19, 2015*
7:30 pm, ESPN2
No. 13 UNLV W 82–70  11–1
 20  Ristić  13  Anderson  5  Allen  McKale Center (14,644)
Tucson, Arizona
Dec 22, 2015*
7:00 pm, P12N
No. 8 Long Beach State W 85–70  12–1
 20  Trier  14  Anderson  4  Allen  McKale Center (14,644)
Tucson, Arizona
Pac-12 regular season
Jan 3, 2016
12:00 pm, FS1
No. 8 at Arizona State
Rivalry
W 94–82  13–1
(1–0)
 22  York  10  Anderson  6  York  Wells Fargo Arena (8,044)
Tempe, Arizona
Jan 7, 2016
7:00 pm, ESPN2
No. 7 at UCLA
Rivalry
L 84–87  13–2
(1–1)
 15  Anderson  15  Anderson  4  Allen  Pauley Pavilion (12,026)
Los Angeles, California
Jan 9, 2016
5:00 pm, P12N
No. 7 at USC L 101–103 4OT 13–3
(1–2)
 25  Trier  12  Tarczewski  5  York  Galen Center (6,854)
Los Angeles, California
Jan 14, 2016
7:00 pm, FS1
No. 18 Washington W 99–67  14–3
(2–2)
 21  Anderson  13  Tarczewski  11  Jackson-Cartwright  McKale Center (14,479)
Tucson, Arizona
Jan 16, 2016
7:30 pm, P12N
No. 18 Washington State W 90–66  15–3
(3–2)
 15  Anderson  8  Tied  7  Jackson-Cartwright  McKale Center (14,502)
Tucson, Arizona
Jan 21, 2016
9:00 pm, P12N
No. 12 at Stanford W 71–57  16–3
(4–2)
 19  York  9  Ristić  4  Tied  Maples Pavilion (5,275)
Stanford, California
Jan 23, 2016
6:30 pm, ESPN
No. 12 at California L 73–74  16–4
(4–3)
 15  York  9  Anderson  6  Jackson-Cartwright  Haas Pavilion (11,858)
Berkeley, California
Jan 28, 2016
7:00 pm, ESPN2
No. 18 No. 23 Oregon L 75–83  16–5
(4–4)
 22  Anderson  10  Anderson  10  Allen  McKale Center (14,644)
Tucson, Arizona
Jan 30, 2016
7:30 pm, P12N
No. 18 Oregon State W 80–63  17–5
(5–4)
 24  York  12  Anderson  6  Allen  McKale Center (14,644)
Tucson, Arizona
Feb 3, 2016
8:00 pm, P12N
No. 23 at Washington State W 79–64  18–5
(6–4)
 31  Anderson  12  Anderson  4  Jackson-Cartwright  Beasley Coliseum (3,189)
Pullman, Washington
Feb 6, 2016
2:30 pm, FOX
No. 23 at Washington W 77–72  19–5
(7–4)
 22  Anderson  15  Anderson  3  Allen  Alaska Airlines Arena (9,266)
Seattle, Washington
Feb 12, 2016
7:00 pm, ESPN
No. 17 UCLA
Rivalry
W 81–75  20–5
(8–4)
 18  Trier  14  Tarczewski  4  Jackson-Cartwright  McKale Center (14,644)
Tucson, Arizona
Feb 14, 2016
6:00 pm, FS1
No. 17 No. 23 USC W 86–78  21–5
(9–4)
 17  York  9  Tied  5  Jackson-Cartwright  McKale Center (14,644)
Tucson, Arizona
Feb 17, 2016
7:00 pm, ESPN2
No. 12 Arizona State
Rivalry
W 99–61  22–5
(10–4)
 20  Trier  15  Tarczewski  7  Jackson-Cartwright  McKale Center (14,644)
Tucson, Arizona
Feb 24, 2016
7:00 pm, ESPN2
No. 9 at Colorado L 72–75  22–6
(10–5)
 19  Anderson  10  Anderson  3  Tied  Coors Events Center (11,309)
Boulder, Colorado
Feb 27, 2016
12:00 pm, ESPN
No. 9 at No. 22 Utah L 64–70  22–7
(10–6)
 23  Trier  10  Tarczewski  3  York  Jon M. Huntsman Center (15,508)
Salt Lake City, Utah
Mar 3, 2016
7:00 pm, ESPN
No. 18 No. 25 California W 64–61  23–7
(11–6)
 19  York  12  Tarczewski  6  Allen  McKale Center (14,644)
Tucson, Arizona
Mar 5, 2016
2:00 pm, CBS
No. 18 Stanford W 94–62  24–7
(12–6)
 32  York  12  Anderson  6  Allen  McKale Center (14,644)
Tucson, Arizona
Pac-12 Tournament
Mar 10, 2016
3:30 pm, P12N
(4) No. 15 vs. (5) Colorado
Quarterfinals
W 82–78  25–7
 23  Trier  11  Tarczewski  2  3 Tied  MGM Grand Garden Arena (12,916)
Paradise, Nevada
Mar 11, 2016
7:00 pm, P12N
(4) No. 15 vs. (1) No. 8 Oregon
Semifinals
L 89–95 OT 25–8
 21  York  12  Tarczewski  5  Jackson-Cartwright  MGM Grand Garden Arena (12,916)
Paradise, Nevada
NCAA tournament
Mar 17, 2016*
6:20 pm, TNT
(6 S) No. 17 vs. (11 S) Wichita State
First Round
L 55–65  25–9
 11  Allen  11  Anderson  2  Tied  Dunkin' Donuts Center (11,559)
Providence, Rhode Island
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
S=South Region.
All times are in Mountain Time.

Ranking movement

Ranking movement
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking. RV=Received votes.
PollPreWk 2Wk 3Wk 4Wk 5Wk 6Wk 7Wk 8Wk 9Wk 10Wk 11Wk 12Wk 13Wk 14Wk 15Wk 16Wk 17Wk 18PostFinal
AP 12 12 11 19 13 13 8 8 7 18 12 18 23 17 12 9 18 15 17 N/A*
Coaches 10 10 10 14 12 12 8 7 6 16 11 15 20 14 12 10 16 14 16 22

*AP does not release post-NCAA tournament rankings

Player statistics

  • As of Mar. 21, 2016 [10]
Player GP GS MPG FGM-FGA 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Kadeem Allen342824.9100–21518–5067–953.13.51.00.88.4
Ryan Anderson333329.2174–3192–7155–20810.10.80.70.615.3
Chance Comanche2306.016–330–011–161.60.20.00.31.9
Paulo Cruz602.70–20–20–000000
Jacob Hazzard703.76–104–62–20.10.3002.6
Parker Jackson-Cartwright34621.257–14227–7237–571.63.40.60.25.2
Elliott Pitts7221.37–262–160–22.31.81.102.3
Dušan Ristić34916.594–1713–852–823.80.80.10.77.1
Justin Simon2407.523–461–39–211.20.30.30.22.3
Kaleb Tarczewski262427.480–1500–084–1189.30.60.31.49.4
Mark Tollefsen341321.990–17526–7331–393.01.30.60.77.0
Allonzo Trier272128.0122–26240–110115–1453.31.10.50.214.8
Gabe York343433.3177–41998–23359–783.22.20.90.315.0

Honors

Award Watchlists

  • Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award – Kaleb Tarczewski
  • Wooden Award Preseason Top 50 – Kaleb Tarczewski
  • Jerry West Award – Allonzo Trier
  • Wooden Award Midseason Top 25 – Ryan Anderson
  • Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame - 2016 Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Finalist – Ryan Anderson
  • Lute Olson National Player of the Year Award Finalist – Ryan Anderson

Weekly awards

Nameawards
Allonzo TrierPac-12 Player of the Week – Dec.14
Ryan AndersonPac-12 Player of the Week – Feb. 8
Naismith Trophy Player of the Week – Feb. 7
Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week – Feb. 7
Gabe YorkPac-12 Player of the Week – Mar. 7

Season awards

Nameawards
Ryan AndersonAll-Pac-12 First Team
Kaleb TarczewskiAll-Pac-12 Second Team
Kaleb TarczewskiAll-Pac-12 Defensive Team
Gabe YorkAll-Pac-12 Second Team
Allonzo TrierPac-12 All Freshman Team

See also

2015–16 Arizona Wildcats women's basketball team

References

  1. Pascoe, Bruce. "UA basketball: Ashley declares for NBA draft". Tucson.com. Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
  2. "Hollis-Jefferson Declares for NBA Draft". ArizonaWildcats.com. Arizona Athletics. Retrieved April 7, 2015.
  3. Pascoe, Bruce. "Arizona basketball: Johnson leaving for NBA". Tucson.com. Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved April 24, 2015.
  4. Borzello, Jeff. "Craig Victor transferring to LSU". ESPN.go.com. Retrieved January 9, 2015.
  5. Pascoe, Bruce. "Arizona Wildcats: Miller confirms Smith out for season". Tucson.com. Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved January 13, 2016.
  6. Pascoe, Bruce. "Arizona basketball: Tarczewski out 4-6 weeks". Tucson.com. Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved January 13, 2016.
  7. Pascoe, Bruce. "Arizona basketball: Trier breaks hand, out 4-6 weeks". Tucson.com. Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved January 13, 2016.
  8. Pascoe, Bruce. "Arizona-Missouri postgame: On Allen's recovery, Pitts' issue, and finals week". Tucson.com. Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved January 13, 2016.
  9. Pascoe, Bruce. "Elliott Pitts leaves Arizona Wildcats for remainder of season". Tucson.com. Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved February 18, 2016.
  10. "Arizona Combined Team Statistics" (PDF). University of Arizona. Retrieved March 21, 2016.
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