The trio of Jerryd Bayless, Chase Budinger, and Jordan Hill are an incredible nucleus for the 07-08 Wildcats, but beyond that ....  well, things get a little bit cloudy when you look beyond those dudes.

Senior Jawann McClellan is just not having the type of senior season that many of us thought (and hoped) that he would.  On Saturday against Stanford, he really struggled to find any type of a role in the offense, and quite honestly, he almost completely disappeared.  Thankfully, late in the game he came up with a very big three pointer that was part of a run that allowed the UofA to take the game down to the wire.  Ultimately, things didn't work out, and Stanford squeaked out a 67-66 victory at the McKale Center.

Sophomore Nic Wise has shown alot of improvement this season, and he's been valuable at the point guard position.  With the UA lineup so thin (they practically have no bench to speak of), his recent injury has put even more pressure on Jerryd Bayless.  Based on what I've read, Wise may be back in time for the NCAA tourney or possibly even the Pac-10 tourney.  He dropped alot of weight during the offseason, which I've got to believe will help him get back to the court relatively quickly.

Freshman Jamelle Horne has really contributed in his first season, and his immediate future looks very bright as he continues to improve.  Bret Brielmaier has had a nagging injury (shoulder?) that just won't seem to heal for some reason.  Since the 'Cats are so thin along the frontline, his absence has also had a major impact.

I'm an Arizona grad living in the midwest, and so naturally whenever the 'Cats are on tv here and I get to watch the team with my own eyes, I treat it as a blessing.  And last Saturday, the Arizona vs Stanford game was televised nationally, so I got to watch every minute of that one.

Some thoughts about the Stanford game and the season thus far ....

What does Coach O'Neill have against a zone?  Look, I'm a true believer in man-to-man as the base defense so I love that part, but I also like to see the team mix up their defenses.  Don't let an offense get comfortable (i.e. don't let Stanford get comfortable just posting up the Lopez twins!).  Foul trouble is the Achilles Heel of a thin team, and a good way to hide someone in foul trouble is to spend some time in a zone.  To go one step further, if the player in foul trouble is a power forward or a center, a zone press can even protect them further (provided you've got guards that can apply pressure).  With Nic Wise out, I can fully understand not pressing, heck, Bayless pretty much has to play every minute of each game.  But mix up defenses a bit and maybe Jordan Hill's foul trouble might have been avoided or at least played thru - instead, he fouled out and really was never a factor in the game.

I'm just shaking my head why Coach doesn't mix in some 1-3-1 halfcourt traps or even a matchup 2-3 zone every now and then.

Jerryd Bayless can become an outstanding point guard.  If he chooses to.  I've read and heard many people claiming that JB is a SG and not a PG, and I disagree with that.  He's really a point guard that looks for his shot first, and yeah that's not good but it ain't all bad either.  Am I the only one noticing that Jerryd just doesn't seem to look like his listed 6'3" height?  I've never met the kid in person, but he sure as heck looks like 6'0" maybe 6'1".  Against Stanford he ran the point quite well I thought.  But on occasion Arizona's offense became a Mickey-Mouse high pick and roll with the big guys not even understanding how to set a real pick, but that's a blog for another day I think.

I've always played point guard so I was watching JB very closely to see how he handled things as the "quarterback".  He has scoring talent, without a doubt, but he certainly could get his teammates more involved.  Look at Jawann McClellan, JB almost nearly alienated poor Jawann.  Sure, Jawann is struggling, but a good point guard will get a player involved in the offense, and if I'm not mistaken, the big three ball that McClellan nailed was all set up by a dribble drive and dish by Bayless.

No doubt, I'm biased.  I think the most important player on the court for a team is the point guard.  In many ways I believe that a team will take on the personality of its coach, and I think the same can be said that a team will follow the lead of its point guard.

The interesting thing here is that the UofA has another top point guard recruit coming in next season (Brandon Jennings), and if Bayless decides to stay in school (which I hope he does), they could make up a very lethal backcourt.  I've always liked having a lineup in which the two guard could also work as the point guard.  I think that's such a huge advantage (particularly breaking a press or in the transition game).  As an Arizona fan, I certainly hope to see those two in the same backcourt next season, but many of the so-called "experts" project that Bayless will jump to the NBA.

We'll see.

Chase Budinger is tough to figure out.  I really want to write positive stuff about Chase here, but in all honesty I really am just confused.  The dude shows flashes of brilliance, and then mysteriously he just disappears for long stretches of the game.  At times he drives strong and rebounds strong, and then mysteriously he'll play soft for long stretches of the game.  What the heck?  Chase has all the talent in the world (every bit as much talent as Jerryd), but for whatever reason he just doesn't seem to have a killer instinct.  I don't want to bash Chase because I'm always pulling for him to play to his potential, but honestly if I was his teammate I'd probably really get in his face and try to fire him up.  Or strangle him.

Chase should return to school for another year, but again, I've read that he's likely to turn pro.  I think that would be a mistake.  I don't deny that he has the talent and the size to play in the NBA, but he just doesn't seem ready from a mental toughness aspect.  Oh well, I played intramural basketball and pick-up games during my stay at the UofA, so it's not like I can really talk about being ready for the NBA.

This week the 'Cats are up in Seattle for a clash with the surging Huskies, and then an important face-off with the Wash St Cougars.  Every game becomes more and more important as the season winds down, and that magical "20 win" season looms out there.  If the 'Cats win 20, they're a lock for the NCAA tourney  ....  but if they don't finish strong, well, the Pac-10 is not a pleasant place to be this year if you don't bring your "A" game every game.