2017–18 Arizona Wildcats men's basketball team

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.

2017–18 Arizona Wildcats men's basketball
NCAA tournament, First Round
ConferencePac-12 Conference
Ranking
APNo. 12
Record9–8, 18 wins vacated (3–4 Pac-12, 11 wins vacated)
Head coach
Associate head coachLorenzo Romar
Assistant coaches
Home arenaMcKale Center
2017–18 Pac-12 Conference men's basketball standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
No. 12 Arizona †14–4 .77827–8  .771
USC12–6 .66724–12  .667
UCLA11–7 .61121–12  .636
Utah11–7 .61123–12  .657
Stanford11–7 .61119–16  .543
Oregon10–8 .55623–13  .639
Washington10–8 .55621–13  .618
Colorado8–10 .44417–15  .531
Arizona State8–10 .44420–12  .625
Oregon State7–11 .38916–16  .500
Washington State4–14 .22212–19  .387
California2–16 .1118–24  .250
† Pac-12 Tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll
Arizona recruit Deandre Ayton at the 2017 McDonald's All-American Boys Game.

Due to 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball corruption scandal, 18 wins from this season have been vacated.[1][2] The following 9 wins against Northern Arizona, UMBC, Cal State Bakersfield, Long Beach State, UNLV, Texas A&M, Utah, Colorado & California would count in the overall record as the player involved in the scandal did not play in these games.

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.[3] 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 to 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 AllenGRS SeniorWilmington, NCGraduated/2017 NBA draft. Drafted No. 53 overall in the 2nd round to Boston Celtics.[4]
Chance ComancheCSophomoreBeverly Hills, CADeclared for 2017 NBA draft.[5] Went undrafted.
Paulo CruzGSophomoreSan Diego, CAWalk-on; Transferred to Cal Poly.[6]
Ray SmithFRS FreshmanLas Vegas, NVRetired from basketball due to multiple injuries[7]
Kobi SimmonsGFreshmanAtlanta, GADeclared for the NBA draft. Went undrafted.[8] Signed an undrafted free agent deal with Memphis Grizzlies.[9]
Lauri MarkkanenFFreshmanJyväskylä, FIDeclared for 2017 NBA draft.[10] Drafted No. 7th overall in the 1st round to Minnesota Timberwolves and traded to Chicago Bulls.[11]
Reference:[12]
Incoming Transfers
Name Position Year Hometown Previous School Remaining Eligibility Notes
Chase JeterF/CJuniorLas Vegas, NVDuke2Will sit out the 2017–18 season due to NCAA transfer rules.[13]
Reference:[12]

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.
  • "2017 Arizona 24/7 Sports Commits". 247sports.com. Retrieved May 22, 2017.

School Offers by Recruit

ESPN 100

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.[19] 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.[20][21] Following the news, Richardson was suspended and relieved of all duties.[22] On January 11, 2018, UA fired assistant basketball coach Book Richardson after his appeal failed.[23]

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.[24] While Miller would not coach their next game that day against Oregon, Arizona allowed Ayton to play.[25] 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.[26]

Personnel

Roster
2017–18 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) SrSierra Canyon School Los Angeles, CA
G 1 Rawle Alkins 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)220 lb (100 kg) SoWord of God Christian Brooklyn, NY
G 3 Dylan Smith 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)170 lb (77 kg) RS SoUNC Asheville Mobile, AL
F 4 Chase Jeter Current redshirt 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)230 lb (104 kg) JrDuke Las Vegas, NV
G 5 Brandon Randolph 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)175 lb (79 kg) FrWesttown School Yonkers, NY
F 11 Ira Lee 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)235 lb (107 kg) FrCrossroads School Glendale, AZ
C 13 Deandre Ayton 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m)250 lb (113 kg) FrHillcrest Prep Nassau, Bahamas
C 14 Dušan Ristić 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)245 lb (111 kg) SrSunrise Christian Academy Novi Sad, Serbia
G 20 Talbott Denny 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)215 lb (98 kg) GSLipscomb Tucson, AZ
G 23 Alex Barcello 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)180 lb (82 kg) FrCorona del Sol HS Chandler, AZ
G 24 Emmanuel Akot 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)200 lb (91 kg) FrWasatch Academy Winnipeg, MB
F 25 Keanu Pinder 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)220 lb (100 kg) SrHutchinson C.C. Perth, Australia
G 35 Allonzo Trier 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)205 lb (93 kg) JrFindlay Prep Seattle, WA
G 50 Tyler Trillo (W) 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m)170 lb (77 kg) RS JrRoger Williams Southbury, CT
G 52 Kory Jones Injured (W) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)170 lb (77 kg) SoWestfield HS Herndon, VA
G 54 Matt Weyand (W) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)190 lb (86 kg) FrMater Dei HS Santa Ana, CA
F 55 Jake DesJardins (W) 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)215 lb (98 kg) SoCoronado 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.[27]
  • Sept 27, 2017 – Sophomore Rawle Alkins out 8–12 weeks with a broken right foot.[28]
  • Feb 22, 2018 – Junior Allonzo Trier ruled ineligible by NCAA for testing positive of a banned substance.[29]

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
NamePositionYear at ArizonaAlma Mater (year)
Sean MillerHead coach9thPittsburgh (1992)
Lorenzo RomarAssociate head coach1stWashington (1980)
Mark PhelpsAssistant coach3rdOld Dominion (1996)
Ryan ReynoldsDirector of Basketball Operations9thXavier (2007)
Austin CarrollAssistant director of Basketball Operations2ndAmerican (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.[30] 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,[31] the Blue team, led by Deandre Ayton, knocked off the Red team, 55–37.[32]

Preseason rankings

For the fifth time in the past six seasons, Arizona Wildcats voted 2017-18 Pac-12 preseason favorite by media poll.[33] On October 19, Arizona was pre-season ranked 5th in USA Today coaches preseason poll.[34] On November 1, Arizona was pre-season ranked No. 3 in AP Top 25 preseason poll.[35]

In its preseason college preview, Lindy's Sports ranked the Wildcats No. 2 in the country. The Blue Ribbon Yearbook 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. KenPom 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.[36] 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 Albuquerque 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.[37] Selection Sunday occurs the following day.[38]

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[39]

Ranking movement
See also: 2017-18 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings
  PreWk
2		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
Arizona 3 (18) 3 (16) 2 (11) RV RV 23 18T 17 14 17 14 11 9 13 17 14 19 15 12
  PreWk
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		FinalPostseason (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) [40]
    • NBC Sports Player of the Week (Nov. 13)[41]
  • Deandre Ayton
    • Week 4, Pac–12 Player of the Week (Dec. 4)[42]
    • Wayman Tisdale National Freshman of the Week (Dec 10)[43]
    • Wayman Tisdale National Freshman of the Week (2) (Feb 25)[44]
    • NCAA Men's Player of the Week (Jan. 1)[45]
    • NBC Sports Player of the Week (Jan. 1)[46]
    • Pac-12 Player of the Week (2) (Jan. 2)[47]
  • Dusan Ristic
    • Pac-12 Player of the Week (Jan. 29)[48]

Watchlists
  • Allonzo Trier
Jerry West Award Preseason Watch List (2018)[49]
Oscar Robertson Award Preseason Watch List (2018)[50]
Lute Olson Award Preseason Watch List (2018)[51]
Naismith Trophy Award Preseason Watch List (2018)[52]
John R. Wooden Award Preseason Watch List (2018)[53]
John R. Wooden Award Midseason Top 25 (2018)[54]
  • Rawle Alkins
Julius Erving Award Preseason Watch List (2018)[55]
Naismith Trophy Award Preseason Watch List (2018)
John R. Wooden Award Preseason Watch List (2018)
  • Deandre Ayton
Karl Malone Award Preseason Watch List (2018) [56]
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)[54]
Oscar Robertson Trophy Midseason Watch List (2018)[57]
Karl Malone Award Finalist (2018) [58]
Naismith Trophy Award Finalist (2018)
  • Dušan Ristić
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award Preseason Watch List (2018) [59]

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
  1. "IARP ruling a major victory for Wildcats, who avoid significant penalty in infractions case".
  2. "2017-18 Arizona Wildcat Basketball Season".
  3. "Arizona Media Guide" (PDF). ArizonaWildcats.com. Retrieved January 27, 2017.
  4. Pascoe, Bruce. "Kadeem Allen drafted No. 53 by Boston Celtics". Tucson.com. Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved June 22, 2017.
  5. Pascoe, Bruce. "Arizona sophomore Chance Comanche says he won't return to Wildcats". Tucson.com. Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved May 5, 2017.
  6. Rosenblatt, Zach. "Arizona Wildcats walk-on guard Paulo Cruz transferring to Cal Poly". Tucson.com. Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved July 14, 2017.
  7. Pascoe, Bruce. "Ray Smith's career over after Arizona Wildcats confirm he tore ACL". Tucson.com. Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved November 3, 2016.
  8. Presnell, Kelly. "Arizona Wildcats freshman Kobi Simmons declares for NBA draft". Tucson.com. Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved April 5, 2017.
  9. Pascoe, Bruce. "Report: Memphis to sign Arizona Wildcats' 'microwave,' Kobi Simmons". Tucson.com. Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved June 23, 2017.
  10. Pascoe, Bruce. "Arizona Wildcats freshman Lauri Markkanen confirms he'll leave for NBA". Tucson.com. Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved March 30, 2017.
  11. Pascoe, Bruce. "Arizona Wildcats star Lauri Markkanen taken No. 7 pick in the NBA draft". Tucson.com. Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved June 22, 2017.
  12. "2017-18 Basketball (M) Roster - Arizona Athletics". www.arizonawildcats.com. University of Arizona Department of Athletics.
  13. Pascoe, Bruce. "Duke transfer Chase Jeter commits to Arizona Wildcats". Tucson.com. Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved May 16, 2017.
  14. "ESPN Profile of Alex Barcello". ESPN. Retrieved May 27, 2017.
  15. "ESPN Profile of Brandon Randolph". ESPN. Retrieved May 27, 2017.
  16. "ESPN Profile of Ira Lee". ESPN. Retrieved May 27, 2017.
  17. "ESPN Profile of DeAndre Ayton". ESPN. Retrieved May 27, 2017.
  18. "ESPN Profile of Emmanuel Akot". ESPN. Retrieved May 27, 2017.
  19. "NCAA coaches among 10 arrested for corruption". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 26, 2017.
  20. Pascoe, Bruce. "Report: Arizona Wildcats assistant coach Book Richardson arrested, charged in federal kickback ring". Tucson.com. Retrieved September 26, 2017.
  21. "FBI arrests four college basketball assistants on charges of fraud". USA TODAY. Retrieved September 26, 2017.
  22. Villarreal, Phil (September 26, 2017). "UA suspends assistant basketball coach, postpones media day". KGUN. Retrieved September 26, 2017.
  23. Schmidt, Caitlin. "UA fires assistant basketball coach Book Richardson after his appeal fails". Tucson.com. Retrieved January 25, 2018.
  24. Schlabach, Mark (February 23, 2018). "FBI wiretaps show Sean Miller discussed $100K payment to lock recruit". www.espn.com. ESPN. Retrieved February 24, 2018.
  25. "Sean Miller won't coach Arizona's game Saturday vs. Oregon". www.espn.com. ESPN. February 24, 2018. Retrieved February 24, 2018.
  26. "Sean Miller: Deandre Ayton will declare for NBA draft".
  27. Pascoe, Bruce. "Arizona basketball: Walk-on Kory Jones out for season with torn ACL". Tucson.com. Tucson.com. Retrieved August 23, 2017.
  28. Pascoe, Bruce. "Arizona Wildcats standout Rawle Alkins out 8-12 weeks with broken foot". Tucson.com. Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved September 27, 2017.
  29. "Arizona to appeal NCAA ruling after Allonzo Trier tests positive for banned substance". espn.com. February 22, 2018. Retrieved February 22, 2018.
  30. Star, Bruce Pascoe Arizona Daily. "Arizona basketball: Bahamas trip gives Cats time to mesh". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved June 14, 2017.
  31. Kelapire, Ryan (October 20, 2017). "Brandon Randolph wins Red-Blue Game dunk contest". AZDesertSwarm.com. Retrieved October 20, 2017.
  32. Kelapire, Ryan (October 20, 2017). "Deandre Ayton, Brandon Randolph shine in Arizona's Red-Blue Game". AZDesertSwarm.com. Retrieved October 20, 2017.
  33. "Arizona again Pac-12 Men's basketball preseason favorite". Pac-12.com. October 12, 2017. Retrieved October 12, 2017.
  34. Pascoe, Bruce (October 19, 2017). "Arizona basketball: Wildcats ranked 5th in USA Today coaches preseason poll". Tucson.com. Retrieved October 19, 2017.
  35. Pascoe, Bruce (November 1, 2017). "Arizona basketball: Arizona Wildcats ranked No. 3 in AP Top 25 preseason poll". Tucson.com. Retrieved November 1, 2017.
  36. Pascoe, Bruce. "Arizona Wildcats finalize 2017–18 non-conference schedule". Tucson.com. Tucson.com. Retrieved June 8, 2017.
  37. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on October 17, 2018. Retrieved June 22, 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  38. "Selection Sunday 2019: Time, dates, schedule and everything else you need to know | NCAA.com". Archived from the original on March 13, 2018. Retrieved April 5, 2018.
  39. "Men's Basketball 2017–2018 Schedule". University of Arizona Department of Athletics.
  40. "POW, Week 1". Pac-12.com. November 13, 2017. Retrieved November 13, 2017.
  41. "Player of the Week: Allonzo Trier, Arizona". November 13, 2017.
  42. "POW, Week 4". Pac-12.com. November 13, 2017. Retrieved December 4, 2017.
  43. "ARIZONA'S AYTON NAMED WAYMAN TISDALE FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK".
  44. "ARIZONA'S AYTON NAMED WAYMAN TISDALE FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK".
  45. "Arizona Basketball: Deandre Ayton | Player of the Week".
  46. "Player of the Week: Deandre Ayton, Arizona". January 2018.
  47. "Arizona's Ayton adds second Pac-12 men's basketball weekly honor".
  48. "Dusan Ristic Named Pac-12 Player of the Week".
  49. "College basketball: 20 players named to 2018 Jerry West Award watch list". NCAA.com. Retrieved October 17, 2017.
  50. "2017 Oscar Roberston Trophy Preseason Watchlist". Sportswriters.net. November 6, 2017. Retrieved November 6, 2017.
  51. "2017-18 Lute Olson Preseason Watch List". LuteOlsonAward.com. November 6, 2017. Retrieved November 6, 2017.
  52. "Citizen Naismith Trophy Watch List Released". NaismithTrophy.com. Retrieved November 9, 2017.
  53. "Preseason Top 50". November 14, 2017.
  54. "Wooden Award midseason top 25". January 11, 2018.
  55. "College basketball: 21 players named to 2018 Julius Erving Award watch list". NCAA.com. Retrieved October 18, 2017.
  56. "College basketball: 21 players named to 2018 Karl Malone Award watch list". NCAA.com. Retrieved October 19, 2017.
  57. "USBWA Unveils Oscar Robertson Trophy Midseason Watch List".
  58. "2018 Finalist".
  59. "College basketball: 20 players named to 2018 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar watch list". hoophallawards.com. Retrieved October 20, 2017.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.