Arizona Shooting For A Better Season From Long Range
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Arizona will begin a new season on Monday against the Florida Gators in Las Vegas. Tommy Lloyd's fifth season at the helm in Tucson sees another roster shakeup, but it's a turnover that could vault the Wildcats into the next tier of contenders.
The offseason saw stars like Carter Bryant and Caleb Love depart for the pros, while valuable pieces like KJ Lewis and Henri Veesaar transferred elsewhere.
Replacing them is the No. 2 recruiting class in the country. That class includes forwards Koa Peat, Ivan Kharchenkov, Dwayne Aristode, and Sidi Gueye, as well as guard Brayden Burries.
The newcomers will play a big role right away, alongside veterans Jaden Bradley and Tobe Awaka in the regular rotation.
Lloyd seems very connected to this group already and eager to get the season underway. Arizona has to deal with a daunting non-conference slate, beginning with Florida and continuing with UCLA, UConn, Auburn and Alabama.
Without a roster full of proven talent, Arizona is going to have to adjust on the fly and figure out what works. One thing they are hoping improves is their shooting from deep, which, despite reaching the Sweet Sixteen, was not great.
By The Numbers
Last season, the Wildcats connected on 33.8% of their shots from three-point range, 188th in the country and eighth in the Big 12. They only averaged 7.2 three-pointers per game.
That team was led by Love, who attempted 288 shots from beyond the arc. No one else attempted more than 125 that year. With Love gone, most of the attention will turn to Anthony Dell'Orso, who has mainly been a catch-and-shoot sniper for the Wildcats.
Dell'Orso started and came off the bench at different times last season, but was mainly utilized on the perimeter. His goal during the offseason was to become a more complete player, meaning that role has evolved, but he should still be a threat from range.
The new Wildcats could really boost Arizona's shooting numbers. Burries is the best pure shooter in Lloyd's recruiting class and could run the court with Bradley right away. He has the ability to score from anywhere on the floor, if asked.
However, Burries is a freshman, learning the college game, and was a bit streaky from behind the arc as a high school senior. He shot just 30% from three playing in the Nike EYBL. Still, alongside Dell'Orso, Burries figures to be the most capable three-point shooter on the team.
Lloyd also dipped into the transfer portal to find Harvard's Evan Nelson, a Tucson native. Nelson will likely serve in a bench role, but he could play very similar to the role Dell'Orso did last season. He could be the hired gun from range that Arizona can call off the bench.
Nelson hit on 39.8% of his long-range shots over three seasons at Harvard. He can handle the ball as well to spell Burries and Bradley, but if he shares the floor with them, he might just be the guy waiting on the wing for his shot.
Bradley is another returning player capable of scoring from deep, but his game is more physical and downhill, so it's not a shot he will likely look for often. Kharchenkov and Aristode also have had prior success from range, but given the depth Arizona has at forward, it may not be what Lloyd asks of them.
Through two exhibition games, the Wildcats have struggled to hit from three, but that might be expected in early season games. Against Saint Mary's, the Wildcats combined for a 4-of-16 clip from deep, with Bradley knocking down both of his attempts. Dell'Orso struggled, shooting 1-of-7.
Arizona didn't seek the shot out a ton against Embry-Riddle, shooting 4-of-13.
Long range shooting may not be a strength again this season, but the Wildcats do have the tools to improve their shot selection and production from beyond. Against a loaded Big 12, filled to the brim with talented big men, Arizona can't become too reliant on drives to the rim and mid-range looks.
They need to be able to connect from beyond the arc to stretch teams out. Last season, not having enough reliable shooters hurt them down the stretch.
Burries, Bradley, and Dell'Orso will lead that effort from the starting lineup, but how the other freshman and new faces perform is still a bit of an unknown.
Yet, Lloyd is putting his eggs in that basket and hoping for significant improvement from the shooting department.
Arizona is set to open the season against Florida on Monday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. What are you looking forward to most this upcoming season for the Wildcats? To let us know, follow us on our X account by clicking on the link.
Logan Brown is an alumnus of the prestigious Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. He currently works as a General College Sports Reporter On SI. Logan has an extensive background in writing and has contributed to Cronkite Sports, PHNX Sports, and Motion Graphics.
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