Hey guys, I wanted to start this thread talking about the Wildcats' upcoming opponent in Long Beach State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. This is the second-straight season that the Wildcats come into the tourney as a No. 2 seed. Last year, the team fell 59-55 to Princeton, marking the second time in program history that the Wildcats have been upset by a 15-seed.
Now, from the off-season all the way to this point in time, Arizona has talked about that game and not wanting that to happen again and proving something this year's tournament. Well, in order for that to happen, the team must now face its demons and beat a 15-seed in Long Beach State.
(GAME INFO)
Who: No. 5 Arizona (25-8) vs. Long Beach State (21-14)
When: 11 a.m. (MST)
Where: Delta Center | Salt Lake City, Utah
TV: TBS
Odds: Arizona (-20.5) | O/U: 158.5
This isn't going to be our game thread, but this will serve as a place to talk about the game leading up to Thursday's showdown. And, I'll break down three areas of Long Beach State to give you a better understanding of what this Beach team has to offer.
(Long Beach State Breakdown)
The danger of the 3-point shot - One of Arizona's issues this season has been the 3-point shot in the team's losses opponents hit a high number of 3-point shots like Stanford with 16, 12 3-point shots against Oregon State and Oregon went 6 off 11 from deep in the second half of the Pac-12 Tournament.
However, when you look at the numbers, Long Beach State isn't 3-point shooting team, only making 31% of its shots from deep. But, the Beach have a guard in Jadon Jones, who is shooting 38% from deep while averaging 12.2 points per game. So, if there was a guy that could go off on Arizona, it would be Jones.
Still, I think the thing to watch is the second half 3-point shooting. You want to avoid what happened with Oregon where the team gets hot and starts the half going 6 of 9 to take a lead, or get back into a game.
Attacking the zone - The major key to Long Beach State's success this season has been its zone defense, which has held teams to its final thee opponents to 72 points per game and saw them shoot 40% from the field and turned the ball over just 22 times.
One of Arizona's problems this season has been the inconsistent play against zone defenses. But, part of that has been high turnover numbers that go along with playing against the zone. The Wildcats have been open about their struggles against the zone with star guard Caleb Love saying that they need to improve in that area in order to make a deep run.
The player to watch - For me, its Jadon Jones, who we talked about above when it comes to his 3-point ability. However, Jones is much more than a 3-point shooter. He has shot 85% from the free throw line this season and is shooting 42% from the field. His season-high came against Cal Poly where he scored 26 points on 9 of 14 shooting.
Down the final three-game stretch of the Big West Tournament, Jones didn't play well scoring 24 points on 6 of 21 shooting from the field. However, in the final four games of the regular season, he averaged 16.5 points while shooting 46% from the field. He has the ability to change to course of a game with his shot.
We will have a preview on the game coming out today from Aidan. But, please feel free with any questions, or comments regarding this game.
Now, from the off-season all the way to this point in time, Arizona has talked about that game and not wanting that to happen again and proving something this year's tournament. Well, in order for that to happen, the team must now face its demons and beat a 15-seed in Long Beach State.
(GAME INFO)
Who: No. 5 Arizona (25-8) vs. Long Beach State (21-14)
When: 11 a.m. (MST)
Where: Delta Center | Salt Lake City, Utah
TV: TBS
Odds: Arizona (-20.5) | O/U: 158.5
This isn't going to be our game thread, but this will serve as a place to talk about the game leading up to Thursday's showdown. And, I'll break down three areas of Long Beach State to give you a better understanding of what this Beach team has to offer.
(Long Beach State Breakdown)
The danger of the 3-point shot - One of Arizona's issues this season has been the 3-point shot in the team's losses opponents hit a high number of 3-point shots like Stanford with 16, 12 3-point shots against Oregon State and Oregon went 6 off 11 from deep in the second half of the Pac-12 Tournament.
However, when you look at the numbers, Long Beach State isn't 3-point shooting team, only making 31% of its shots from deep. But, the Beach have a guard in Jadon Jones, who is shooting 38% from deep while averaging 12.2 points per game. So, if there was a guy that could go off on Arizona, it would be Jones.
Still, I think the thing to watch is the second half 3-point shooting. You want to avoid what happened with Oregon where the team gets hot and starts the half going 6 of 9 to take a lead, or get back into a game.
Attacking the zone - The major key to Long Beach State's success this season has been its zone defense, which has held teams to its final thee opponents to 72 points per game and saw them shoot 40% from the field and turned the ball over just 22 times.
One of Arizona's problems this season has been the inconsistent play against zone defenses. But, part of that has been high turnover numbers that go along with playing against the zone. The Wildcats have been open about their struggles against the zone with star guard Caleb Love saying that they need to improve in that area in order to make a deep run.
The player to watch - For me, its Jadon Jones, who we talked about above when it comes to his 3-point ability. However, Jones is much more than a 3-point shooter. He has shot 85% from the free throw line this season and is shooting 42% from the field. His season-high came against Cal Poly where he scored 26 points on 9 of 14 shooting.
Down the final three-game stretch of the Big West Tournament, Jones didn't play well scoring 24 points on 6 of 21 shooting from the field. However, in the final four games of the regular season, he averaged 16.5 points while shooting 46% from the field. He has the ability to change to course of a game with his shot.
We will have a preview on the game coming out today from Aidan. But, please feel free with any questions, or comments regarding this game.
