By Anthony Gimino
FOXSportsArizona.com
TUCSON, Ariz. -- It's OK. It's safe to mention it now. Arizona basketball and the NCAA tournament. Back in the same sentence.
Arizona coach Sean Miller never paired the two together in his first season. But that was last year. He knew it was going to be a struggle to continue the school's NCAA streak, so why inflate expectations that the Wildcats weren't likely to reach?
Miller is still preaching caution -- "we're not there yet," he said in his postgame radio interview following a 76-57 victory over Oregon State on Thursday night -- but things are looking good one step into the Pac-10 season.
Arizona is 12-2 overall. The strength of schedule hasn't been any great shakes, but the 11 nonconference victories set the Wildcats on the path to return to the NCAAs.
"You can't take the 11 games away from us," Miller said earlier this week. "We have some quality wins there, quality meaning we've beaten a lot of different types of teams."
It's not as if the Wildcats should be considered Top 25 timber at this point. Losses to Kansas and BYU in the team's biggest matchups wiped out that chance.
But there have been several encouraging signs as the Wildcats head into the New Year. The most obvious is Derrick Williams.
The forward has gone from Pac-10 Freshman of the Year to a national player of the year candidate, adding a 3-point shot (13 of 19 from behind the arc) and getting to the free throw line at will. He is among the nation's leaders in free-throw attempts, and he's making them count, hitting 98 of 120 attempts (81.7 percent). He's averaging 18.8 points and 7.0 rebounds per game.
But it was no problem for Arizona when Williams took only three shots from the field against Oregon State. The thing about the Wildcats -- and this isn't necessarily a negative -- is that you never know what you're going to get.
Miller used the nonconference season to sort through his deep roster. He comfortably uses 10 players. Nine players have scored in double digits. Any can step up to be the complementary scorer to Williams in any game.
Two players, in particular, have emerged.
There is sophomore wing Kevin Parrom, with the skills to be anything from shooting guard to power forward and able to be a one-man fast break when he grabs a defensive rebound. He scored a career-high 20 points against Oregon State, making 4 of 5 3-point shots.
"To me, he was the best player on our team today," Miller said after the game.
Nobody saw Parrom's shooting prowess coming. He was 2 of 14 from behind the arc last season, when foot injuries limited his availability. He was thought to be more of a bruiser -- a defensive ace -- than a scorer and shooter.
"What he missed last year is something he can never get back," Miller said, "but what you're starting to see is his comfort level and him really settling in to being a confident player. With his versatility, he does so many things to make us a better team."
And then there's junior-college transfer Jesse Perry. He has supplanted Jamelle Horne -- the team's only senior -- as a starter for the past two games. That looks to be a long-term move.
Perry, an undersized power forward at 6-foot-7 and 210 pounds, is Miller's kind of player -- scrappy, a hustler, someone who perfectly understands his role: Grab rebounds, clean up some messes on the offensive glass.
Perry had 16 points and four rebounds in his first start against Robert Morris, and he followed with nine points and eight rebounds at Oregon State.
"I think Jesse Perry gives us that dimension that we badly needed," Miller said, "and that's another rugged player close to the basket -- someone who can score but not somebody who is looking to shoot 3s, somebody who is looking to do the dirty week that every team needs."
That doesn't describe Horne's game. Miller praised Horne for his offseason work ethic, but the senior didn't give the coach what the team needed early in the season. Horne has 3-point skills but doesn't use his athleticism to crash for offensive rebounds.
So, Miller has figured a few things out.
He has ample shooters. The team doesn't have a prolific long-range ace, but the team is making a healthy 38.8 percent of its 3-point attempts and six players have made from 13 to 17 baskets from behind the arc.
He has a still-improving star in Williams (who can improve more on the defensive end).
He has added two key new pieces -- Perry and backup freshman point guard Jordin Mayes, who is nearly splitting time with MoMo Jones.
He is just now tapping into Parrom's potential after the player's injury-filled freshman season.
In a Pac-10 that appears mostly up for grabs, Arizona appears to be back on the right track.
All the way to the NCAAs.
