Arizona Wildcats 2014-15 team preview

Wildcats coach Sean Miller is a daily visitor to the national defensive efficiency rankings on kenpom.com. “It keeps me sane,” he says. “Those are the numbers that I believe in.” Miller knows -- and this is backed up by a decade’s worth of data -- that you can’t contend for a national title without being near the top of those rankings. He frequently lets his team know how its help-oriented, man-to-man D stacks up; last season Arizona ascended to No. 1 on kenpom in January, then earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. These Wildcats are aiming to set themselves apart by having another top-ranked D that’s powered by senior T.J. McConnell, their pest of a point guard; sophomore Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, a 6-foot-7 lockdown wing; and the length of juniors Brandon Ashley (6-9) and Kaleb Tarczewski (7-0).

The return of Ashley -- who tore a ligament in his right foot last February after establishing himself as a scoring threat in the post, in midrange isolation and on pick-and-pops -- should also ensure that the offense doesn’t stagnate. “No one,” says the pass-first McConnell, “is happier to have Brandon back than me.” The Wildcats were one possession away from the 2014 Final Four; with a few better bounces, a few more buckets and the same stout defense, the 2015 championship is within reach.

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Projected top seven scorers

name	pos	class	ppg	rpg	apg	o-rating
Stanley Johnson	F	Fr	13.4	5.6	1.6	114.5
Brandon Ashley	F	Jr	13.0	6.7	1.1	118.6
Kaleb Tarczewski	F	Jr	11.4	7.1	0.7	120.7
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson	F	So	11.0	6.1	1.5	117.0
T.J. McConnell	G	Sr	9.2	3.4	5.1	115.3
Gabe York	G	Jr	7.7	2.4	1.6	119.8
Parker Jackson-Cartwright	G	Fr	4.4	0.9	1.8	104.9

Projected Pac-12 standings

rank	team	projected conf. record	2013-14 conf. record
1	Arizona	16-2	15-3
2	Utah	12-6	9-9
3	Stanford	12-6	10-8
4	UCLA	11-7	12-6
5	Colorado	10-8	10-8
6	Oregon	9-9	10-8
7	California	9-9	10-8
8	Washington	8-10	9-9
9	Arizona State	7-11	10-8
10	USC	6-12	2-16
11	Washington State	6-12	3-15
12	Oregon State	2-16	8-10