Tommy Lloyd, Kerr Kriisa and Azuolas Tubelis represented Arizona at Pac-12 Men's Basketball Media Day on Wednesday as teams from across the league took the stage in San Francisco to met with reporters and discuss the upcoming season. Earlier in the day, the Wildcats were tabbed as the second-place team in the preseason media poll after earning three first-place votes and 352 points to finish behind UCLA (386 points) for the top spot and ahead of Oregon (336).
The three Arizona representatives touched on a variety of topics during their time in the spotlight in San Francisco on Wednesday, and here is a rundown of the notable topics they discussed and were asked about by the media.
TCU, Houston matchups provide Lloyd with something to build on
The Wildcats were able to just squeak by TCU in the Round of 32 during the NCAA Tournament last season before falling to Houston in the Sweet Sixteen. Both teams were physical down low and able to test Arizona on the boards. That type of learning experience can benefit the returning players this season.
"TCU and Houston are two really good programs, incredibly physical and very well coached," Lloyd said. "I thought we were a really physical team as well so for me that is the number one standard. 'Can you check that box? Can you go and play physical in high level games?' I really want to see if we can continue to build that at Arizona. I think we have some guys now in our program that have shown that toughness.
"... There is nothing worse than getting into a game or at a tournament and being physically outmatched. We want to make sure we're doing everything we can to come out on top in those physical matchups."
The Wildcats won't be seeing that same type of physicality for the most part in conference play, but they'll sure be facing that type of competition if they want to make another deep run during March Madness this season.
Where Kerr Kriisa and Azoulas Tubelis improved the most this offseason
Tubelis was the only member of Arizona's team to earn a spot on the preseason first team this week, so there will be plenty on his shoulders. He mentioned his defense and shooting from deep as areas he focused on the most this offseason.
It was those physical games against teams like Houston and TCU last season where Tubelis struggled the most defensively. His ability on the offensive side of the ball made it tough to sit him, but Tubelis will need to improve defensively to be more of an all-around player in his junior season.
