Arizona State’s Trent Lockett Soon to Be Playing for the Golden Gophers?
With recent devastating news in the life of Arizona State’s junior guard Trent Lockett, his career in Tempe may be coming to a close.
Recent word from Lockett showed his possible intent to transfer. Unfortunate news has struck the core of home as his mother has been diagnosed with cancer. Since learning of the situation, Lockett currently is considering a move from the sunny state of Arizona.
If he plans to transfer, Lockett wishes to return closer to his home in Minnesota, although an official confirmation of transfer or not has not yet been made.
If Lockett were to transfer back to Minnesota, the University of Minnesota would happily await his leadership. After three seasons at Arizona State, each season as a team continues to head south, though the rise of Lockett’s play continues to rise.
This past season he led the team in scoring (13.0) and rebounding (5.8). His talent continues to excel as his potential explodes in the Sun Devils jersey.
With his leadership, how deadly would the Golden Gophers be in the talented Big Ten? Signs point to being one of the top five teams in strong power conference.
With recent news of Trevor Mbakwe garnering a sixth year of eligibility from the NCAA, the recent emergence of Gopher guard Andre Hollins and Rodney Williams stepping up, the Gophers could certainly be a contender with Lockett in the lineup.
In typical situations, a transfer would have to sit out one season before he can participate in a game. Although with his family situation, the NCAA could very well grant him immediate eligibility. The terms of the eligibility will only be determined if he decides to transfer from Arizona State.
As Lockett decides his fate, best wishes go out to him and his mother as they figure out these trying times.
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Josiah Turner: Will the Arizona Point Guard Ever Return From Suspension?
The night after Arizona Wildcats coach Sean Miller announced that freshman starting point guard Josiah Turner’s indefinite suspension would continue through the end of the season, Millers’ former PG was playing in the 2012 NCAA tournament.
MoMo Jones, the starter for Arizona’s run to the Elite Eight in 2011, was awful for Iona in a play-in game loss to BYU, going 3-of-14 from the floor as the Gaels blew a 15-point halftime lead and ousted from March Madness.
Jones was a clean 0-of-6 from three-point range, but at least the junior, who transferred out of Tucson last spring, was in the field of 68.
That’s a far healthier situation than Turner’s, whose absence was a crucial factor in Arizona missing the NCAA tournament. He was still not back in action during Arizona’s brief NIT showing, which ended Wednesday against Bucknell in Tucson.
Said Miller about the Turner situation, via TucsonCitizen.com:
I’m not telling any player on our team that he doesn’t have the option to come back, but it’s more about the path Josiah wants to go from this point forward that will determine whether he’s at Arizona or whether he would choose to have a new beginning.
Perhaps the only positive revelation from the NIT blowout was Turner’s presence, albeit in street clothes, on the Arizona bench.
Before that, the feeling from Arizona Daily Star columnist Greg Hansen was that Turner was likely gone forever.
Now things appear slightly more undecided.
Turner, a Sacramento, CA product who reportedly transferred high schools at least four times in four years, was suspended yet again by Miller just before the start of the Pac-12 tournament, the second time this season Turner’s missed games due to an undisclosed violation of team rules (he also missed a key non-conference road game at Florida, which Arizona lost in OT).
One of the Wildcats’ best perpetrators, his presence was noticeable in the Pac-12 tourney title-game loss to Colorado, where Arizona struggled finding points near the basket.
That was really this team’s only chance of making the tourney, due to a weak RPI and a devastating late-season loss to ASU.
And without the highly-recruited floor leader, the Arizona rotation was shredded to seven, Turner’s replacement, an ineffective Jordin Mayes, still nursing an injured foot.
Turner was expected to step into the Wildcats lineup and claim his slot in the school’s lineage of pro-bound point guards.
Instead, he struggled with discipline and at times seemed out of sync with his teammates.
The 19-year-old owns a unique skill set: an outstanding ball-handler with a thick frame, long arms and NBA-level quickness.
But he was a headache for at least one coach in high school, and his reputation in his early college days remains unchanged. Turner also posted underwhelming numbers for a starting PG, averaging just 6.8 points and 2.4 assists.
It’s frustrating to not have access to the details of the situation regarding Turner’s suspension, to make a judgement one way or the other. But that’s not going to happen, leaving it up to the fans to believe in the discretion of Miller.
In three years, Miller’s seen three of his players leave: Daniel Bejarano (Colorado State), Jones (Iona) and Sidiki Johnson (Providence).
Johnson was expected to contribute down low for Arizona this season, the team’s main area of weakness. Instead, he was suspended very early in the season.
Unlike Turner, however, Johnson never returned to the Arizona bench during the period when his departure was uncertain. And he was soon gone for good.
Transfers are a way of life for major college hoops programs. Top-rated recruits struggle when not given immediate playing time and without the lack of freedom regarding things like shot totals or practice time.
Bejarano, Jones and Johnson were all almost immediately replaceable.
The main issue with this specific situation is that Arizona will be without a true point guard next year if Turner leaves. Nick Johnson, Mayes and the incoming Gabe York are all combo-guards, far more equipped to score than distribute.
Turner is still a member of the program at the moment.
It’s up to him to fulfill whatever Miller’s obligations include and then attempt to fulfill his massive potential.
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Cal, Arizona losses cap poor season for Pac-12
Wednesday night was a night Pac-12 basketball fans would like to forget. But some funny tweets might make that difficult.
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Today on FOX Sports Arizona: Suns vs. Jazz, 7:30 p.m.
Playing at home versus on the road has made a world of difference for the Utah Jazz.
Picking up more wins as the visiting team will surely be key if they are going to eventually climb into the Western Conference playoff picture.
Utah looks to avoid a 13th loss in 16 road games and a sixth consecutive defeat to the Phoenix Suns as these teams open their season series Wednesday night.
While the Jazz (20-21) have won 15 of 21 on their own court, they’ve struggled to get things going in opposing arenas. Utah’s 5-15 road record is second-worst among West teams, a big reason the team is outside the top eight in the conference.
Averaging 99.8 points at home compared to 93.9 on the road, the Jazz returned from a 2-3 trip to defeat Detroit 105-90 on Monday. Utah shot 54.2 percent from the field and outrebounded the Pistons 38-29.
“It’s a good start to a big week for us. This is a good game for us to win,” said Paul Millsap, who had a season-high five steals and his first double-double in three weeks. “We’re only a few games out of the playoffs, so we’re gonna come and do everything we can to win games, and hopefully we’ll get there in the end.”
Utah now heads back on the road, where it’s been outscored by an average of 10.5 points in dropping six straight versus West foes.
“Hopefully we can try and figure it out on the road,” Millsap said. “It’s a big difference, especially for a young team. On the road, it’s a different monster – it’s just you against the world and you gotta be prepared for that.”
The Jazz could have a hard time building on Monday’s result given their recent efforts versus the Suns (19-22). Phoenix has outscored Utah by 10.6 points per contest during a five-game run in the series.
Despite posting their highest scoring output of the season Monday, the Suns saw their five-game home winning streak come to an end with a 127-124 loss to Minnesota. The Timberwolves dominated the paint, where they outscored Phoenix 46-32, and shot 56.2 percent from the field and 63.6 percent (14 of 22) from 3-point range.
“We just did a poor job defensively, obviously,” said Jared Dudley, who scored a season-high 28 points and is averaging 19.7 over the last six games. “But even with that our offense kept us in the game and still gave us a chance to win the game.
“They played well enough to beat us (Monday) and we have to go back to the drawing board and come back on Wednesday and beat Utah.”
The Suns could have trouble trying to contain an inspired Al Jefferson, who scored 33 points on 14-of-18 shooting to go along with 12 boards Monday – about 24 hours after the passing of his 82-year-old maternal grandmother.
“It’s tough to go through, but it’s a part of life and you must go on,” he said. ” … Your teammates (are) your second family. They’ve been very supportive. They didn’t even expect me to play tonight. I told them I was coming … 100 percent ready to win the game because it’s all about business when you step on that court.”
While Jefferson’s career average of 20.7 points versus Phoenix is his highest against any opponent, he’s only experienced four wins in 17 meetings with the Suns.
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Today on FOX Sports Arizona: Suns vs. Timberwolves, 6:30 p.m.
The Minnesota Timberwolves’ first game without Ricky Rubio didn’t evoke much optimism.
It’s not going to get any easier as the Timberwolves embark on a season-high seven-game road trip Monday night against a surging Phoenix Suns team that has won nine straight in the series.
With Rubio and All-Star Kevin Love leading the way, it appeared Minnesota (21-21) could earn its first playoff berth since 2004. It entered Friday’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers tied with Houston for eighth place in the Western Conference, but its playoff hopes now appear grim.
Rubio’s left knee buckled with 16 seconds remaining in the 105-102 loss to the Lakers, and a day later an MRI confirmed that the point guard tore his ACL and is done for the season. The 21-year-old was averaging 10.6 points, 8.2 assists and was third in the league with 2.2 steals per game.
With its floor leader sidelined, Minnesota’s playoff push didn’t get off to an encouraging start.
Hosting New Orleans on Saturday, the Timberwolves committed 17 turnovers – their most in eight games – and shot 21.7 percent from 3-point range (5 of 23) in suffering a 95-89 loss to the West’s worst team.
“It’s like we reverted back to a long time ago,” coach Rick Adelman said. “We’re not going to get it done that way.”
Kevin Love returned after missing the Laker game because of back spasms and finished with 31 points and 16 rebounds, while Nikola Pekovic had 21 points and 11 boards, but Minnesota’s new backcourt starter struggled.
Martell Webster started at shooting guard while Luke Ridnour moved from off the ball to start at the point. Ridnour finished with 14 points and 10 assists but Webster had two points on 1-of-5 shooting.
“We can’t feel sorry for ourselves,” said Love, who is averaging 35.3 points and 14.8 rebounds in his last four games. “We got to accept it and move on.”
That could be tough with the Timberwolves on the road until returning to host Denver on March 25.
“I hate to put more pressure on us,” Love said, “but this is make or break time.”
Minnesota begins its trek against the Suns (19-21), whose current five-game home winning streak began with a 104-95 victory over the Timberwolves on March 1. Minnesota has been outscored by an average of 13.7 points in losing nine straight to the Suns since a 105-103 win Jan. 16, 2009, their lone victory in the last 11 meetings in Phoenix.
Last week’s meeting featured the anticipated matchup between Rubio and two-time MVP Steve Nash.
The 38-year-old Nash outplayed the flashy rookie, finishing with 13 points, matching a season high with 17 assists and leading his team with eight rebounds. Another veteran paced the Suns, as 39-year-old Grant Hill scored 15 of his 20 points in the second half.
Rubio finished with 13 points and two assists, while Love had 23 points but missed 17 of 25 shots
The Suns are coming off Saturday’s 98-91 win over Memphis, their fifth victory in six games. Jared Dudley scored 19 points to lead six scorers in double figures as the Suns came back from 11 down. They’ve faced double-digit deficits in each of their last five wins.
“I think we’re adjusting as the game goes along and finding ways to get ourselves going and usually someone gives us a lift,” said Nash, who had 11 points and 15 assists.
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Colorado edges Arizona 53-51 to win Pac-12 title (Yahoo! Sports)
Snubbed by the NCAA selection committee last year, then picked to finish next-to-last as a new member of the Pac-12, Colorado had all kinds of grudges going into its matchup against league powerhouse Arizona. Freshman Spencer Dinwiddie scored 14 points, Carlon Brown added 13 and the Buffaloes won 53-51 in the league’s tournament final Saturday to earn the school’s first NCAA tournament bid…
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Colorado vs. Arizona: Highlights, Twitter Reaction and Grades
The Colorado Buffaloes took down the Arizona Wildcats 53-51 in the Pac-12 championship game on Saturday.
Both of these teams were playing for a chance to punch their ticket to the Big Dance, and there was certainly no doubting the intensity.
If you were just watching this game, you never would have guessed it was their fourth game in four days.
Tweets of the Night
Daily Wildcat Hoops made this observation about the first half.
Colorado with a 21-11 rebounding advantage. Arizona getting outplayed in almost every facet yet only trails by two.
— DailyWildcatHoops (@WildcatHoops) March 11, 2012
Wildcat Hoops makes a great point. After a half like that you would expect Arizona to make a run, but it never happened. Colorado’s defense wouldn’t allow it.
That defense didn’t make for the most aesthetically pleasing game. The faux Bill Walton summed that up.
Watching Colorado/Arizona. Not sure why I’m doing that. Switching to Baylor/Missouri.Ah, basketball. That’s better.
— The Bill Walton Trip (@NotBillWalton) March 11, 2012
Grades for Key Colorado Players
Carlon Brown: B-
Brown’s shot was off, finishing 4-for-11 from the field, but he was still able to make a positive impact by getting to the line. He had no shooting struggles from the charity stripe.
Andre Roberson: A
Roberson was spectacular. He was a beast on the boards and spectacularly efficient on the offensive end. He was 4-for-6 from the field, had 10 points and 11 boards.
Spencer Dinwiddie: A
Dinwiddie was just as amazing as Roberson. He set the tone right away with his on-point shooting. He finished the game 4-for-4 from three-point land and pitched in 14 points.
Grades for Key Arizona Players
Kyle Fogg: B-
Fogg had a decent game, but he disappeared down the stretch. He finished with 14 points, but was just 4-for-11 from the field.
Solomon Hill: C
Hill struggled from the field. He also was outclassed on the boards. He grabbed just five boards on the night.
Jesse Perry: C+
Perry’s game was almost a mirror image of Hill. He wasn’t efficient scoring, and he got outworked on the boards—although he ended up with a more respectable eight rebounds.
Deciding Factors: Rebounds
This was a defensive battle. That put an even greater emphasis on rebounding. Teams needed a second chance to score points, and Colorado wasn’t letting Arizona get any.
Game MVP: Andre Roberson
Roberson did everything the Bears needed. He chipped in points when they needed them, and he owned the paint. He was the game’s leading rebounder and shot blocker.
What’s Next?
It is on to the NCAA tournament for Colorado, and the NIT likely awaits Arizona.
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Colorado holds off Arizona for Pac-12 title
In its first year in the Pac-12 Conference, Colorado knocked off Arizona 53-51 to claim the Buffaloes’ first NCAA tournament bid since 2003.
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Pac-12: Arizona advances past Oregon State to final
Kyle Fogg’s 22 points helped the Wildcats rally for a big second half run to best the Beavers and move on to the conference finals.
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Pac-12 Tournament 2012: How the Underrated Arizona Wildcats Can Win It All
You probably haven’t heard much about the Arizona Wildcats this year unless you are a college basketball nut, but that’s about the change.
Despite underachieving for most of the season, No. 4 seed Arizona is more than capable of sweeping through the Staples Center and capturing the Pac-12 tournament championship. (Click here for a full bracket).
The Wildcats (21-10, 12-6 Pac-12, 78 RPI) need to win at least two and probably three games to feel safe.
First up is No. 5 seed UCLA, who beat USC 55-40 on Wednesday. The Bruins split with the ‘Cats earlier in the season, but have shown little reason to believe in them lately, so, we’ll give the edge to the more rested team.
Then it’s a date with No. 1 seed Washington, assuming they beat No. 9 Oregon State.
This will be the big test. Yet the depth of the Wildcats can run a team playing a second game in as many nights out of the gym. As long as the tempo is to Arizona’s liking, it will emerge victorious.
In the championship game, they may potentially play a No. 2 seed Oregon team that is next to impossible to figure out. Arizona matches up well. No. 3 seed Cal is also playing poor basketball at the moment, and odds are they won’t make it this far.
Two incredibly underrated player talents who are both capable of making names for themselves in the next month are what make the Wildcats great.
Arizona has one of the country’s most underrated players in senior Kyle Fogg. He is currently shooting 43 percent from long distance and has played his best ball of the season in the last month. Fogg has scored at least 15 points in six of the last seven games and is the floor leader who is so essential at this time of year.
Junior Solomon Hill isn’t too far behind. The 6’6″ forward is a rebounding machine for his size, pulling in 7.8 per game and scoring 12.5 points, while also hitting 50 percent of his shots.
I’d argue that this duo is as good as any in a weak Pac-12.
Some may look at the indefinite suspension of Josiah Turner as a negative; in reality, getting rid of the distraction is exactly what the team needed. The freshman averaged 6.8 points and 3.1 rebounds, but he never grasped the concepts of fitting in. You could tell the pampered Turner wanted the spotlight, and the offense is in better shape without him.
Without the disruption, Sean Miller can keep his team focused on the task at hand. It was only one year ago when Derrick Williams led the Wildcats all the way to the Elite Eight, and the team now has plenty of experience in elimination scenarios. They won’t be rattled in the final minutes of a game.
Dating back to his days at Xavier, Miller is an underrated coach who has always been able to squeeze the most talent out of his players when all of the chips are on the table.
As long as Miller keeps his team motivated and distraction-free, there is no reason to think Arizona can’t run the table in the weakest major conference tournament of the year.
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