The Arizona Wildcats have been at their best under head coach Adia Barnes when they are forcing turnovers and getting out in transition. They will face not one but two teams this week that use the same formula.
Arizona will start things against Cincinnati on Wednesday then go up against No. 16 West Virginia on Saturday. The three teams are in the top 44 in forcing turnovers.
The matchup between the Wildcats and the Bearcats is fairly even in this regard. Arizona forces 19.7 turnovers per game from its opponents, ranking 43rd in the nation. Cincinnati is one spot back at No. 44 with 19.6 per game.
That’s not the only concern, though. Boxing out will be critical against both teams, but especially against the Bearcats. They average 14.1 offensive rebounds per game, good for 37th in the country.
“They play hard,” said Arizona assistant coach Salvo Coppa. “They defend. They are athletic, and, especially, they get offensive boards, so they get extra possessions from forcing turnovers and getting offensive rebounds. And what we have to do is space the floor well, take care of the ball, and play offense like we did against Kansas. I thought it was a great improvement. We were really able to move the ball inside out and change the ball side. And this is what we want when a force close out. So we have to move the defense. It’s very, very important.”
Ball security has improved as the season has progressed. Arizona is averaging 13.3 turnovers per game in Big 12 play. The Wildcats have only turned the ball over 15 or more times twice in seven conference games. Prior to that, they averaged 18.1 turnovers. They turned the ball over 15 or more times in nine of their 13 nonconference games. They had five nonconference games with 20 or more turnovers. That number has dwindled to zero against Big 12 opponents.
As for boxing out on the defensive end, opponents average 9.6 offensive boards per game against Arizona. The Wildcats give up 10.3 offensive rebounds per game in league play. It will be a battle to keep the Bearcats in that range.
While JJ Quinerly is the name most associated with West Virginia, she’s not necessarily the focus of the coaching staff this week. The crushing defense of the Mountaineers is. It’s a style of play that Arizona has used to great effect when its teams have been at their best.
“JJ is a great player, absolutely great athlete, but I think for them, is a team situation,” Coppa said. “They are defensively relentless. They force turnovers, and they become very dangerous when they start scoring and setting up their press, and then they create another turnover, and they score and they set up their press. When they get in that situation, they become very dangerous. So more than thinking about JJ—that again, is a great player—that’s a team that plays very good defense. They live and die with their defense. They’re very athletic, and they play very hard. So what we have to do is we have, again, not to stay on our heels, but we have to attack them. I know that. We know that they are going to attack us defensively, but we cannot sit on our heels. We have to attack them. We have to space the floor well and play without fear. We know that they’re gonna press us, but this is what we do in practice.”
The Mountaineers force a whopping 25.9 turnovers per game. That’s No. 1 in the nation. Arizona’s young guards will have their hands full.
The bigs may not have to worry quite as much about offensive boards as they do when Arizona plays Cincinnati, but WVU is also pretty good at offensive rebounding. The Mountaineers grab 13.4 offensive rebounds per game, placing them 57th in Division I.
How the Wildcats deal with the defensive pressure and their opponents crashing the glass will likely be the difference in whether they can finally get their first home win in their new conference.
Sahnya Jah’s status
Sophomore forward Sahnya Jah has been suspended and has not been playing or traveling with the team. However, she is practicing. Jah practiced on the scout team, which consists of male practice players and special assistant to the head coach Kamiko Williams, on Tuesday.
Ajae Yoakum’s health
Forward Ajae Yoakum is also practicing with the team after suffering a season-ending injury before the year started. Yoakum was cleared for full contact on Jan.7. She will not play but she is able to help her team prepare and get into playing shape so she can continue her career next season.
“Feels good to be back with my team,” Yoakum said. “I’m excited. Still stuff I gotta work on and clean up, but I’m just happy to be back out there with the girls.”
Jada Williams pushes through
Sophomore point guard Jada Williams was seen wearing a boot on her foot when she got off the plane last week. Williams played in both games in Kansas but did not participate fully in practice on Tuesday. She has had nagging pain in her foot and ankle off and on since last year but has been pushing through.