Wildcat Notebook: Wildcats return home to face Washington schools

In one of the most famous basketball commericals ever, Michael Jordan super-fan Mars Blackmon (played by acclaimed film director Spike Lee) coined a five-word phrase to summarize Jordan’s brilliance.

“It’s gotta be the shoes.”

This marketing slogan might have sold millions of Nike-brand shoes, but it served a much different purpose for Jerryd Bayless and the Arizona Wildcats last week.

During Arizona’s 56-52 loss at Stanford, Bayless suffered through one of his worst performances in his collegiate career, posting a 3-12 shooting night and scoring nine points—10 below his season average.

Early in the game, Bayless blew out one of his sneakers, but didn’t have any spares. The Cardinal lent him a pair of shoes, but he struggled to find a level of comfort.

“I shoulder most of the blame for that loss,” Bayless said during yesterday’s news conference. “Not only did the damaged shoe affect my performance, but I think me complaining about it threw some of the other guys off, as well.”

Arizona (12-6, 2-3 Pac-10) shot 37.5 percent from the floor in that loss—well below its 48.6 percent average this season.

The Wildcats’ two leading scorers, Bayless and Chase Budinger, shot a combined 8-30 against the Cardinal.

By the time Bayless broke in his new shoes, it was too late.

“You can see that it genuinely pains Jerryd to lose,” said interim head coach Kevin O’Neill. “He felt terrible about what happened in that Stanford game.”

Afterward, Bayless’ long time coach and family friend Frank Johnson called him up to ask what happened to his typical mental toughness.

“I’ve never let something like that influence me before and it took me out of my game,” Bayless said. “Frank called me to make sure that never happened again.”

Redemption game

He bounced back by scoring 24 points and leading the Wildcats to a 79-75 win over California to give Arizona a much-needed Pac-10 road win.

The Wildcats withstood a 30-point explosion from Ryan Anderson—a player O’Neill calls the most underrated star in the conference.

Everyone from Jordan Hill to Jamelle Horne to Fendi Onobun tried their hand at slowing down the 6-foot-10 Anderson, but the sophomore was in the zone.

He hit 10 of his 13 shot attempts, including 3-3 from 3-point range, along with a 7-7 performance at the free-throw line.

But the Wildcats found a way to come up with the key stops down the stretch to secure victory—something they failed to do against Stanford and Arizona State.

“If we’re going to have any success in this conference, we need to get stops at the end of games,” Hill said.

Cougars come to Tucson

Arizona’s opponent tomorrow night prides itself on its ability to force those clutch stops.

The No. 6 Washington State Cougars (16-1, 4-1) comes to McKale Center with a reputation as one of college basketball’s premier defensive programs.

Washington State’s opponents average a meager 52.5 points per game on 39.8 percent shooting.

Head coach Tony Bennett likes to slow the game down and grind away at the opposition.

“I think we’ve proven that we can play at a slower pace and get good, quality shots,” Bayless said. “As long as we don’t make mistakes, we should come away with the win.”

The Cougars’ playing rotation consists mainly of upperclassmen, led by senior Kyle Weaver.

While Weaver’s numbers might not jump off the page (11.2 points, 4.6 rebounds, 4.2 assists), his versatility, patience and relentless defensive energy serve as the catalyst for everything Washington State does well.

Weaver is among college basketball’s finest on-the-ball defenders and will likely find a spot in the NBA due to his ball-hawking mentality.

“Weaver is the type of player who takes great pride in his ability to defend,” O’Neill said.

Senior guard Derrick Low leads the Cougars in scoring at just over 14 points per contest. He is primarily a 3-point specialist, but is quick enough to drive past defenders and get to the basket.

Center Aron Baynes is among the conference’s beefiest players at 6-foot-10, 270 pounds. He averages 12.1 points and 6.4 rebounds per game.

“He is a big boy, but I think I can use my quickness to get around him,” Hill said.

Hill is still nursing a tender ankle, but he expects to play.

As for his front-court partner Bret Brielmaier (separated shoulder), he is listed as a game-time decision.

It was this time last year when the unranked Cougars—then the nation’s best-kept secret—traveled to Tucson and took down the No. 7 Wildcats 77-73 and kick-started Arizona’s Pac-10 slide.

The Wildcats hope to reverse the roles and take down yet another top-10 team.

“Washington State is one of the most disciplined, experienced teams we’re going to face,” O’Neill said. “We’re going to need to play one of our best games to come away with a win.”

Tomorrow night’s tipoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. and will be televised on Fox Sports-Ariz.

nprevenas@gvnews.com | 547-9747

Game details

No. 6 Washington State (16-1, 4-1 Pac-10) at Arizona (12-6, 2-3)

Time: 6:30 p.m. at McKale Center

TV: FSN-AZ

Radio: Wildcat Radio Network, 1290-AM, 107.5-FM