UA basketball bracing for St. John’s breakneck pace
With his team’s offensive efficiency having all but disappeared in two losses earlier this month, Arizona coach Sean Miller has been talking a lot about the necessity of patience lately.
“Playing quick? Gotta be smart as well,” Miller said Friday. “Taking a couple of ill-advised quick shots, ‘my-turn’ type of shots, the ball not being taken into the paint and posted …. When you play against a really good team, they use that against you, and Gonzaga did.”
In its 84-80 win over Arizona last Saturday, Gonzaga held the Wildcats to 38.5% shooting and just 8 of 30 from 3point range. Things were even worse for the Wildcats a week earlier at Baylor, where UA made just 26.9% from the field, including 2 of 18.
Even after wins, Miller has complained the Wildcats have sometimes been taking shots too quickly, not sharing the ball enough, not waiting for the right moment.
So what now? On Saturday, Arizona will be facing a St. John’s team that runs the 18th-fastest tempo in Division I, and presses routinely after made shots. The Red Storm ranks top 35 in defending two-point shots and is 25th in turnover percentage.
In short, they move fast, and they want you to move fast … so that you make bad decisions.
“They’re the fastest tempo team that we will play all season,” Miller said. “Some of that is just because of the way they play defense. … Sometimes they’re super aggressive and they just a trap and they really try to create turnovers but St. John’s is excellent team in transition.
“They force a high amount of turnovers, play at a very, very fast tempo, an excellent driving team. We have to be ready.”
Sophomore Jemarl Baker appeared confident they will be. The Wildcats have had two off days and four practices since losing to Gonzaga last Saturday, giving them time to rest, finish up final exams and prepare for their final nonconference game.
“They play really fast and we haven’t really played against a team that’s going to press as much as they do,” Baker said Friday, before the Wildcats flew to San Francisco. “We just have to stay poised, just think the game -- try not to get sped up too much but we have to attack at the same time.”
Baker and Nico Mannion will be at the front lines of St. John’s pressure, though Mannion hasn’t had an issue with ballhandling -- he has posted a 3.7-1 assist-turnover ratio in his last five games -- as much as he’s struggled to shoot lately.
Mannion has shot just 24.1% from the field over his last four games, though Miller wasn’t necessarily blaming him for shooting too quickly more than anyone else.
“Somebody of his stature who doesn’t shoot the ball well, we’ve taken a look and there are a couple maybe where he could have been a little bit more patient,” Miller said. “But there were quite a few shots in that game that that he normally makes and that’s part of it.
“But it’s a team game; you win as a team, you lose as a team. There are many, many possessions that had nothing to do with Nico shooting where we just took first-side shots, quick shots and played at a fast pace. You’ve got to be very smart.
Up next
Creighton (9-2) at Arizona State (8-3), 6:30 p.m., Desert Financial Arena,TV: PAC-12 Network, Radio: ESPN 620 (KTAR-AM): The Sun Devils will be looking for some redemption after a 96-56 loss to St. Mary’s. Remy Martin (18.5 ppg) is the team’s leading scorer but it is Alonzo Verge (13.8 ppg) with the hot hand lately – 79 points coming in the last three games. The Blue Jays are led by sophomore guard Marcus Zegarowski (19.5 ppg).
Arizona (10-2) vs. St John’s (10-2), 8 p.m. at Chase Center San Francisco at Naismith Hall of Fame Memorial Classic. TV: ESPN2: The Wildcats are coming off an 84-80 loss to No. 6 Gonzaga. They are led by freshmen Zeke Nnaji (15.9 ppg, 7.6 rpg) and Nico Mannion 14.3 ppg). The Red Storm could be without 6-foot-5 standout Mustapha Heron (15 ppg) who has been slowed by a an ankle injury. The Red Storm are coming off an 85-57 win over Albany.
Eastern Illinois (7-4) at Grand Canyon (4-9), 6 p.m., Saturday — GCU will have 14 days before its next game after wrapping up its non-conference schedule against Eastern Illinois. It is the longest stretch during the season without a game since 2008. Forward Alessandro Lever had 18 points and a career-high 11 rebounds in the 20point loss at New Mexico on Tuesday. GCU has lost three in a row. This will be guard Mikey Dixon’s second game for GCU. He had 10 points and made 3 of 14 field goals at New Mexico. EIU is coming off an 85-47 rout of Western Illinois, as senior JaQualis Matlock had 14 points. He is shooting 76 percent over his last five games (19 of 25).
“Just because we’re playing fast, which we want to do, doesn’t mean that we need to be rushed into taking a shot that’s not good for our team.”