With the very best of the Pac-12 basketball media clan in Las Vegas, the Emerald got a chance to catch up with Adam Butler (@PacHoopsAB) of PacHoops.com. Butler breaks down the Pac-12 Tournament and looks ahead to the championship game between No. 2 seed Oregon and No. 1 seed Arizona.
After seeing Delon Wright, Stanley Johnson and Joseph Young put some impressive outings together, what’s a better label for Young: Player of the Year or Most Valuable Player?
I’m a millennial so clearly I’d love to get everyone an award. But because we’ve got to hand out just the one piece, I’ve loved watching Joe Young graciously show why he was the conference’s POY.
Now, as for your question, it’s really hard. And if we are operating in the vacuum of just this tournament, I think it’s pretty fair to call him the MVP. Look at the halves. Young’s Ducks were down at the half against both Colorado and Utah. In those halves, Joe was less than mighty. But in the second half, when Oregon would pull away, Young has been fantastic. I mean, Oregon shot 82 percent against Colorado in the second half where Young made nine buckets.
UCLA’s 3-2 zone had Arizona spinning its wheels for a while. What’s up with Wildcats and jump shooting?
Jump shooting just tends not to be a part of their DNA. They aren’t bad at it they just try to operate closer to the basket. That zone is also really unique in that the Bruins had Kevon Looney (7’1″ wingspan).
The scary prospect for Arizona opponents could be that in this tournament Stanley Johnson has found his stroke. In Vegas, he’s shooting 6-11 from deep.
Additionally, as it applies to tonight’s game, Gabe York – a key shooting threat for the Wildcats – has played well against Oregon, scoring a combined 23 points against the Ducks in two games this season. He will be a factor if Oregon chooses to continue its zone and zone press and if Arizona chooses to attack that with one of their smaller lineups as they effectively did late against UCLA.
Arizona is obviously going to align its defense towards Young. What’s the better matchup for him: Rondae Hollis-Jefferson or T.J. McConnell?
I think Young would have a better chance of having another big tournament game with McConnell on him. Young is clearly a great shooter and would have a better chance at getting a shot off against the 6-1 McConnell as opposed to the 6-7 Hollis-Jefferson.
Whatever the case, Young will be challenged. As will the Wildcats. I mean, Young is a white hot hero on a mission. Buckle up.
Brandon Ashley went crazy yesterday. What does he add to the team that Arizona missed last season?
Last year at this time Arizona was playing great but incomplete as he had a broken foot. What he’s doing this March, however, has been incredible. He’s averaging 19 and 7 on 72 percent shooting. Tonight is basically a battle for the tournament’s most outstanding player between him and Young (and probably Johnson, too).
What he brings – particularly right now – is a true post scoring threat, offensive rebounding (he’s really great at that), and the ability to hit jumpers created by a driving McConnell. It’s kind of heartbreaking for Wildcat fans to see what the March version of Ashley looks like after last year. That said, this March is shaping up into something pretty special for them again and Ashley is key to it.
There’s a huge difference in average height for tonight’s game. How can Elgin Cook and Dillon Brooks get involved in the paint with so many big Wildcats swatting shots?
The most effective thing those two can do is rebound. It’s always a team effort but you watch what UCLA and Cal have done against Arizona and the thing that’s caused Arizona the most trouble has been those teams’ efforts on the glass. Cal, in particular, did a great job of this, limiting Arizona to just five offensive rebounds.
Think about this, if Arizona is only average at jump shooting, then there’s an opportunity to force them into shots they’re perhaps not inclined to make. Grab those misses. Because if you don’t, there’s a lot of size that’s wearing red hovering around to connect on the far easier second chance bucket.
What’s one stat Oregon fans should keep their eye on?
I kind of alluded to it above in offensive rebounds, but if we are going to think a little outside the box I’d consider keeping an eye on transition points. Arizona is great in transition and in general really wants to push the pace.
The last two contests between these teams have been played to the tune of about 70 possessions which is a very fun basketball game. Sounds about perfect for a championship game, right?
Follow Adam Butler on Twitter @pachoopsab
Follow Josh Schlichter on Twitter @joshschlichter
