2017–18_Arizona_Wildcats_men's_basketball_team
2017–18 Arizona Wildcats men's basketball team
American college basketball season
The 2017–18 Arizona Wildcats men's basketball team represented the University of Arizona during the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team was led by ninth-year head coach Sean Miller, and played their home games at McKale Center in Tucson, Arizona as members in the Pac-12 Conference. They finished the season 27–8, 14–4 in Pac-12 play to win the regular season championship. They defeated Colorado, UCLA, and USC to win the Pac-12 tournament. As a result, they received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament where, as a No. 4 seed, they were upset in the first round by No. 13 seed Buffalo.
| 2017–18 Arizona Wildcats men's basketball | |
|---|---|
 | |
Pac-12 regular season & tournament champions | |
NCAA tournament, First Round | |
| Conference | Pac-12 Conference |
| Ranking | |
| AP | No. 12 |
| Record | 9–8, 18 wins vacated (3–4 Pac-12, 11 wins vacated) |
| Head coach |
|
| Associate head coach | Lorenzo Romar |
| Assistant coaches |
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| Home arena | McKale Center |
Seasons | |
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | PCT | W | L | PCT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 12 Arizona † | 14 | – | 4 | .778 | 27 | – | 8 | .771 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| USC | 12 | – | 6 | .667 | 24 | – | 12 | .667 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| UCLA | 11 | – | 7 | .611 | 21 | – | 12 | .636 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Utah | 11 | – | 7 | .611 | 23 | – | 12 | .657 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stanford | 11 | – | 7 | .611 | 19 | – | 16 | .543 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Oregon | 10 | – | 8 | .556 | 23 | – | 13 | .639 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Washington | 10 | – | 8 | .556 | 21 | – | 13 | .618 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Colorado | 8 | – | 10 | .444 | 17 | – | 15 | .531 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Arizona State | 8 | – | 10 | .444 | 20 | – | 12 | .625 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Oregon State | 7 | – | 11 | .389 | 16 | – | 16 | .500 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Washington State | 4 | – | 14 | .222 | 12 | – | 19 | .387 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| California | 2 | – | 16 | .111 | 8 | – | 24 | .250 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| † Pac-12 Tournament winner Rankings from AP poll | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Due to 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball corruption scandal, 18 wins from this season have been vacated.[1][2] The following 9 wins against Northern Arizona, UMBC, Cal State Bakersfield, Long Beach State, UNLV, Texas A&M, Utah, Colorado & California would count in the overall record as the player involved in the scandal did not play in these games.
Entering the 2016–17 season, Arizona had been ranked in 78 consecutive AP polls and 81-straight Coaches polls. The Wildcats were ranked every week extending their streak to 97 weeks for the AP and 100 weeks for the Coaches poll. The 97 consecutive weeks in the AP poll is currently the second-longest streak in the nation behind Kansas at 161 weeks.[3] Arizona won its first 10 conference games, the best start since the 1997–98 season when they started 16–0. During the season, Arizona was invited and participated in the Armed Forces Classic in Honolulu. Arizona defeated Michigan State. Arizona also defeated Texas A&M in the Lone Star Shootout in Houston. Arizona also defeated Sacred Heart, Northern Colorado and Santa Clara but lost to Butler in the championship game of the Las Vegas Invitational in Paradise, NV.
They finished the season 32–5, 16–2 in Pac-12 play to finish in a first place tie with Oregon. The championship marked the school's 15th Pac-12 regular season championship title. As the No. 2 seed in the Pac-12 tournament, Arizona defeated Colorado, UCLA and Oregon (avenged from 85 to 58 loss on February 4 in Eugene, OR) to win the sixth Pac-12 tournament championship title since 2002. As a result, the Wildcats received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament for the fifth consecutive year (32nd NCAA tournament appearances). As a No. 2 seed in the West region, they defeated North Dakota 100–82 and Saint Mary's 69–60 to advance to the Sweet Sixteen. However, in the Sweet Sixteen, they lost to No. 11 seed Xavier 71–73.
| Name | Position | Year | Hometown | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kadeem Allen | G | RS Senior | Wilmington, NC | Graduated/2017 NBA draft. Drafted No. 53 overall in the 2nd round to Boston Celtics.[4] |
| Chance Comanche | C | Sophomore | Beverly Hills, CA | Declared for 2017 NBA draft.[5] Went undrafted. |
| Paulo Cruz | G | Sophomore | San Diego, CA | Walk-on; Transferred to Cal Poly.[6] |
| Ray Smith | F | RS Freshman | Las Vegas, NV | Retired from basketball due to multiple injuries[7] |
| Kobi Simmons | G | Freshman | Atlanta, GA | Declared for the NBA draft. Went undrafted.[8] Signed an undrafted free agent deal with Memphis Grizzlies.[9] |
| Lauri Markkanen | F | Freshman | Jyväskylä, FI | Declared for 2017 NBA draft.[10] Drafted No. 7th overall in the 1st round to Minnesota Timberwolves and traded to Chicago Bulls.[11] |
| Reference:[12] | ||||
| Name | Position | Year | Hometown | Previous School | Remaining Eligibility | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chase Jeter | F/C | Junior | Las Vegas, NV | Duke | 2 | Will sit out the 2017–18 season due to NCAA transfer rules.[13] |
| Reference:[12] | ||||||
2017 recruiting class
Tempe, Arizona product Alex Barcello was the first commitment in the Arizona class. He committed to Arizona on August 26 at a press conference at his high school. He chose Arizona over Butler, Indiana, Stanford and Virginia. He was a consensus four star prospect, and was ranked the consensus No. 93 overall player by the four main recruiting services.
Deandre Ayton, a Bahamian attending school in Phoenix, was the second commitment in the Arizona class. He committed to Arizona on September 6 live on ESPN. He chose Arizona for an upset over Kansas and Kentucky. He was a consensus five star prospect, and was ranked the consensus No. 2 overall player by the four main recruiting services.
Brandon Randolph, originally from Yonkers, New York, was the third commitment in the Arizona class. He committed to Arizona on October 12. He chose Arizona over Syracuse, Oregon and Wake Forest. He was a consensus top fifty player, ranked No. 42 by the four main recruiting services.
Ira Lee, from Los Angeles, was the fourth commitment in the Arizona class. He committed to Arizona on October 20. He chose Arizona over California and Oregon. He was a consensus top-25 player and ranked as a four-star player by the four main recruiting services Rivals, ESPN, Scout, and 24/7 Sports.
Emmanuel Akot from Winnipeg, CA, was the first commitment in the 2018 Arizona class, but he will reclassified to 2017 class (fifth and final commitment). He committed to Arizona on March 9 at a press conference at his high school. He chose Arizona over Louisville, Oregon and Utah. He was a consensus five star prospect, and was ranked the consensus No. 21 overall player by the four main recruiting services.
Arizona also added Preferred Walk-on Matt Weyand from Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, California.
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alex Barcello PG |
Tempe, AZ | Corona del Sol HS | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 168 lb (76 kg) | Aug 26, 2016 | |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 83 | ||||||
| Deandre Ayton C |
Nassau, BS | Hillcrest Prep Academy (AZ) | 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) | 241 lb (109 kg) | Sep 6, 2016 | |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 97 | ||||||
| Brandon Randolph SG |
Yonkers, NY | Westtown School (PA) | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 176 lb (80 kg) | Oct 12, 2016 | |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 89 | ||||||
| Ira Lee PF |
Los Angeles, CA | Crossroads School | 6 ft 7.5 in (2.02 m) | 217.5 lb (98.7 kg) | Oct 20, 2016 | |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 85 | ||||||
| Emmanuel Akot F/G |
Winnipeg, MB | Wasatch Academy (UT) | 6 ft 7.5 in (2.02 m) | 192.5 lb (87.3 kg) | Mar 9, 2017 | |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 88 | ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: #3 Rivals: #3 247Sports: #3 ESPN: #3 | ||||||
Sources:
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School Offers by Recruit
ESPN 100
- Alex Barcello:[14] Arizona, Butler, Indiana, Stanford and Virginia
- Brandon Randolph:[15] Arizona Syracuse, Oregon and Wake Forest
- Ira Lee:[16] Arizona, California and Oregon
- Deandre Ayton:[17] Arizona, Kansas and Kentucky
- Emmanuel Akot:[18] Arizona, Louisville, Oregon and Utah
On September 26, federal prosecutors in New York announced charges of fraud and corruption against 10 people involved in college basketball, including Arizona assistant coach Emmanuel "Book" Richardson.[19] The charges allege that Richardson and others allegedly received payments from financial advisers and others to influence student-athletes to retain their services and in turn used those payments to secure recruits.[20][21] Following the news, Richardson was suspended and relieved of all duties.[22] On January 11, 2018, UA fired assistant basketball coach Book Richardson after his appeal failed.[23]
On February 23, 2018, according to a published report by ESPN, an FBI wiretap revealed that head coach Sean Miller talked with Christian Dawkins (another key figure in the scandal) to discuss paying their top prospect, Deandre Ayton, $100,000 to commit to Arizona, with the monetary situation being dealt with directly with him.[24] While Miller would not coach their next game that day against Oregon, Arizona allowed Ayton to play.[25] Coach Sean Miller subsequently denied the allegation and the University of Arizona announced he will remain the coach of Arizona Wildcats men's basketball team, with Ayton also allowed to continue playing with the team for the rest of the season. However, as a consequence of the report involving Ayton, both of Arizona's remaining committed recruits from the class of 2018, Shareef O'Neal and Brandon Williams, announced they had decommitted.[26]
Roster
| 2017–18 Arizona Wildcats men's basketball team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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- Aug 23, 2017 – Sophomore walk-on Kory Jones will miss the 2017–18 season after tearing his left ACL.[27]
- Sept 27, 2017 – Sophomore Rawle Alkins out 8–12 weeks with a broken right foot.[28]
- Feb 22, 2018 – Junior Allonzo Trier ruled ineligible by NCAA for testing positive of a banned substance.[29]
Depth chart
| Pos. | Starting 5 | Bench 1 | Bench 2 | Bench 3 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | Dušan Ristić | Keanu Pinder | |||
| PF | Deandre Ayton | Ira Lee | Jake DesJardins | ||
| SF | Rawle Alkins | Brandon Randolph | Emmanuel Akot | ||
| SG | Allonzo Trier | Dylan Smith | Matt Weyand | Kory Jones + | |
| PG | P. Jackson-Cartwright | Alex Barcello | Talbott Denny | Tyler Trillo |
Coaching staff
| Name | Position | Year at Arizona | Alma Mater (year) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sean Miller | Head coach | 9th | Pittsburgh (1992) |
| Lorenzo Romar | Associate head coach | 1st | Washington (1980) |
| Mark Phelps | Assistant coach | 3rd | Old Dominion (1996) |
| Ryan Reynolds | Director of Basketball Operations | 9th | Xavier (2007) |
| Austin Carroll | Assistant director of Basketball Operations | 2nd | American (2014) |
Summer Exhibition Tour
Practices began earlier than otherwise allowed by the NCAA in preparation for a three-game foreign tour to Spain in August. (NCAA rules allow teams to conduct 10 practices in preparation for a foreign tour.) NCAA rules allow for foreign tours once every four years and the Spain tour was Arizona's first since 2012.[30] It was the eighth in program history. The University of Arizona basketball program will travel to Spain in August for a foreign tour, including a trio of exhibition games. The Wildcats will spend time in Barcelona and Valencia Aug. 11 through Aug. 19.
UA will take on Combinado Valenciano on Saturday, Aug. 13 at 7 p.m. local at the Pabellon Municipal Fuente de San Luis in Valencia.
The trip's second exhibition features Arizona and the Mataro All-Stars on Wednesday, August 16 at 7:10 p.m. in Barcelona inside the Pavello Municipal Teresa Maria Roca prior to the final exhibition two days later against Mataro Parc Boet in the same arena.
All three of the exhibitions will be streamed online by FloHoops.com with a subscription required.
Red and Blue game
The annual Red-Blue game will take place at McKale Center on October 20, 2017. After freshman Brandon Randolph won the dunk contest,[31] the Blue team, led by Deandre Ayton, knocked off the Red team, 55–37.[32]
Preseason rankings
For the fifth time in the past six seasons, Arizona Wildcats voted 2017-18 Pac-12 preseason favorite by media poll.[33] On October 19, Arizona was pre-season ranked 5th in USA Today coaches preseason poll.[34] On November 1, Arizona was pre-season ranked No. 3 in AP Top 25 preseason poll.[35]
In its preseason college preview, Lindy's Sports ranked the Wildcats No. 2 in the country. The Blue Ribbon Yearbook ranked UA No. 2 in its preseason rankings. Athlon Sports ranked the Wildcats No. 1 in the country. Street & Smith ranked UA No. 1 in the country. KenPom ranked UA No. 3 in the country. NBC Sports ranked the Wildcats No. 3 in the country. CBS Sports ranked No. 2 for the Wildcats. ESPN ranked No. 2 for the Wildcats. Sports Illustrated ranked UA No. 1 in the country.
On June 8, Arizona released the non-conference schedule is highlighted by marquee match-ups at McKale Center and across the country.[36] Arizona will also host Alabama, Cal State Bakersfield, UConn, Long Beach State, North Dakota State, Northern Arizona and UMBC in Tucson, AZ. Arizona will travel to Phoenix to play Texas A&M at Talking Stick Resort Arena in the annual Valley of the Sun Shootout, to Nassau, Bahamas to play three of the following teams: (NC State, Northern Iowa, Purdue, SMU, Tennessee, Villanova or Western Kentucky) in the Battle 4 Atlantis at Imperial Arena, to Albuquerque to play against New Mexico, and finally face UNLV in Paradise, NV.
The 2018 Pac-12 Tournament will begin March 7 in Las Vegas and conclude on March 10.[37] Selection Sunday occurs the following day.[38]
In the unbalanced 18-game Pac-12 schedule, Arizona will not play the Washington teams (Washington/Washington State) at home and Los Angeles teams (UCLA/USC) on the road.
| Date time, TV |
Rank# | Opponent# | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spain Exhibition Tour | |||||||||||
| August 13, 2017* 10:00 am, FloHoops.com |
vs. Combinado Valenciano | W 113–44 | 21 – Randolph | 16 – Ristic | 7 – Jackson-Cartwright | Pabellon Municipal Fuente de San Luis Valencia, ES | |||||
| August 16, 2017* 10:10 am, FLOHoops.com |
vs. Mataro All-Stars | W 99–74 | 21 – Trier | 10 – Ayton | 8 – Trier | Pavello Municipal Teresa Maria Roca Barcelona, ES | |||||
| August 18, 2017* 10:10 am, FLOHoops.com |
vs. Mataro Parc Boet | Canceled | Pavello Municipal Teresa Maria Roca Barcelona, ES | ||||||||
| Exhibition | |||||||||||
| November 1, 2017* 7:00 pm, P12N |
No. 3 | Eastern New Mexico | W 91–63 | – |
31 – Ayton | 10 – Ayton | 6 – Akot | McKale Center (13,803) Tucson, AZ | |||
| November 5, 2017* 4:00 pm, P12N |
No. 3 | Chico State | W 91–53 | – |
22 – Trier | 11 – Ayton | 6 – Akot | McKale Center (13,865) Tucson, AZ | |||
| Non-conference regular season | |||||||||||
| November 10, 2017* 6:00 pm, P12N |
No. 3 | Northern Arizona | W 101–67 | 1–0 |
32 – Trier | 12 – Ayton | 8 – Jackson-Cartwright | McKale Center (14,644) Tucson, AZ | |||
| November 12, 2017* 4:00 pm, P12N |
No. 3 | UMBC Battle 4 Atlantis campus-site game |
W 103–78 | 2–0 |
30 – Trier | 13 – Ayton | 9 – Jackson-Cartwright | McKale Center (13,496) Tucson, AZ | |||
| November 16, 2017* 8:00 pm, P12N |
No. 3 | Cal State Bakersfield | W 91–59 | 3–0 |
28 – Trier | 10 – Ayton | 4 – Trier | McKale Center (14,301) Tucson, AZ | |||
| November 22, 2017* 5:00 pm, ESPN3 |
No. 2 | vs. NC State Battle 4 Atlantis quarterfinals |
L 84–90 | 3–1 |
27 – Tied | 14 – Ayton | 5 – Jackson-Cartwright | Imperial Arena (2,850) Nassau, BAH | |||
| November 23, 2017* 7:30 pm, ESPN3 |
No. 2 | vs. SMU Battle 4 Atlantis 2nd round consolation |
L 60–66 | 3–2 |
17 – Ayton | 15 – Ayton | 3 – Tied | Imperial Arena (1,236) Nassau, BAH | |||
| November 24, 2017* 7:30 pm, ESPN3 |
No. 2 | vs. No. 18 Purdue Battle 4 Atlantis 7th place game |
L 64–89 | 3–3 |
22 – Ayton | 8 – Ayton | 7 – Jackson-Cartwright | Imperial Arena (2,298) Nassau, BAH | |||
| November 29, 2017* 6:00 pm, P12N |
Long Beach State | W 91–56 | 4–3 |
15 – Trier | 9 – Tied | 5 – Jackson-Cartwright | McKale Center (13,626) Tucson, AZ | ||||
| December 2, 2017* 8:00 pm, CBSSN |
at UNLV | W 91–88 OT | 5–3 |
29 – Trier | 10 – Ayton | 3 – Tied | Thomas & Mack Center (14,579) Paradise, NV | ||||
| December 5, 2017* 7:00 pm, ESPN2 |
vs. No. 7 Texas A&M Valley of the Sun Shootout |
W 67–64 | 6–3 |
13 – 4 tied | 10 – Ayton | 4 – Barcello | Talking Stick Resort Arena (8,907) Phoenix, AZ | ||||
| December 9, 2017* 8:00 pm, ESPN2 |
Alabama | W 88–82 | 7–3 |
29 – Ayton | 18 – Ayton | 6 – Trier | McKale Center (14,644) Tucson, AZ | ||||
| December 16, 2017* 6:00 pm, CBSSN |
No. 23 | at New Mexico | W 89–73 | 8–3 |
26 – Alkins | 13 – Ayton | 5 – Tied | The Pit (13,207) Albuquerque, NM | |||
| December 18, 2017* 7:00 pm, P12N |
No. 18-t | North Dakota State | W 83–53 | 9–3 |
25 – Ayton | 9 – Ayton | 4 – Trier | McKale Center (14,048) Tucson, AZ | |||
| December 21, 2017* 7:00 pm, ESPN2 |
No. 18-t | UConn | W 73–58 | 10–3 |
20 – Alkins | 9 – Ristic | 5 – Ayton | McKale Center (14,392) Tucson, AZ | |||
| Pac-12 regular season | |||||||||||
| December 30, 2017 7:00 pm, P12N |
No. 17 | No. 3 Arizona State Rivalry |
W 84–78 | 11–3 (1–0) |
23 – Ayton | 19 – Ayton | 6 – Jackson-Cartwright | McKale Center (14,644) Tucson, AZ | |||
| January 4, 2018 7:00 pm, ESPN |
No. 14 | at Utah | W 94–82 | 12–3 (2–0) |
24 – Ayton | 14 – Ayton | 5 – Trier | Jon M. Huntsman Center (13,543) Salt Lake City, UT | |||
| January 6, 2018 12:00 pm, P12N |
No. 14 | at Colorado | L 77–80 | 12–4 (2–1) |
26 – Ayton | 11 – Ristic | 8 – Jackson-Cartwright | Coors Events Center (8,519) Boulder, CO | |||
| January 11, 2018 7:00 pm, P12N |
No. 17 | Oregon State | W 62–53 | 13–4 (3–1) |
21 – Trier | 10 – Ayton | 5 – Jackson-Cartwright | McKale Center (14,644) Tucson, AZ | |||
| January 13, 2018 12:00 pm, ESPN2 |
No. 17 | Oregon | W 90–83 | 14–4 (4–1) |
25 – Trier | 7 – Ayton | 6 – Alkins | McKale Center (14,644) Tucson, AZ | |||
| January 17, 2018 7:00 pm, P12N |
No. 14 | at California | W 79–58 | 15–4 (5–1) |
20 – Ayton | 11 – Ayton | 6 – Jackson-Cartwright | Haas Pavilion (7,721) Berkeley, CA | |||
| January 20, 2018 2:00 pm, CBS |
No. 14 | at Stanford | W 73–71 | 16–4 (6–1) |
21 – Trier | 9 – Ristic | 5 – Tied | Maples Pavilion (6,079) Stanford, CA | |||
| January 25, 2018 6:30 pm, FS1 |
No. 11 | Colorado | W 80–71 | 17–4 (7–1) |
23 – Trier | 8 – Ristic | 4 – Jackson-Cartwright | McKale Center (14,644) Tucson, AZ | |||
| January 27, 2018 3:30 pm, FOX |
No. 11 | Utah | W 74–73 | 18–4 (8–1) |
23 – Ristic | 8 – Ayton | 6 – Jackson-Cartwright | McKale Center (14,644) Tucson, AZ | |||
| January 31, 2018 8:00 pm, P12N |
No. 9 | at Washington State | W 100–72 | 19–4 (9–1) |
25 – Ayton | 11 – Ayton | 4 – Jackson-Cartwright | Beasley Coliseum (4,607) Pullman, WA | |||
| February 3, 2018 8:30 pm, P12N |
No. 9 | at Washington | L 75–78 | 19–5 (9–2) |
21 – Ristic | 12 – Ayton | 5 – Jackson-Cartwright | Alaska Airlines Arena (10,000) Seattle, WA | |||
| February 8, 2018 8:00 pm, ESPN |
No. 13 | UCLA Rivalry |
L 74–82 | 19–6 (9–3) |
17 – Trier | 12 – Ayton | 4 – Jackson-Cartwright | McKale Center (14,644) Tucson, AZ | |||
| February 10, 2018 8:15 PM, ESPN |
No. 13 | USC | W 81–67 | 20–6 (10–3) |
20 – Alkins | 11 – Ristic | 5 – Alkins | McKale Center (14,644) Tucson, AZ | |||
| February 15, 2018 7:00 pm, ESPN |
No. 17 | at No. 25 Arizona State Rivalry |
W 77–70 | 21–6 (11–3) |
25 – Ayton | 16 – Ayton | 5 – Trier | Wells Fargo Arena (14,233) Tempe, AZ | |||
| February 22, 2018 7:00 pm, FS1 |
No. 14 | at Oregon State | W 75–65 OT | 22–6 (12–3) |
19 – Ayton | 12 – Ayton | 4 – Ayton | Gill Coliseum (4,963) Corvallis, OR | |||
| February 24, 2018 8:15 pm, ESPN |
No. 14 | at Oregon | L 93–98 OT | 22–7 (12–4) |
28 – Ayton | 18 – Ayton | 5 – Tied | Matthew Knight Arena (12,364) Eugene, OR | |||
| March 1, 2018 8:00 pm, FS1 |
No. 19 | Stanford | W 75–67 | 23–7 (13–4) |
21 – Ristic | 10 – Ayton | 4 – 3 tied | McKale Center (14,644) Tucson, AZ | |||
| March 3, 2018 4:30 pm, P12N |
No. 19 | California | W 66–54 | 24–7 (14–4) |
26 – Ayton | 20 – Ayton | 7 – Trier | McKale Center (14,644) Tucson, AZ | |||
| Pac-12 Tournament | |||||||||||
| March 8, 2018 1:00 pm, P12N |
(1) No. 15 | vs. (8) Colorado Quarterfinals |
W 83–67 | 25–7 |
22 – Trier | 11 – Ristic | 4 – Jackson-Cartwright | T-Mobile Arena (15,182) Paradise, NV | |||
| March 9, 2018 7:00 pm, P12N |
(1) No. 15 | vs. (4) UCLA Semifinals/Rivalry |
W 78–67 OT | 26–7 |
32 – Ayton | 14 – Ayton | 4 – Jackson-Cartwright | T-Mobile Arena (16,596) Paradise, NV | |||
| March 10, 2018 8:00 pm, FS1 |
(1) No. 15 | vs. (2) USC Championship |
W 75–61 | 27–7 |
32 – Ayton | 18 – Ayton | 5 – Jackson-Cartwright | T-Mobile Arena (16,501) Paradise, NV | |||
| NCAA tournament | |||||||||||
| March 15, 2018* 6:40 pm, CBS |
(4 S) No. 12 | vs. (13 S) Buffalo First Round |
L 68–89 | 27–8 |
16 – Ristic | 13 – Ayton | 5 – Alkins | Taco Bell Arena (11,673) Boise, ID | |||
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. S=South. All times are in Mountain Time. | |||||||||||
Schedule Source: ArizonaWildcats.com[39]
| Pre | Wk 2 | Wk 3 | Wk 4 | Wk 5 | Wk 6 | Wk 7 | Wk 8 | Wk 9 | Wk 10 | Wk 11 | Wk 12 | Wk 13 | Wk 14 | Wk 15 | Wk 16 | Wk 17 | Wk 18 | Final | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona | 3 (18) | 3 (16) | 2 (11) | RV | RV | 23 | 18T | 17 | 14 | 17 | 14 | 11 | 9 | 13 | 17 | 14 | 19 | 15 | 12 |
| Pre | Wk 3 | Wk 4 | Wk 5 | Wk 6 | Wk 7 | Wk 8 | Wk 9 | Wk 10 | Wk 11 | Wk 12 | Wk 13 | Wk 14 | Wk 15 | Wk 16 | Wk 17 | Wk 18 | Final | Postseason (final) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona | 5 (2) | 4 | RV | RV | 23 | 19 | 18 | 16 | 21 | 17 | 12 | 9 | 13 | 19 | 14 | 22 | 17 | 15 | RV |
- Number in italic indicates the number of first place votes
^Coaches did not release a Week 2 poll.
*AP does not release post-NCAA Tournament rankings
| Minutes | Scoring | Total FGs | 3-point FGs | Free-Throws | Rebounds | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | GP | GS | Tot | Avg | Pts | Avg | FG | FGA | Pct | 3FG | 3FA | Pct | FT | FTA | Pct | Off | Def | Tot | Avg | A | TO | Stl | Blk |
| Alex Barcello | 16 | 0 | 187 | 11.7 | 46 | 2.9 | 16 | 44 | .364 | 8 | 26 | .308 | 6 | 8 | .750 | 3 | 17 | 20 | 1.3 | 19 | 8 | 3 | 0 |
| Allonzo Trier | 26 | 26 | 878 | 33.8 | 509 | 19.6 | 159 | 293 | .543 | 61 | 144 | .424 | 130 | 153 | .850 | 11 | 73 | 84 | 3.2 | 81 | 59 | 16 | 11 |
| Brandon Randolph | 25 | 4 | 323 | 12.9 | 109 | 4.4 | 38 | 101 | .376 | 14 | 44 | .318 | 19 | 26 | .731 | 4 | 20 | 24 | 1.0 | 25 | 19 | 12 | 4 |
| Deandre Ayton | 26 | 26 | 841 | 32.3 | 509 | 19.5 | 200 | 331 | .604 | 10 | 29 | .318 | 96 | 130 | .738 | 71 | 207 | 278 | 10.7 | 36 | 45 | 12 | 47 |
| Dušan Ristić | 26 | 26 | 658 | 25.3 | 308 | 11.8 | 128 | 216 | .593 | 3 | 8 | .375 | 49 | 61 | .803 | 56 | 127 | 183 | 7.0 | 26 | 31 | 9 | 15 |
| Dylan Smith | 25 | 6 | 384 | 15.4 | 116 | 4.6 | 39 | 104 | .375 | 25 | 69 | .362 | 13 | 15 | .867 | 8 | 32 | 40 | 1.6 | 31 | 24 | 4 | 5 |
| Emmanuel Akot | 22 | 4 | 218 | 9.9 | 39 | 1.8 | 15 | 39 | .385 | 8 | 19 | .421 | 1 | 5 | .200 | 8 | 18 | 26 | 1.2 | 20 | 14 | 4 | 3 |
| Ira Lee | 25 | 0 | 273 | 10.9 | 60 | 2.4 | 23 | 51 | .451 | 1 | 2 | .500 | 13 | 23 | .565 | 19 | 41 | 60 | 2.4 | 10 | 12 | 5 | 11 |
| Jake DesJardins | 3 | 0 | 7 | 2.3 | 2 | 0.7 | 1 | 2 | .500 | 0 | 2 | .000 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 1.0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Keanu Pinder | 23 | 0 | 220 | 9.6 | 49 | 2.1 | 18 | 27 | .667 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 13 | 21 | .619 | 10 | 37 | 47 | 2.0 | 1 | 12 | 7 | 12 |
| Matt Weyand | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Parker Jackson-Cartwright | 26 | 26 | 810 | 31.2 | 190 | 7.3 | 62 | 144 | .431 | 36 | 81 | .444 | 30 | 41 | .732 | 5 | 51 | 56 | 2.2 | 127 | 43 | 37 | 3 |
| Rawle Alkins | 14 | 12 | 415 | 29.6 | 191 | 13.6 | 63 | 136 | .463 | 23 | 59 | .390 | 42 | 56 | .750 | 25 | 33 | 58 | 4.1 | 39 | 35 | 18 | 11 |
| Talbott Denny | 2 | 0 | 5 | 2.5 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Tyler Trillo | 1 | 0 | 5 | 5.0 | 3 | 3.0 | 1 | 1 | 1.000 | 1 | 1 | 1.000 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 26 | - | - | - | 2128 | 82 | 763 | 1489 | .512 | 190 | 482 | .394 | 412 | 539 | .764 | 251 | 681 | 932 | 36 | 417 | 313 | 127 | 122 |
| Opponents | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Weekly awards
- Allonzo Trier
- Deandre Ayton
- Dusan Ristic
- Pac-12 Player of the Week (Jan. 29)[48]
Watchlists
- Allonzo Trier
- Jerry West Award Preseason Watch List (2018)[49]
- Oscar Robertson Award Preseason Watch List (2018)[50]
- Lute Olson Award Preseason Watch List (2018)[51]
- Naismith Trophy Award Preseason Watch List (2018)[52]
- John R. Wooden Award Preseason Watch List (2018)[53]
- John R. Wooden Award Midseason Top 25 (2018)[54]
- Rawle Alkins
- Julius Erving Award Preseason Watch List (2018)[55]
- Naismith Trophy Award Preseason Watch List (2018)
- John R. Wooden Award Preseason Watch List (2018)
- Deandre Ayton
- Karl Malone Award Preseason Watch List (2018) [56]
- Oscar Robertson Award Preseason Watch List (2018)
- Naismith Trophy Award Preseason Watch List (2018)
- John R. Wooden Award Preseason Watch List (2018)
- John R. Wooden Award Midseason Top 25 (2018)[54]
- Oscar Robertson Trophy Midseason Watch List (2018)[57]
- Karl Malone Award Finalist (2018) [58]
- Naismith Trophy Award Finalist (2018)
- Dušan Ristić
- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award Preseason Watch List (2018) [59]
Pac-12 awards
- Deandre Ayton
- Pac-12 Tournament Most Outstanding Player (2018)
- Pac-12 Player of the Year (2018)
- Pac-12 Freshman Player of the Year (2018)
National district awards
- Deandre Ayton
- USBWA District IX Player of the Year (2018)
All-American and national awards
- Allonzo Trier
- AP Pac-12 First Team All-American (2018)
- AP Preseason First Team All-American (2017)
- Street & Smith Preseason Second Team All-American (2017)
- NBC Sports Preseason First Team All-American (2017)
- ESPN Preseason First Team All-American (2017)
- Sports Illustrated Preseason First Team All-American (2017)
- USA Today Preseason First Team All-American (2017)
- Blue Ribbon Preseason Second Team All-American (2017)
- Athlon Sports Preseason Second Team All-American (2017)
- Sporting News Preseason Second Team All-American (2017)
- USBWA District IX All-District Team (2018)
- NABC District 20 Second Team (2018)
- AP All-American Honorable mention (2018)
- Deandre Ayton
- Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Award (2018)
- AP Pac-12 Player of the Year (2018)
- AP Pac-12 Newcomer of the Year (2018)
- AP Pac-12 First Team All-American (2018)
- NBC Sports First Team All-American (2018)
- AP Preseason Second Team All-American (2017)
- NBC Sports Preseason Third Team All-American (2017)
- Blue Ribbon Preseason Third Team All-American (2017)
- Athlon Sports Preseason Third Team All-American (2017)
- Sporting News Preseason Third Team All-American (2017)
- Sports Illustrated Preseason Honorable Mention All-American (2017)
- USA Today Preseason Honorable Mention All-American (2017)
- USA Today First Team All-American (2018)
- Sporting News First Team All-American (2018)
- USBWA District IX All-District Team (2018)
- USBWA First Team All-American (2018)
- NABC First Team All-American (2018)
- NABC District 20 First team (2018)
- AP First Team All-American (2018)
All-Pac-12 team
- Deandre Ayton
- All Pac-12 First team (2018)
- All Pac-12 Freshman team (2018)
- All Pac-12 Defensive team (2018)
- Allonzo Trier
- All Pac-12 First team (2018)
- Dusan Ristic
- All Pac-12 Second team (2018)
- Rawle Alkins
- All Pac-12 Honorable mention (2018)
All-Pac-12 tournament team
- Deandre Ayton
- All Pac-12 tournament team (2018)
- Dusan Ristic
- All Pac-12 tournament team (2018)
- "Arizona Media Guide" (PDF). ArizonaWildcats.com. Retrieved January 27, 2017.
- Pascoe, Bruce. "Kadeem Allen drafted No. 53 by Boston Celtics". Tucson.com. Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved June 22, 2017.
- Pascoe, Bruce. "Arizona sophomore Chance Comanche says he won't return to Wildcats". Tucson.com. Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved May 5, 2017.
- Rosenblatt, Zach. "Arizona Wildcats walk-on guard Paulo Cruz transferring to Cal Poly". Tucson.com. Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved July 14, 2017.
- Pascoe, Bruce. "Ray Smith's career over after Arizona Wildcats confirm he tore ACL". Tucson.com. Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved November 3, 2016.
- Presnell, Kelly. "Arizona Wildcats freshman Kobi Simmons declares for NBA draft". Tucson.com. Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved April 5, 2017.
- Pascoe, Bruce. "Report: Memphis to sign Arizona Wildcats' 'microwave,' Kobi Simmons". Tucson.com. Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved June 23, 2017.
- Pascoe, Bruce. "Arizona Wildcats freshman Lauri Markkanen confirms he'll leave for NBA". Tucson.com. Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved March 30, 2017.
- Pascoe, Bruce. "Arizona Wildcats star Lauri Markkanen taken No. 7 pick in the NBA draft". Tucson.com. Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved June 22, 2017.
- "2017-18 Basketball (M) Roster - Arizona Athletics". www.arizonawildcats.com. University of Arizona Department of Athletics.
- Pascoe, Bruce. "Duke transfer Chase Jeter commits to Arizona Wildcats". Tucson.com. Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved May 16, 2017.
- "ESPN Profile of Alex Barcello". ESPN. Retrieved May 27, 2017.
- "ESPN Profile of Brandon Randolph". ESPN. Retrieved May 27, 2017.
- "ESPN Profile of Ira Lee". ESPN. Retrieved May 27, 2017.
- "ESPN Profile of DeAndre Ayton". ESPN. Retrieved May 27, 2017.
- "ESPN Profile of Emmanuel Akot". ESPN. Retrieved May 27, 2017.
- "NCAA coaches among 10 arrested for corruption". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 26, 2017.
- Pascoe, Bruce. "Report: Arizona Wildcats assistant coach Book Richardson arrested, charged in federal kickback ring". Tucson.com. Retrieved September 26, 2017.
- "FBI arrests four college basketball assistants on charges of fraud". USA TODAY. Retrieved September 26, 2017.
- Villarreal, Phil (September 26, 2017). "UA suspends assistant basketball coach, postpones media day". KGUN. Retrieved September 26, 2017.
- Schmidt, Caitlin. "UA fires assistant basketball coach Book Richardson after his appeal fails". Tucson.com. Retrieved January 25, 2018.
- Schlabach, Mark (February 23, 2018). "FBI wiretaps show Sean Miller discussed $100K payment to lock recruit". www.espn.com. ESPN. Retrieved February 24, 2018.
- "Sean Miller won't coach Arizona's game Saturday vs. Oregon". www.espn.com. ESPN. February 24, 2018. Retrieved February 24, 2018.
- Pascoe, Bruce. "Arizona basketball: Walk-on Kory Jones out for season with torn ACL". Tucson.com. Tucson.com. Retrieved August 23, 2017.
- Pascoe, Bruce. "Arizona Wildcats standout Rawle Alkins out 8-12 weeks with broken foot". Tucson.com. Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved September 27, 2017.
- "Arizona to appeal NCAA ruling after Allonzo Trier tests positive for banned substance". espn.com. February 22, 2018. Retrieved February 22, 2018.
- Star, Bruce Pascoe Arizona Daily. "Arizona basketball: Bahamas trip gives Cats time to mesh". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved June 14, 2017.
- Kelapire, Ryan (October 20, 2017). "Brandon Randolph wins Red-Blue Game dunk contest". AZDesertSwarm.com. Retrieved October 20, 2017.
- Kelapire, Ryan (October 20, 2017). "Deandre Ayton, Brandon Randolph shine in Arizona's Red-Blue Game". AZDesertSwarm.com. Retrieved October 20, 2017.
- "Arizona again Pac-12 Men's basketball preseason favorite". Pac-12.com. October 12, 2017. Retrieved October 12, 2017.
- Pascoe, Bruce (October 19, 2017). "Arizona basketball: Wildcats ranked 5th in USA Today coaches preseason poll". Tucson.com. Retrieved October 19, 2017.
- Pascoe, Bruce (November 1, 2017). "Arizona basketball: Arizona Wildcats ranked No. 3 in AP Top 25 preseason poll". Tucson.com. Retrieved November 1, 2017.
- Pascoe, Bruce. "Arizona Wildcats finalize 2017–18 non-conference schedule". Tucson.com. Tucson.com. Retrieved June 8, 2017.
- "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on October 17, 2018. Retrieved June 22, 2017.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - "Selection Sunday 2019: Time, dates, schedule and everything else you need to know | NCAA.com". Archived from the original on March 13, 2018. Retrieved April 5, 2018.
- "Men's Basketball 2017–2018 Schedule". University of Arizona Department of Athletics.
- "POW, Week 1". Pac-12.com. November 13, 2017. Retrieved November 13, 2017.
- "Player of the Week: Allonzo Trier, Arizona". November 13, 2017.
- "POW, Week 4". Pac-12.com. November 13, 2017. Retrieved December 4, 2017.
- "Player of the Week: Deandre Ayton, Arizona". January 2018.
- "College basketball: 20 players named to 2018 Jerry West Award watch list". NCAA.com. Retrieved October 17, 2017.
- "2017 Oscar Roberston Trophy Preseason Watchlist". Sportswriters.net. November 6, 2017. Retrieved November 6, 2017.
- "2017-18 Lute Olson Preseason Watch List". LuteOlsonAward.com. November 6, 2017. Retrieved November 6, 2017.
- "Citizen Naismith Trophy Watch List Released". NaismithTrophy.com. Retrieved November 9, 2017.
- "Preseason Top 50". November 14, 2017.
- "Wooden Award midseason top 25". January 11, 2018.
- "College basketball: 21 players named to 2018 Julius Erving Award watch list". NCAA.com. Retrieved October 18, 2017.
- "College basketball: 21 players named to 2018 Karl Malone Award watch list". NCAA.com. Retrieved October 19, 2017.
- "College basketball: 20 players named to 2018 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar watch list". hoophallawards.com. Retrieved October 20, 2017.