Red/Blue Scrimmage and Exhibition Games

[CatsTopPac]

It's great that AZ is doing so well in football, don't get me wrong, but I'm still waiting for the AZ big dogs to get this party started. The red/blue game is in 9 day, and then there will be another lull before exhibition games, and the actual season doesn't begin for another month. However, I thought I'd put this up just as a board we can comment on heading into the season.

Anyone going to the red/blue game? It should be streaming again, so I'll be tuning in.

Great to see the football team doing so well, but I've been waiting all spring and summer for this.

Arizona Basketball Never Stops

BTFD, and let's get this show on the road!!!

Anyone have any pre-scrimmage predictions as far as record, conference breakdown, March, stats, etc.?

 

[gordontrue]

I can't wait. It feels so close and yet still so far away.


The Pac-12 network is actually going to air the red/blue game this year... just delayed a few hours. So I'll be DVRing it and checking it out that night.

 

[BearDownUA]

No streaming? Pac12 network? goddamn it, not sure how I'm gonna catch this one

 

[Jonas_steven]

I can't wait. It feels so close and yet still so far away.


The Pac-12 network is actually going to air the red/blue game this year... just delayed a few hours. So I'll be DVRing it and checking it out that night.

I am not a lebron fan but that is a pretty neat avatar, Gordon!

 

[The Derski]

Any visits lined up for the red blue?

 

[Monte Carlo Wildcat]

This will be my first red/blue game I attend. Can't believe the season is upon us! Final four here we come!

 

[CatsTopPac]

AZ's preseason #2, you guys ready for this shit????

BTFD!!!!!

 

[The Derski]

Tune in to pac12 networks right now!

 

[520GGATO]

NCAA Mobile Streaming Links

 

[Monte Carlo Wildcat]

My take aways from watching the Red/Blue game live today:

Our size. We are fucken HUGE!!! It was pretty awesome to see in person to be honest. Zeus and Stanley are TANKS! Kaleb's physique is impressive. He takes up a lot of space underneath and is nimble for his size. Stanley is very quick and powerful. You can see it in his eyes; when he wanted to, he could take on anyone he wanted to and get to the basket. This guy is for real! Watch for him to take full advantage of smaller guards and take them to the house and/or get them in foul trouble.

Also, I was pretty impressed with Victor's size and Ristics length and skill. Craig Victor has good size for a freshman. He was just as tall as Ashley but much thicker. I'm excited to watch him develop.

If there was one person, other than Stanley, that I was most impressed with, it had to be Dusan Ristic. This dude WILL PLAY! And I'd be surprised if he didn't get a good number of minutes every game. I've never seen Ristic play but he has some finesse to his game. He didn't overpower anyone but instead beat them with patience and good foot work. I AM VERY EXCITED TO WATCH THIS GUY PLAY THIS YEAR! If he can give us productive minutes and give Kaleb rest every game, that will pay huge dividends for us in the long run.

I truly feel that we have a special blend of players this year. I normally tend to be more conservative before the season begins as far as expectations but NOT THIS TIME! Final four here we come!

 

[The Derski]

Ristic looks good

 

[The Derski]

Did anyone watch it?? Damn

 

[GumbySquad]

Did anyone watch it?? Damn

I didn't make it to the R/B game this year, but caught the replay on Pac12. It was fun to watch the guys (especially the new ones) run up and down the court a bit. There isn't much you can take away from this scrimmage and apply to regular season projections for PT (as we have all learned from past years... like the one when Kyryl scored 473 points...)

The new players were as advertised, the returning players looked bigger/faster/stronger/more skilled, but the biggest take away? For me?... it has to be the competitiveness. It was all summed up on the final play of the game, with TJ running out the clock with his tongue out, tossing the ball up in the air. Most may dismiss that as a what-ever type of play, but to me, it was the most important of the game.

That play said: "This matters". Who wins, or loses scrimmages? Drills? PingPong? Darts? 9-Ball?... Who wins, or loses at everything they play against each other?... It matters. Stan-the-Man has an international reputation for being a very highly competitive player (you don't win 4 state titles at the highest level in Cali without being ultra-competitive)... and you just know that SJ and TJ had words before/during/after the game. It was obvious that of all the players on the roster, Coach Miller made certain that McGeneral and Lieutenant Stanley Johnson were on opposing teams... because he wants them to go at each other... to push each other.

So... while the R/B game's outcome has always meant nothing, other than a showcase for the fans... this is the first year I can remember when it really was important for TJ to win. Just as important as it was for SJ to win. This level of competitiveness will translate over to the regular season practices, and that will translate over to the games.

In the R/B game, who scored the most points, who had the most rebounds? Irrelevant to the regular season. Who has the most competitive fire and will do whatever it takes to get the W? The only thing that matters.

This team may very well be (top to bottom) the most talented roster in UofA history... but talent does not win titles. Playing as a team, with a win-at-all-costs attitude wins titles, and as far as I'm concerned, TJ, SJ, Rondae in particular are guys who want to win at all costs and could care less about their stats. These are the types of guys you want to root for, because these are the types of guys who make the self sacrifice for the betterment of the team.

Talent + Heart = Banners

It's going to be a fun year.

 

[The Derski]

I didn't make it to the R/B game this year, but caught the replay on Pac12. It was fun to watch the guys (especially the new ones) run up and down the court a bit. There isn't much you can take away from this scrimmage and apply to regular season projections for PT (as we have all learned from past years... like the one when Kyryl scored 473 points...)

The new players were as advertised, the returning players looked bigger/faster/stronger/more skilled, but the biggest take away? For me?... it has to be the competitiveness. It was all summed up on the final play of the game, with TJ running out the clock with his tongue out, tossing the ball up in the air. Most may dismiss that as a what-ever type of play, but to me, it was the most important of the game.

That play said: "This matters". Who wins, or loses scrimmages? Drills? PingPong? Darts? 9-Ball?... Who wins, or loses at everything they play against each other?... It matters. Stan-the-Man has an international reputation for being a very highly competitive player (you don't win 4 state titles at the highest level in Cali without being ultra-competitive)... and you just know that SJ and TJ had words before/during/after the game. It was obvious that of all the players on the roster, Coach Miller made certain that McGeneral and Lieutenant Stanley Johnson were on opposing teams... because he wants them to go at each other... to push each other.

So... while the R/B game's outcome has always meant nothing, other than a showcase for the fans... this is the first year I can remember when it really was important for TJ to win. Just as important as it was for SJ to win. This level of competitiveness will translate over to the regular season practices, and that will translate over to the games.

In the R/B game, who scored the most points, who had the most rebounds? Irrelevant to the regular season. Who has the most competitive fire and will do whatever it takes to get the W? The only thing that matters.

This team may very well be (top to bottom) the most talented roster in UofA history... but talent does not win titles. Playing as a team, with a win-at-all-costs attitude wins titles, and as far as I'm concerned, TJ, SJ, Rondae in particular are guys who want to win at all costs and could care less about their stats. These are the types of guys you want to root for, because these are the types of guys who make the self sacrifice for the betterment of the team.

Talent + Heart = Banners

It's going to be a fun year.

Great observations Gumby. This team is gonna be special.

 

[Arizona_Sting]

We are going to be damn good. The best part is we have depth this year so even if (god forbid) we have another big injury I don't think we'll be slowed down as much as we were last year.

 

[CatsTopPac]

I watched the first half streaming before his son accidentally kicked him off the Internet, and he had trouble getting back on.

So no, I didn't get to watch it.

I heard Ristic and Victor looked good though. Ristic especially looked a little more polished that we thought. Had a discussion with some friends who don't think we are going to do badly if we shot from 3pt like last year, because we are so big inside.

I'm really exited about our big lineup. Heard that it was the new back court players that were unremarkable.

Like GS said, I don't put much into it either way right now. Just good to see them get out there again. I will say that I am also stoked to watch our starting 5 do some good work this year.

Looking toward good passes to open men on offense, and more of the stifling D.

 

[Arizona_Sting]

The most encouraging thing I took out of it was that RHJ looked much more confident with his jumper. Release looked more natural and he wasn't hesitating like he did at times last year. If he can consistently hit mid-range jumpers and occasional (or wide open) threes then he is going to be impossible to guard.

 

[gordontrue]

Watched it Sunday morning on the DVR.

My take-aways...

1. Its just not fair having Rondae and Stanley.... as your wings. One of them would be a match-up nightmare. Two of them just isn't fair to the other team... especially when you consider they'll be starting alongside two legit big men.

2. Don't want to read too much into an October scrimmage... but Ristic looked good. Held his own against Kaleb on both ends of the floor. It'd be nice to have a solid 7-footer to back up our solid 7-footer.

3. This team is perfectly balanced (especially for Miller's style) and has the potential to be very deep.

4. TJ looks ready to step into Nick's leadership role.

5. My excitement level for this season is completely justified

 

[GumbySquad]

Watched it Sunday morning on the DVR.

My take-aways...

1. Its just not fair having Rondae and Stanley.... as your wings. One of them would be a match-up nightmare. Two of them just isn't fair to the other team... especially when you consider they'll be starting alongside two legit big men.

2. Don't want to read too much into an October scrimmage... but Ristic looked good. Held his own against Kaleb on both ends of the floor. It'd be nice to have a solid 7-footer to back up our solid 7-footer.

3. This team is perfectly balanced (especially for Miller's style) and has the potential to be very deep.

4. TJ looks ready to step into Nick's leadership role.

5. My excitement level for this season is completely justified

#1 was the most obvious takeaway for me too... and we all knew going in that Rondae was a stud and that SJ is a stud. It's really just a matter of how those two (along with Mr. Ashley and Mr. Tarczewski) mesh in the frontcourt. If RHJ and SJ are in constant attack mode, looking to drive into the lane on a regular basis for either a finish, or an easy pass-off-dunk once they draw defenders?... well, I could see those two fouling out entire front lines between them. Both of them can get to the hole at will. A scary proposition for coaches to game-plan against.

Having 2 All-American caliber wings who can play the 2/3 is certainly unfair. It's kind of like having Sean Elliot and Chase Budinger on the same team... or Chris Mills and Derrick Williams... or Andre Iguodala and Richard Jefferson.

 

[CatsTopPac]

I'll say this:

Our bench has some questions. We have some answers, but much is yet to be seen. However, our starting 5 are going to be pure joy to watch, perhaps one for the ages. 1-5 are so primed (because of each other) to do great things this season.

I'd like to put this out there for some honest opinions:

Some of my very knowledgable buddies think there might be questions with Miller's ability to not get in the way of these guys. That's to say far more for the ability of the players, more than to the detriment of Miller; I want to make that clear. But Miller has only been coaching a decade, and not a decade with one team. There is a reason why you can't put his name in the hat with the K's, Calipari's, Williams, Donavan... We all know that Miller is going on track to winning multiple championships (on his current trajectory), but can he coach 4 players that are all probably going to get drafted after the season? I think that's a legitimate question.

That being said, I think this is the year we get back to the Final Four. I though that last year with Ashley, and I think there is a case that it would have happened. I feel a little better about this year's team. If we can get to the Final Four, I think Miller will have tasted blood. I see him with the ability to get teams that might not be FF teams there, let alone having any trouble with teams of that (i.e., this) quality. I just think there is a discussion for our opinions of him being able to do that this year.