TUCSON, Ariz. -- Following their holiday break, the Arizona Wildcats will return to McKale Center on Thursday night to host Colorado in the Pac-12 opener for both teams. Arizona went 9-4 in non-conference play, winning its final two games at home before conference play.
Tip-off is set for 7:15 p.m., and will be televised by Fox Sports 1. Aaron Goldsmith and Steve Lavin will have the call.
Colorado at Arizona
Thursday, Jan. 3 at 7 p.m. (MST)
TV: FS1 (Aaron Goldsmith and Steve Lavin)
Radio: Arizona IMG Radio Network (Brian Jeffries & Ryan Hansen)
Twitter: @APlayersProgram
#BearDown
OFF THE TOP
- Arizona will open Pac-12 Conference play Thursday with a home contest against Colorado. The Wildcats won the Pac-12 Regular Season and Tournament Championships last season.
- The Wildcats are 73-17 in conference play over the last five seasons. The next closest mark is Oregon at 63-27.
- Under Sean Miller, Arizona is 71-10 at McKale Center in conference games.
- Miller is 8-1 in Pac-12 openers, and has won eight straight. The Wildcats last lost a Pac-12 opener in 2009 at USC. Miller is also 8-1 in Pac-12 home openers and has won eight straight. Arizona's only Pac-12 home opening loss came in 2009 versus Washington State.
- Arizona is 89-4 at home since the start of 2013-14 season, which is the best mark in the nation.
- Redshirt junior Chase Jeter is shooting 65.7 percent from the floor, which is the best mark by an Arizona player in pre-conference play since Jordan Hill also shot 65.7 percent in 2007. Jeter ranks second in the conference in field goal percentage and 14th in the nation. He is 67 for 102 from the floor in 13 games this season.
- Freshman guard Brandon Williams has exactly 50 assists as conference play opens. He's the first Arizona freshman to have 50 or more assists in pre-conference play since Jason Gardner posted 73 in 1999-2000.
- Arizona is drawing 4.1 offensive fouls per game, which leads the country, according to Ken Pomeroy. Texas Tech is second at 4.0.
- Sophomore guard Brandon Randolph is averaging 16.6 points per game, after averaging 3.7 last year. His 12.9 point increase is the biggest for any player in a Power 5 conference this season.
JETER STRONG FROM THE FLOOR
Chase Jeter arrived at Arizona prior to the 2017-18 season after transferring from Duke, but had to sit out the season per NCAA rules. In his first 13 games as a Wildcat, Jeter has been a presence in the paint and a threat down low. Jeter is averaging 12.8 points per game and 7.0 rebounds a contest with three double-doubles. Jeter is shooting 65.7 percent from the floor, having connected on 67 of 102 shot attempts. His field goal percentage is the best by any Arizona player in pre-conference play since Jordan Hill also shot 65.7 percent on 99 attempts in 2007. Jeter has scored in double figures in 10 of the 13 games. Last time out, Jeter posted 16 points and five rebounds in a two-point win over UC Davis. The game prior, against Montana, Jeter had a career-high 21 points on 9 of 15 shooting. He knocked in three of four free throws and added six rebounds. He registered a then career-high 19 points against Alabama and grabbed nine rebounds, missing a double-double by one board. He played a career-high 34 minutes against the Crimson Tide, going 9 for 16 from the field.
Top Field Goal Percentages in Pre-Conference Play Since 2007
Player Season Field Goal Percentage
Chase Jeter 2018-19 .657 (67-102)
Jordan Hill 2007-08 .657 (65-99)
Kaleb Tarczewski 2014-15 .642 (43-67)
Derrick Williams 2010-11 .632 (74-117)
Deandre Ayton 2017-18 .617 (100-162)
CHASE IN CHARGE
Not only has
Chase Jeter been productive scoring and rebounding, he's also been Arizona's top charge-getter this season. A play Coach
Sean Miller values as much as any in basketball, Jeter has taken 18 charges in 13 games this season. Jeter took four charges in the finale in Maui against Auburn. Jeter had taken at least one charge in every game this season, until the Montana game. He also has at least two charges in four of the 13 games. Jeter has taken half of Arizona's charges this season. As a team, the Wildcats have drawn 35 charges, with Jeter drawing 18.
Jeter's Charges Game-By-Game
Opponent Charges Taken
Houston Baptist 1
Cal Poly 2
UTEP 1
Iowa State 1
Gonzaga 1
Auburn 4
Georgia State 1
UConn 2
Utah Valley 1
Alabama 2
Baylor 1
Montana 0
UC Davis 1
RANDOLPH'S IMPROVEMENT
Sophomore
Brandon Randolph has started his sophomore season in style. Randolph has scored in double figures in all 13 games this season and is averaging 16.6 points per game. He's one of three players in the Pac-12 to have scored in double figures in each of his team's games this season, joining Tres Tinkle (Oregon State) and Kris Wilkes (UCLA). As a freshman last season, Randolph played in 31 games, drawing four starting assignments. He averaged 3.7 points per game, scoring a total of 116 points. Randolph's scoring increase of 12.9 points per game is the biggest of any player in a Power 5 Conference. Jordan Nwora from Louisville is second with an increase of 12.1. It's also the largest increase from one season to the next by any Arizona player since at least 1977. The previous best was a a 12-point increase by Khalid Reeves in 1993-94. Randolph has also surpassed his rebounding total as a freshman. He had 26 rebounds last season and already has 43 this year. Randolph is the first Arizona guard to score in double figures in each of the first 13 games of the season since Hassan Adams in 2005-06. He's the first Wildcat, regardless of position, to score in double figures in the first 13 games since Derrick Williams in 2010-11.
Here's a closer look at Randolph's production so far as a sophomore versus his time as a freshman.
2018-19 (Sophomore) 16.6 ppg 3.3 rpg 21 3-pointers .457 FG% 216 total points
2017-18 (Freshman) 3.7 ppg 0.8 rpg 14 3-pointers .383 FG% 116 total points
ONE OF THE WINNINGEST PROGRAMS OVER THE LAST FIVE YEARS
With the 2018-19 season underway, Arizona has solidified itself as one of the winningest programs in the nation in the past five seasons. Arizona, Villanova, Gonzaga and Kentucky have jockeyed for the title of winningest program in the nation during this five-year span.
Most wins in the NCAA since start of 2013-14 season (as of Jan.1)
1st Villanova 174 wins
Gonzaga 174 wins
3rd Kentucky 162 wins
4th Arizona 160 wins
5th Kansas 158 wins
6th Virginia 155 wins
7th Wichita State 154 wins
Duke 154 wins
In Miller's nine seasons entering this year, UA has averaged 27.4 wins per season. Since the start of the 2010- 11 season, the Wildcats have a 232-59 (.797) record, both the most wins and best winning percentage in the Pac-12 in that span.
PROTECTING HOME COURT
Arizona's home record of 88-4 (.957) since the start of the 2013-14 season is impressive in its' own right. Furthermore, its four home losses rank as the fewest in the country during that time.
Programs With Eight or Fewer Home Losses Since Start of 2013-14 season (As of Jan. 1)
School Record
Arizona 89-4
Kentucky 91-6
Kansas 85-6
Duke 84-6
Wichita State 80-6
Villanova 77-6
SFA 77-6
Gonzaga 81-7
Virginia 80-8
BRANDON FIVE-ZERO
Freshman
Brandon Williams enters conference play with exactly 50 assists in 13 games this season. He's the first Arizona player to have 50 or more assists in pre-conference play since Jason Gardner posted 73 assists in 1999, before opening conference play. Williams is the only freshman in the Pac-12 this season to have 50 or more assists on the season. The freshman has 50 assists to just 20 turnovers and is the team's third-leading scorer at 11.0 points per game. Williams has especially excelled in eight games at McKale Center, where he has 37 assists to just seven turnovers.
