2015–16 Arizona Wildcats men's basketball team

2015–16 Arizona Wildcats men's basketball
Conference Pacific-12 Conference
2015–16 record ( Pac-12)
Head coach Sean Miller (7th year)
Assistant coach Joe Pasternack
Assistant coach Emanuel Richardson
Assistant coach Damon Stoudamire
Base defense Pack-line
Home arena McKale Center
2015–16 Pacific-12 Conference men's basketball standings
Conf     Overall
Team W   L   PCT     W   L   PCT
Arizona 0 – 0   –     0 – 0   –
Arizona State 0 – 0   –     0 – 0   –
California 0 – 0   –     0 – 0   –
Colorado 0 – 0   –     0 – 0   –
Oregon 0 – 0   –     0 – 0   –
Oregon State 0 – 0   –     0 – 0   –
Stanford 0 – 0   –     0 – 0   –
UCLA 0 – 0   –     0 – 0   –
USC 0 – 0   –     0 – 0   –
Utah 0 – 0   –     0 – 0   –
Washington 0 – 0   –     0 – 0   –
Washington State 0 – 0   –     0 – 0   –
† 2016 Pac-12 Tournament winner
Rankings from AP Poll

The 2015–16 Arizona Wildcats men's basketball team represents the University of Arizona during the 2015–16 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team is led by seventh-year head coach Sean Miller, playing home games at McKale Center in Tucson, Arizona as a member of the Pac-12 Conference.

Previous season

The 2014-15 Arizona Wildcats team were predicted to finish atop of the conference by the Pac-12 Conference Preseason Poll. The Wildcats finished in first place in the Pac-12 Conference Standings for the 1st time with a 16-2 conference record to win their second straight Pac-12 regular season championship (14th overall). After BYU defeated the Zags in the regular season finale, snapping the nation's longest active home winning streak of 41 games, as well as Gonzaga's school record 22-game winning streak, Arizona claimed the longest active home winning streak in D-I men's college basketball (38th home win at 2nd all-time, 82nd home win at 5th all-time). In the Pac-12 Tournament as a #1 seed, and dismantled #8 seed California Golden Bears; 73–51 and #4 seed UCLA Bruins; 70–64. The Wildcats then went on to beat Oregon Ducks; 80–52 in the Pac-12 Tournamen championship gamet, and claimed their 5th Pac-12 tournament title for the first time since 2002, along with punching their 32nd ticket to the NCAA Tournament. Arizona entered the NCAA Tournament as a #2 seed in the West region, and dismantled #15 seed Texas Southern Tigers 93–72, then #10 seed Ohio State Buckeyes; 73–58, and #6 seed Xavier Musketeers, to gain its third trip (2nd straight) to the Elite Eight, as well as Sean Miller's first as head coach. The Wildcats then fell to #1 seed Wisconsin Badgers; 85–78 for the second time (from the Elite Eight's by 1 point overtime loss in last year), and finished the season with a 34–4 record, 16–2 in Pac-12 play, which was the most wins in school history.

Off-season

Departures

Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Notes
Matt Korcheck 31 PF 6'10" 235 RS Senior Tucson, Arizona Graduated
T.J. McConnell 4 PG 6'1" 195 RS Senior Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Graduated
Drew Mellon 55 SF 6’6” 205 Senior Santa Ana, California Graduated
Brandon Ashley 21 PF 6'9" 230 Junior San Francisco, California Declared for 2015 NBA draft[1]
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson 23 SF 6'7" 220 Sophomore Chester, Pennsylvania Declared for 2015 NBA draft[2]
Stanley Johnson 5 SF 6'7" 245 Freshman Fullerton, California Declared for 2015 NBA draft[3]
Craig Victor 3 PF 6'9" 230 Freshman New Orleans, Louisiana Left team in January. Elected to transfer to LSU[4]

Incoming transfers

Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Notes
Mark Tollefsen 23 F 6'9" 200 RS Senior Danville, California Elected to transfer from the University of San Francisco Dons to play for the University of Arizona Wildcats for his final year of eligibility.
He is eligible to play immediately for the 2015-16 season per NCAA graduate transfer rules.

2015 Recruiting class

Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Justin Simon
#7 G		 Temecula, CA Temecula Valley HS/Brewster Academy 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 190 lb (86 kg) May 6, 2014 
Scout:5/5 stars   Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars
Ray Smith
#4 SF		 Las Vegas, NV Las Vegas HS 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Jul 13, 2014 
Scout:5/5 stars   Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports:5/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars
Allonzo Trier
#3 SG		 Seattle, WA Findlay Prep 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Aug 3, 2014 
Scout:5/5 stars   Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports:5/5 stars    ESPN:5/5 stars
Chance Comanche
#14 C		 Beverly Hills, CA Beverly Hills HS 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Sep 14, 2014 
Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: #1   Rivals: #1  247Sports: #3  ESPN: #5
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

Personnel

Roster

2015–16 Arizona Wildcats men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year High School/Junior College Home town
G 0 Jackson-Cartwright, ParkerParker Jackson-Cartwright style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 160 lb (73 kg) So Sierra Canyon School Los Angeles, California
G 1 York, GabeGabe York style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 185 lb (84 kg) Sr Orange Lutheran HS West Covina, California
F 2 Smith, RayRay Smith style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 200 lb (91 kg) Fr Las Vegas HS Las Vegas, Nevada
G 3 Simon, JustinJustin Simon style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 190 lb (86 kg) Fr Brewster Academy Temecula, California
G 5 Allen, KadeemKadeem Allen style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 195 lb (88 kg) RS Jr Hutchinson C.C. Wilmington, North Carolina
G 11 Trier, AllonzoAllonzo Trier style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 200 lb (91 kg) Fr Findlay Prep Seattle, Washington
F 12 Anderson, RyanRyan Anderson style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 230 lb (104 kg) RS Sr Boston College Lakewood, California
C 14 Ristić, DušanDušan Ristić style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 245 lb (111 kg) So Sunrise Christian Academy Novi Sad, Serbia
F/C 21 Comanche, ChanceChance Comanche style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 200 lb (91 kg) Fr Beverly Hills HS Beverly Hills, California
F 23 Tollefsen, MarkMark Tollefsen style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 200 lb (91 kg) RS Sr San Francisco Danville, California
G 24 Pitts, ElliottElliott Pitts style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 185 lb (84 kg) Jr De La Salle HS Dublin, California
C 35 Tarczewski, KalebKaleb Tarczewski style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 245 lb (111 kg) Sr St. Mark's School Claremont, New Hampshire
G 44 Mason, TreyTrey Mason (W) style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 180 lb (82 kg) Jr Loyola HS Los Angeles, California
G 50 Hazzard, JacobJacob Hazzard (W) style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 160 lb (73 kg) Sr Loyola HS Los Angeles, California
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Coaching staff

Name Position Year at Arizona Alma Mater (year)
Sean MillerHead Coach 7th Pittsburgh (1992)
Joe Pasternack Associate Head Coach 5th Indiana (1999)
Emanuel Richardson Assistant Coach 7th Pittsburgh-Johnstown (1998)
Damon Stoudamire Assistant Coach 3rd Arizona (1995)
Ryan Reynolds Director of Basketball Operations 7th Xavier (2007)
Ben Tucker Assistant Director of Basketball Operations 2nd Arizona (2010)

Tentative Schedule

The Arizona Wildcats's non-conference schedule will include home games against Missouri, Bradley, Boise State, Long Beach State, Northwestern State, TBA and UNLV. Arizona will play true road game at Gonzaga.[5] The Wildcats were invited to play in the 2015 Wooden Legacy in Anaheim, where they face off against the following: Boston College, Evansville, Michigan State, Providence, Santa Clara and UC Irvine. In their Pac-12 conference play, Arizona will play 18 conference games (home and home) during the season, the team will face neither the Rocky Mountain teams (Colorado/Utah) on the road nor the Oregon teams (Oregon/Oregon State) at home.

Date Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (Attendance)
Exhibition
*    –    -      -      -    McKale Center (–)
Non-conference regular season
* TBA    –    -      -      -    McKale Center (–)
11/16/2015* Bradley    –    -      -      -    McKale Center (–)
11/19/2015* Boise State
(Wooden Legacy Opening Round)		    –    -      -      -    McKale Center (–)
11/22/2015* Northwestern State    –    -      -      -    McKale Center (–)
11/26/2015* vs. 
(Wooden Legacy Quarterfinals)		    –    -      -      -    Titan Gym1 (–)
11/27/2015* vs. 
(Wooden Legacy)		    –    -      -      -    Titan Gym (–)
11/29/2015* vs. 
(Wooden Legacy)		    –    -      -      -    Honda Center2 (–)
12/05/2015* at Gonzaga    –    -      -      -    McCarthey Athletic Center (–)
12/09/2015* Fresno State    –    -      -      -    McKale Center (–)
12/13/2015* Missouri    –    -      -      -    McKale Center (–)
12/16/2015* Northern Arizona    –    -      -      -    McKale Center (–)
12/19/2015* UNLV    –    -      -      -    McKale Center (–)
12/22/2015* Long Beach State    –    -      -      -    McKale Center (–)
Pac-12 regular season
Arizona State
(Territorial Cup Series)		    –    -      -      -    McKale Center (–)
at Arizona State
(Territorial Cup Series)		    –    -      -      -    Wells Fargo Arena (–)
California    –    -      -      -    McKale Center (–)
at California    –    -      -      -    Haas Pavilion (–)
at Colorado    –    -      -      -    Coors Events Center (–)
Oregon    –    -      -      -    McKale Center (–)
Oregon State    –    -      -      -    McKale Center (–)
Stanford    –    -      -      -    McKale Center (–)
at Stanford    –    -      -      -    Maples Pavilion (–)
UCLA
(Rivalry)		    –    -      -      -    McKale Center (–)
at UCLA
(Rivalry)		    –    -      -      -    Pauley Pavilion (–)
USC    –    -      -      -    McKale Center (–)
at USC    –    -      -      -    Galen Center (–)
at Utah    –    -      -      -    Jon M. Huntsman Center (–)
Washington    –    -      -      -    McKale Center (–)
at Washington    –    -      -      -    Alaska Airlines Arena (–)
Washington State    –    -      -      -    McKale Center (–)
at Washington State    –    -      -      -    Beasley Coliseum (–)
Pac-12 Tournament
03/09–12/2016 vs.     –    -      -      -    MGM Grand Garden Arena3 (–)
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. ( ) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Mountain Time.

^1 Game played in Fullerton, CA.
^2 Game played in Anaheim, CA.
^3 Game played in Paradise, NV.

Ranking movement

Ranking movement
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking. ██ Not ranked the previous week. RV=Others receiving votes.
Poll 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 Post Final
AP N/A
Coaches

Player statistics

Player GP GS MPG FGM-FGA 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Kadeem Allen
Ryan Anderson
Chance Comanche
Jacob Hazzard
Parker Jackson–Cartwright
Trey Mason
Elliott Pitts
Dušan Ristić
Justin Simon
Ray Smith
Kaleb Tarczewski
Mark Tollefsen
Allonzo Trier
Gabe York

References

  1. ↑ Pascoe, Bruce. "UA basketball: Ashley declares for NBA draft". Tucson.com. Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved 9 April 2015.
  2. ↑ "Hollis-Jefferson Declares for NBA Draft". ArizonaWildcats.com. Arizona Athletics. Retrieved 7 April 2015.
  3. ↑ Pascoe, Bruce. "Arizona basketball: Johnson leaving for NBA". Tucson.com. Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
  4. ↑ Borzello, Jeff. "Craig Victor transferring to LSU". ESPN.go.com. Retrieved 9 January 2015.
  5. ↑ "Gonzaga will host Arizona on Saturday 12/5/15 in Spokane". April 12, 2015.