Depleted Arizona has to avoid foul trouble against UC-Irvine
No. 20 Arizona has seven available scholarship players, three of whom are freshmen, and so coach Sean Miller has a couple of new team policies. "You're not allowed to be a freshman and you're not allowed to foul," Miller said. The Wildcats (6-2) have little margin of error as they head into Tuesday night's game against UC Irvine (4-4) at McKale Center in Tucson, Ariz., starting at 9 p.m. ET. Arizona is coming off a 69-62 loss to No. 8 Gonzaga on Saturday in Los Angeles, which was the Wildcats' first game without starting point guard Parker Jackson-Cartwright, who suffered a high ankle sprain a game earlier. On Monday, Miller gave an expected timetable for Jackson-Cartwright's rehab -- eight weeks. "We have to make the best of it and figure it out, and that's what we're doing -- we're figuring it out," Miller said of the on-court adjustments. "A lot of players come to Arizona to have big, big roles. And, believe me, every one of them does right now." Arizona's top three scorers are freshmen -- 7-foot forward Lauri Markkanen (17.8 points per game), guard Kobi Simmons (11.6) and wing Rawle Alkins (11.5). Without Jackson-Cartwright, combo guard Kadeem Allen will be the primary point guard, backed by Simmons. Allen was the starting point for much of last season, but Miller prefers him off the ball and to have less on his plate offensively, which also enables the senior to focus more on being the team's defensive ace. But, right now, Miller has few options because of injuries and one unexplained absence. The absence belongs to sophomore guard Allonzo Trier, who has yet to suit up this season, although he did travel with the team to Los Angeles last weekend. Trier, who averaged 14.8 points last season, had not accompanied the team on two previous road trips. Miller said the NCAA "permitted" Trier to travel last weekend. Asked if that was a good sign, Miller answered, "No. The only good sign is when he walks out there and plays." The school has not commented on the nature of the absence. As for the Anteaters, they are coming off a 58-55 victory at Santa Clara on Wednesday. Arizona beat Santa Clara 69-61 in Las Vegas on Thanksgiving. Senior guard Jaron Martin averages a team-high 13.8 points per game and 7-2 center Ioannis Dimakopoulos averages 11.4. Martin is playing almost 31 minutes per game, but Irvine will fairly evenly distribute minutes to eight other players. "We rotate our players and I think that's the best way to manage a young team," UC-Irvine coach Russell Turner said. "We have talent on this team and we've got to continue to play guys so their talents can emerge and build confidence." One of the young guys is freshman forward John Edgar Jr., whose father was a 6-6 center during Lute Olson's early days at Arizona. Edgar Sr. was a senior captain on the Wildcats' first Pac-10 championship team in 1986. Edgar Jr. scored 13 points against Santa Clara. Another connection is UC-Irvine starting guard Max Hazzard, a redshirt freshman whose brother Jacob was an Arizona walk-on until completing his eligibility last season. Max Hazzard is averaging 6.3 points per game. The Wildcats beat the Anteaters 71-54 two seasons ago at McKale. Miller said Irvine is a well-organized team offensively and defensively with a lot of size, even after 7-6 center Mamadou Ndiaye completed his eligibility last season. "Any team we play is going to be a great challenge, especially without Parker and with the limited numbers," Miller said. "Those are our circumstances. It's up to us to improve and find a way." |