It's difficult to know what to make of any college basketball team this year. It's even more difficult to know what to make of Arizona. The Wildcats reached out to all parts of the globe to add players this offseason with most of those players having never been seen by fans in the United States. Throw into that the COVID-19 pandemic that limited the work the team could get in over the spring and summer months and it is anybody's guess as to how good the Wildcats will be this year.
Arizona has been at work for the last few weeks preparing for the season that is set to begin Nov. 25, and over that time the team has been able to get more familiar with one another. As Sean Miller's new squad takes shape there is growing confidence that UA will still be able to make plenty of noise this season despite how many new players will see the floor this year.
"I know a lot of the expectations for us in the media and public isn't that big, but what's going on in our locker room, what's going on at McKale every single day when we practice we still believe we're top dog," senior forward Ira Lee said Thursday. "We still believe we're gonna be an even better, harder-working team this season."
There is a reason for Lee's optimism. Despite the many unknowns that come with adding so many new players, especially ones from overseas, the Wildcats welcome one of the top recruiting classes in the country. Players such as Azuolas Tubelis, Kerr Kriisa and Dalen Terry are all highly-regarded freshmen. Throw into that the addition of transfers such as James Akinjo, Jordan Brown and Terrell Brown Jr. and there is quite a bit of talent on the roster.
Akinjo won Big East Freshman of the Year at Georgetown, Jordan Brown was a McDonald's All-American and five-star recruit coming out of high school while Terrell Brown was one of the top scorers in all of college basketball last year.
It's not just that talent that has the Wildcats looking forward to the upcoming season, however. It's what the team has shown over the last few weeks that has sparked the optimism.
"From what I've seen with us I feel we're I think we're gonna do a lot of damage in the Pac-12," Lee said. "I'm not being biased, I'm just being honest."
Lee is someone whose evaluation you can trust. He's been part of a lot of different types of teams at Arizona with different levels of success. He understands what makes a good team and what makes a bad one. UA's other veterans are also optimistic about what they have seen so far.
"We can feed the post inside with Christian (Koloko) and Jordan Brown and Azuolas and Ira," Terrell Brown Jr. said Thursday about the versatility of UA's group this year. "We also have good guards on the wing, so we can also get up and down. We can go with three guards that's legit one and twos on our team, but we can also go with a big lineup."
The challenge for the Wildcats this year is that they have to work out the kinks in practice since there will be no preseason scrimmages against other teams and no exhibition games to get ready for the season. Instead, the first time UA will see the floor against an opponent will be opening night.
Miller has not wanted to jump out and discuss any expectations for his team until he has a better feel for the group, but it's clear his players have confidence in the group that has been pieced together this year.
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