Arizona has started to jell a bit more now four games into the season and it was evident Wednesday night as the Wildcats had 21 assists on 27 baskets in an 85-60 victory over Cal State Bakersfield (1-2) at McKale Center.
The Wildcats (4-0) have had to welcome nearly an entirely new roster this season with several newcomers coming from other countries. The COVID-19 pandemic meant the team wasn't able to get together in the same place until late in the summer. It also meant college basketball teams could not host private scrimmages or exhibitions.
Arizona's players have had to learn how to be a team on the job and through four games roles are becoming more defined and the Wildcats are starting to discover a recipe that works.
"We have quality depth, we have a group that I think will really improve as the year goes on," UA head coach Sean Miller said after his team's win Wednesday. "But, we play with an edge to us. On defense, on offense. When you watched us against Grambling you might have scratched your head saying, 'where we gonna score?' As you can see, our offense is smoother.
"We move the ball easier, and that should happen. Simply because playing games with practice now we have a much better chance to improve, and that's what we're doing. We're a better team tonight than we were when we started playing games four games ago. The key is, can we continue to grow in the next couple of weeks as we head towards Christmas and the end of our nonconference season and the beginning of a very good Pac-12 season?"
In all, UA had five players score in double figures with all but one of those players, Jemarl Baker Jr., being new to the team this year. Freshmen Bennedict Mathurin, Dalen Terry and Azuolas Tubelis all reached double digits in the win over the Roadrunners while graduate transfer Terrell Brown Jr. led all scorers with 16 points to go with a game-high six assists.
Arizona had eight players contribute overall and worrying about who might have the best night is not something the team is concerning itself with right now.
"We're sharing the ball really well, and that's a key to winning games and playing together and sharing the ball," Brown said. "I feel like everybody on this team can play. I know that. I know for a fact that everybody on this team can play. So, it's just about sharing the ball. The offense that we run is getting everybody else involved, getting the whole team involved."
Mathurin, who finished with 15 points to go with six rebounds and two assists, is one piece of an athletic group of freshmen that also features fellow versatile wing Terry, who scored 10 points in Wednesday's win.
The flexibility has allowed Miller to mix and match his lineups over the course of a game with UA even using a smaller lineup through stretches that features four guards and wings.
"I feel like I'm doing everything for the team," Mathurin said. "If I have to play one, I have to play one, two, three, four, five. I'm gonna do it for the team. I'm a 6-6 guard, but if I gotta play the three I'm gonna play the three and I'm gonna do everything for my team to win. So, I'm gonna play hard defense, go grab rebounds and do what I'm able to do."
The Wildcats will finish up a busy week with a matchup against UTEP on Saturday night with tip off for that game at McKale Center set for 4 p.m. MST.
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