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Transfer Update

Arizona guard KJ Lewis has entered the transfer portal. This past season, Lewis had his highs and lows and found himself as an energy guy and defensive master mind off the bench for Tommy Lloyd.

Lewis averaged 10.8 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.9 assists while shooting 42% from the field. He struggled from the 3-point line connecting on 19% of his 69 attempts. That was a 16% decrease from the previous seasons.

Coming out of high school, Lewis was recruited by Texas Tech, Houston, Baylor and SMU before picking Arizona.

I expect Lewis to gain interest from Houston, Texas Tech, UCLA and Baylor. There is a high chance Arizona will face him one, or twice next season if he is of high interest from those schools.
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GAME THREAD: No. 4 Arizona vs. No. 1 Duke (Sweet 16)

It is gameday for Arizona as it takes on top-seeded Duke with a trip to the Elite Eight on the line.

The Wildcats were able to escape Seattle with an 87-83 win over 5-seed Oregon in the Round of 32 last Sunday to advance to the Sweet Sixteen for the third time in four years.

Arizona and Duke faced off very early in the season in Tucson with the Blue Devils prevailing 69-55. Both teams are much different heading into Thursday since that first meeting in November.

GAME INFO

Who:
No. 4 Arizona (24-12) vs. No. 1 Duke (33-3) (last game won 89-66 vs. Baylor)

When: 6:39 p.m. (MST)

Where: Prudential Center | Newark, N.J.

TV: CBS

Odds: Duke (-9.5) | O/U (153.5)

All-time series: Arizona leads 6-5

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Spring ball observations (offense)

Hello guys, sorry for not getting this up here quicker. However, this spring is very different from previous seasons with new faces on the roster and on the coaching staff after the first year of the Brent Brennan era. With that comes a lot of time spent installing the new offensive system and defensive scheme. So, most of the time has been spent getting through those working pains and getting guys on and off of the field to get them reps.

However, there have been a few interesting things when it comes to the offensive side of the ball. I'll break down my three top takes from this point on offense below.


Offensive tempo

When taking the offensive coordinating job, Seth Doege was automatically labeled as an air-raid coach, given his time playing for Mike Leach and learning that system from Licon Riley and Graham Harrell.

However, when you look at his time at Marshall, the Thundering Herd his offenses were well-balanced and finished the season at No. 20 nationally in rushing.

Yes, there will be some air-raid concepts in Doege's scheme. But, I think we will be looking at more of a Rich Rodriguez style than a Leach style of play.

Center position issues

Over the last several years, Arizona has been solid at the center position, with Josh Baker handling the middle. But now, Baker has graduated and that has left at whole at the center spot.

In camp, Arizona has went with Grayson Stovall in the starting role and Ka'ena DeCambra as the backup.

Both players have had their issues and one of those issues has been getting the ball back to the QB on target.

There is plenty of time to sort out these issues. But, right now the center position isn't a solid spot for the Wildcats.


QB depth

One of the main things that has stood out early to me is the depth of the quarterback position compared to last year. Last season, Arizona had Noah Fifita and that was about it with walk-on Cole Tannenbaum being the main backup. Fifita was the only option and there wasn't much behind him.

Now, Arizona has added transfer Braedyn Locke to the group and freshmen Sawyer Anderson and Luke Haugo, the depth has been improved.

Fifita will be the starting quarterback without question. However, now you have guys behind him that can take the field in a break glass situation.
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