Scouting report - No. 20 Arizona Wildcats vs. UC Irvine Anteaters
- Updated
How Wildcats match up with Anteaters heading into Tuesday's game at McKale Center.
- Bruce Pascoe
- Updated
Who: UC Irvine (4-4) at No. 20 Arizona (6-2)
When: 8 p.m.
TV: Pac-12 Arizona
Radio: 1290-AM, 107.5-FM
- Bruce Pascoe
- Updated
G Kadeem Allen (6-3 senior)
G Kobi Simmons (6-5 freshman)
G Rawle Alkins (6-5 freshman)
F Lauri Markkanen (7-0 freshman)
C Dusan Ristic (7-0 junior)
- Bruce Pascoe
- Updated
G Jaron Martin (5-10 senior)
G Max Hazzard (5-10 freshman)
F Brandon Smith (6-5 sophomore)
F Jonathan Galloway (6-10 sophomore)
C Ioannis Dimakopoulos (7-2 senior)
- Bruce Pascoe
- Updated
The series: Arizona trailed at halftime and for the first 11 minutes of the second half before pulling out a defense-fueled 71-54 win over the Anteaters on Nov. 19, 2014.
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson scored 19 points while memorably dunking over UC Irvine’s 7-foot-6 Mamadou N’diaye.
Arizona also beat UCI 93-70 at McKale during the 1998-99 season in the only other time the teams have ever met.
UC Irvine overview: The Anteaters have made consistent strides in six previous seasons under coach Russell Turner, winning 28 games and finishing with an RPI of 65 last season, but slippage was inevitable this season.
UCI lost four starters off last season’s team, including N’diaye, who opted to declare for an NBA Draft that didn’t take him. In addition, Anteater standout guard Luke Nelson has missed all eight games with a hamstring injury.
But the Anteaters are still big, with Galloway and Dimakopoulos inside, while they can also play fast when Dimakopoulos is on the bench. They can also typically go nine players deep, deploying both zone and man-to-man defense.
- Bruce Pascoe
- Updated
- Jaron Martin
The Anteater senior has been a much-needed, do-it-all guy, providing experience, scoring, a team-high 29 assists and 13 3-pointers (albeit at a 31.0-percent rate).
- Bruce Pascoe
- Updated
- Dusan Ristic
Arizona’s Serbian big man says he learned a lot from facing Gonzaga’s powerful Przemek Karnowski on Saturday, which could come in handy against another big frontcourt.
- Bruce Pascoe
- Updated
“They’re a system team. When you add up all their parts, their system is maybe greater than the individuals and that’s a credit to their coach and program. They do it on offense and defense.
“The unique characteristic is they are big and they have a style that really puts that size to a big advantage playing zone on defense and changing sometimes to man around the basket.
“They’re an excellent rebounding team and they have their players set up on offense. They can do it a number of ways. They can throw the ball to the low post a lot like Gonzaga did, they can use ball screens, and they have three point shooters. (Defensively) they have zone and man split, probably more zone than man, especially against us.”
— UA coach Sean Miller
- Bruce Pascoe
- Updated
Really big shoes
UC Irvine center Dimakopoulos has only been in the United States for about four years but you could say he already has a subtle command of humor in English.
When asked what it’s like replacing 7-foot-6 Mamadou N’diaye, Dimakopoulos said:
“It’s hard. Those are some big shoes to fill,” Dimakopoulos said. “Size 19, actually.”
Dimakopoulos spent three seasons playing with N’diaye in practices, which no doubt helped his game.
“He’s such a big factor, you cannot overlook that,” Dimakopoulos said. “It’s not something you can get prepared. He’s so unique. Even if you know he’s coming, he’s something.”
Off the court, Dimakopoulos has found himself growing, too. He decided to pursue a U.S. education — attending prep school in Los Angeles as a high school senior, then choosing UC Irvine — because his father suffered a career-ending injury as a professional player in Greece.
“My family wanted me to have a degree, just in case,” Dimakopoulos said. “He told me it’s always nice to have a degree. You never know.”
- Bruce Pascoe
- Updated
Not only is UC Irvine guard Max Hazzard the brother of former UA walk-on Jacob Hazzard – and a grandson of UCLA legend Walt Hazzard – but he also played with a couple of other Pac-12 guys at Los Angeles’ Loyola High School.
One was UCLA center Thomas Welsh. The other was UA point guard Parker Jackson-Cartwright.
“At one point we were ranked No. 2 in the country,” Max Hazzard said. “I think Parker was one of the best players I’ve ever played with or against. He’s the definition of a true point guard. He taught me how to lead.”
Unfortunately for Hazzard – and the Wildcats – PJC will miss Tuesday’s game with a high ankle sprain, while Jacob is also gone. Jacob Hazzard graduated last spring from UA, and is now working as a production assistant for FS1’s “Skip and Shannon: Undisputed” sports show.
“He loved his experience” at UA, Max said of his brother. “I wish he was still there. He always spoke highly of Sean Miller and the university.”
- Bruce Pascoe
- Updated
While UA has faced some head-scratching decisions by players to leave early despite not getting drafted in the first round – or at all, as Brandon Ashley wasn’t picked in 2015 as a junior – Irvine dealt with it last spring.
UC Irvine coach Turner said he advised Mamadou N’diaye to come back. Instead, the Senegalese big man left and wasn’t picked. He was signed by Detroit, but later waived by both the Pistons and their D-League affiliate in Grand Rapids.
“My advice to him was he should have stayed and graduated,” Turner said. “But he was in a mindset where he wanted to try to figure it out as a professional, and there’s no way to fault that. I totally support that. Big men only have a limited window to try it. But it hasn’t worked out as he had hoped. He’s going to have to come back in a different way.”
Part of N’diaye’s problem is that the NBA doesn’t value size alone as much in the modern game.
“The NBA game has gotten incredibly smaller,” Turner said. “That’s made it difficult for Mamadou because they want big men who can space the floor. Maybe Mamadou will be a better prospect in Europe, where the game is a little more like college basketball.”
- Bruce Pascoe
- Updated
7: UC Irvine’s national rank in field goal percentage defense (35.5)
14: Arizona wins in 15 games at McKale Center following a loss outside of Tucson since 2010.
37: Straight nonconference home wins for Arizona, now the nation’s fourth-longest such streak after Iowa State lost to Cincinnati last Thursday.
- Bruce Pascoe
The series: Arizona trailed at halftime and for the first 11 minutes of the second half before pulling out a defense-fueled 71-54 win over the Anteaters on Nov. 19, 2014.
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson scored 19 points while memorably dunking over UC Irvine’s 7-foot-6 Mamadou N’diaye.
Arizona also beat UCI 93-70 at McKale during the 1998-99 season in the only other time the teams have ever met.
UC Irvine overview: The Anteaters have made consistent strides in six previous seasons under coach Russell Turner, winning 28 games and finishing with an RPI of 65 last season, but slippage was inevitable this season.
UCI lost four starters off last season’s team, including N’diaye, who opted to declare for an NBA Draft that didn’t take him. In addition, Anteater standout guard Luke Nelson has missed all eight games with a hamstring injury.
But the Anteaters are still big, with Galloway and Dimakopoulos inside, while they can also play fast when Dimakopoulos is on the bench. They can also typically go nine players deep, deploying both zone and man-to-man defense.
- Bruce Pascoe
“They’re a system team. When you add up all their parts, their system is maybe greater than the individuals and that’s a credit to their coach and program. They do it on offense and defense.
“The unique characteristic is they are big and they have a style that really puts that size to a big advantage playing zone on defense and changing sometimes to man around the basket.
“They’re an excellent rebounding team and they have their players set up on offense. They can do it a number of ways. They can throw the ball to the low post a lot like Gonzaga did, they can use ball screens, and they have three point shooters. (Defensively) they have zone and man split, probably more zone than man, especially against us.”
— UA coach Sean Miller
- Bruce Pascoe
Really big shoes
UC Irvine center Dimakopoulos has only been in the United States for about four years but you could say he already has a subtle command of humor in English.
When asked what it’s like replacing 7-foot-6 Mamadou N’diaye, Dimakopoulos said:
“It’s hard. Those are some big shoes to fill,” Dimakopoulos said. “Size 19, actually.”
Dimakopoulos spent three seasons playing with N’diaye in practices, which no doubt helped his game.
“He’s such a big factor, you cannot overlook that,” Dimakopoulos said. “It’s not something you can get prepared. He’s so unique. Even if you know he’s coming, he’s something.”
Off the court, Dimakopoulos has found himself growing, too. He decided to pursue a U.S. education — attending prep school in Los Angeles as a high school senior, then choosing UC Irvine — because his father suffered a career-ending injury as a professional player in Greece.
“My family wanted me to have a degree, just in case,” Dimakopoulos said. “He told me it’s always nice to have a degree. You never know.”
- Bruce Pascoe
Not only is UC Irvine guard Max Hazzard the brother of former UA walk-on Jacob Hazzard – and a grandson of UCLA legend Walt Hazzard – but he also played with a couple of other Pac-12 guys at Los Angeles’ Loyola High School.
One was UCLA center Thomas Welsh. The other was UA point guard Parker Jackson-Cartwright.
“At one point we were ranked No. 2 in the country,” Max Hazzard said. “I think Parker was one of the best players I’ve ever played with or against. He’s the definition of a true point guard. He taught me how to lead.”
Unfortunately for Hazzard – and the Wildcats – PJC will miss Tuesday’s game with a high ankle sprain, while Jacob is also gone. Jacob Hazzard graduated last spring from UA, and is now working as a production assistant for FS1’s “Skip and Shannon: Undisputed” sports show.
“He loved his experience” at UA, Max said of his brother. “I wish he was still there. He always spoke highly of Sean Miller and the university.”
- Bruce Pascoe
While UA has faced some head-scratching decisions by players to leave early despite not getting drafted in the first round – or at all, as Brandon Ashley wasn’t picked in 2015 as a junior – Irvine dealt with it last spring.
UC Irvine coach Turner said he advised Mamadou N’diaye to come back. Instead, the Senegalese big man left and wasn’t picked. He was signed by Detroit, but later waived by both the Pistons and their D-League affiliate in Grand Rapids.
“My advice to him was he should have stayed and graduated,” Turner said. “But he was in a mindset where he wanted to try to figure it out as a professional, and there’s no way to fault that. I totally support that. Big men only have a limited window to try it. But it hasn’t worked out as he had hoped. He’s going to have to come back in a different way.”
Part of N’diaye’s problem is that the NBA doesn’t value size alone as much in the modern game.
“The NBA game has gotten incredibly smaller,” Turner said. “That’s made it difficult for Mamadou because they want big men who can space the floor. Maybe Mamadou will be a better prospect in Europe, where the game is a little more like college basketball.”
- Bruce Pascoe
7: UC Irvine’s national rank in field goal percentage defense (35.5)
14: Arizona wins in 15 games at McKale Center following a loss outside of Tucson since 2010.
37: Straight nonconference home wins for Arizona, now the nation’s fourth-longest such streak after Iowa State lost to Cincinnati last Thursday.
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