Arizona-UCLA a reminder of what could have been
TUCSON - If Stanley Johnson and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson show up as expected to McKale Center this weekend, don’t blame Arizona coach Sean Miller for pulling out a couple of extra Wildcats jerseys for them.
After all, both left with more than enough eligibility to play in Friday’s Arizona-UCLA game, as did Grant Jerrett, Aaron Gordon, and Brandon Ashley, a “starting five” that will never be.
And on the other side of the court, UCLA coach Steve Alford could have rolled out his own starting five of players who left school with enough eligibility to still be in a Bruins uniform Friday: Shabazz Muhammad, Zach LaVine, Jordan Adams, Kyle Anderson and Kevon Looney.
It’s an old story in college basketball, of course, guys leaving early for the NBA. The phenomenon has hit the Wildcats especially hard ever since Gilbert Arenas, Michael Wright and Richard Jefferson all took off early in 2001.
But in Friday’s game, in what was once the old Pac-10’s marquee rivalry, there is perhaps no more acute example of how fluid, and watered-down, things can get at the elite level.
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Both teams are diminished by the losses.
Arizona is still struggling to catch Oregon to defend its Pac-12 title, having tried to fill sudden holes in the roster with transfers, while UCLA is fighting for its postseason life, still with talent but paper-thin depth.
It doesn’t help, Alford said, that the Pac-12 is as tough from top to bottom as he’s seen it in his three years with the Bruins.
One possible reason: No other Pac-12 teams had players leave early who would have been eligible this season.
“Our guys have done a tremendous job through two years, when we’ve lost an awful lot to the NBA in those two years collectively,” Alford said. “And we’ve got some freshmen that I’ve just got to be patient with. I can only ask so much.”
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But on the outside, Alford says, pressure still remains for tradition-rich programs such as UA and UCLA to excel. And Miller says the current environment is “too fast-moving,” making for rushed decisions, when asked about Louisville’s self-imposed sanctions earlier this week.
It’s backwards, Miller said, compared to what a model of success usually breeds.
“If you take a company that’s thriving and each year adding to what they do productivity-wise, earning money — if anything, they’re going to experience growth but have less turnover and more stability,” Miller said. “In college basketball, the more success you have, the more productive you are, the more turnover you have.
“It just doesn’t work. That’s what doesn’t work. In many cases you’re replacing half of your roster — not in a given year but every year.”
It’s not just UA and UCLA, of course. Miller said he wonders how defending champ Duke would be this season had freshmen Tyus Jones and Justise Winslow not jumped to the NBA draft.
The Blue Devils (18-6) are currently not ranked in the AP Top 25.
“Just bring back Tyus Jones and Justise Winslow and how different it would be for them than it is?” Miller said. “They’re still a very good team but you think about what they had to replace and why. It’s because they’re ultra successful.”
While Alford and Miller prepare what they can for Friday’s game, here’s a look at what the matchup might have looked like without three years of early departures, and what happened to the players in that would-be matchup: Names are followed by position, class they would have been this season, year departed and NBA draft selection.
Friday's game
UA vs. UCLA
When: 7 p.m.
Where: McKale Center, Tucson
TV/Radio: ESPN/KGME-910 AM
UA: Arizona (19-5, 7-4 Pac-12 is looking for its fourth straight win. Last time the Wildcats played the Bruins, UCLA guard Bryce Alford hit a late three to win the game. Senior Ryan Anderson is stepping up for Arizona and is averaging a double-double with 16.2 points and 10.4 rebounds. He was awarded Pac-12 Conference Player of the Week and Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week for his performance last week. Game York and Allonzo Trier have added 14.7 and 14.3 points per game, respectively.
UCLA: The Bruins (13-10, 4-6) have lost three of their last four, their only win coming against Washington State. Junior guard Bryce Alford ranks third in the conference with 16.7 points per game and third with 5.3 assists. Freshman Aaron Holiday has also provided a punch, averaging 11.3 points, 3.7 assists and 3.0 rebounds while starting all 23 contests. UCLA has won five of its last eight games against Arizona.
- Justin Toscano, azcentral sports
NCAA Tournament bubble teams:
