By PAUL GOTHAM
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Stanley Johnson went in the first round of the 2015 NBA Draft. But when it comes to assessing roles in the Arizona Wildcats lineup, it is the void left by an unsigned rookie which might be the most difficult to fill.
T.J. McConnell didn’t hear his name called on draft night. That doesn’t matter. McConnell’s contributions to Arizona’s Elite Eight run were unmistakable.
“The hardest thing to replace is going to be the leadership, the big-play mentality, the defense,” ESPN men’s college basketball analyst Jay Bilas said during a recent conference call. “He was the one thing that I thought was constant last year for Arizona. Absolutely he was like the rock there. Without that, there is going to be an adjustment.”
McConnell netted 10.4 points per game for Sean Miller‘s squad. His assist to turnover rate of 3.05 ranked 11th in the country, but his most telling stat was the more than 30 minutes per game he logged to lead the Wildcats squad.
“The last two years Sean Miller had a point guard that was connected at the hip with him,” added fellow ESPN Seth Greenberg. “They were always on the same page.
“There’s something for a coach. It’s almost like a security blanket when you have a point guard that you’re totally on the same page. You see the game the same way. It’s hard to replace.”
McConnell signed with the Philadelphia 76ers. It should come as no surprise that through six games the Pittsburgh native is handing out more assists (7.5 per game) than scoring points (5.5).
Arizona finished 16-2 in conference play last year and won their second straight Pac-12 title. To win their third straight crown, the Wildcats will have to replace their top four scorers including McConnell.
“They’re going to lose some games this year that they wouldn’t have lost last year,” Bilas stated. “But they’re not going to lose that many.”
Kaleb Tarczewski is lone starter to return. The 7-0 center scored 9.3 points per game and finished fourth in the conference with a field goal percentage of 57.2. Arizona adds transfers Kadeem Allen (Hutchison CC) and Ryan Anderson (Boston College) to the lineup.
California returns the Pac-12’s best backcourt in senior Tyrone Wallace (17.1 ppg/7.1 rpg) and junior Jordan Matthews (13.6 ppg/3.4 rpg). The Bears also added one of the top recruiting classes in the country.
“Cal’s personnel might give them a little bit of an edge, but the difference is that Arizona’s got a program,” Bilas said. “They had a couple guys sitting out last year. They’re going to step in. They already know the system. Ryan Anderson and Kadeem Allen – those guys are going to step in and play right away. They’ll be ready.”
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