ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥

He just has to figure out who to remove.

Miller played Trier a team-high 33 minutes on Sunday against Washington, and inserted him for Kobi Simmons immediately after Simmons picked up his first foul just 2:09 into the game. Simmons wound up playing 27 minutes, two fewer than the other most likely candidate to go to the bench, Rawle Alkins.

But Alkins played only 24 minutes against Washington State while Simmons logged 27.

Today, Miller said the Wildcats could start Trier but won't decide for sure until later this week.

“In fairness to both Allonzo and our team he’s playing starter’s minutes and there’s no reason to not let that happen,� Miller said during his weekly news conference today. “But somebody’s gonna have to be taken out of the lineup and that’s not easy when you’re 20-2. But that’s all part of the sacrifice that we have to be able to make as a team.

“Whoever it is, it’s not like they’re getting benched or Allonzo’s so much better, it’s more along the lines of they’re still going to be a valuable player. As a matter of fact, their minutes will remain the same. It’s just a matter of the beginning of both halves they wont’ be in there. Whoever that person is I don’t think we’ve decided that, but that doesn’t mean they’ve done anything wrong.�

Miller often doesn’t remove a starter until after the first media timeout and he said today that inserting Trier so early on Sunday was an example of how difficult it is to cram in his warranted minutes when he’s coming off the bench.

“Substitution patterns are awkward when somebody is playing 30 minutes and they’re not starting,� Miller said. “I actually think it could make our team’s chemistry better, our overall play a little bit more efficient if we make that change. That’s why we’ll do it. We’re not going to do it to hurt anybody’s feelings or make Allonzo feel better. It would be the right thing for our team and if it’s the right thing for our team, that’s what we have to do.�

Another thing about the starting lineup: It doesn’t look like Parker Jackson-Cartwright is headed back in it anytime soon.

Miller played PJC only 13 minutes on Sunday even as he said Jackson-Cartwright was not compromised by his previously sprained ankle. Miller has continued to lean heavily on Kadeem Allen to play the point, with Simmons as the third option.

Miller said he likes having the different looks of Allen and Jackson-Cartwright to turn to, with Allen being about five inches taller, but it was also apparent that the two combined for eight turnovers against Washington.

Jackson-Cartwright had three in his 13 minutes while Allen had five in 31 minutes.

“It was just a function of the game,� Miller said of limiting PJC’s time, “and he did some good things. But like Kadeem, he had some turnovers. We had eight turnovers between the two of them yesterday and that really hurt us but that doesn’t happen often. Parker in particular does a great job of taking care of the ball. I like our point guard position. I think the two of them complementeach other well and obviously Kadeem plays off the ball some too.�

If ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ players are tempted to overlook Oregon State, they might want to consider how Oregon went into Colorado against a team that was winless inconference play… and lost.

There’s also this: ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ is 2-3 at OSU under Miller, and none of the current Wildcats have won there (UA didn’t play in Corvallis last season, while only Dusan Ristic and Parker Jackson-Cartwright played in the Wildcats’ 2014-15 loss.

“For us it’s a challenge to go in there and play well,� Miller said. “A lot of times that first game (of a road trip) sets the tone for the second. We’re not looking at the second game. This is 100 percent about the next game on our schedule as it was when we went to L.A. We were so focused on playing well in that next game against USC and we needed to because they’re good. We needed to go in there and play a great game to be at our best.�