ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥

Just when Alex Barcello returned from a bruised knee at Colorado, and when Brandon Williams is still sitting on the Wildcats’ bench with his long-term knee issue, Dylan Smith turned his ankle against Cal.

Smith returned, but finished the game shooting 1 for 7 from the field and played only 23 minutes.

Miller indicated he watched the latest development in stride.

“I just take it as it comes, there's been a lot of things that have happened,� Miller said. “He wasn't 100 percent. He played the rest of the game but he couldn't move as well. I thought it affected his shot as well. But Dylan's a warrior. He plays hard, always has. Even if he doesn't play well, he gives you great effort.�

MORE: Ryan Luther's 3s are 'good shots' and a major shot in the arm for ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥

Sean Miller says Dylan Smith wasn’t 100 percent in the second half after twisting his ankle.

— The Wildcaster (@TheWildcaster)

While having two days to rest before facing Stanford should help Smith, Sunday’s game is of of critical importance, according to Miller.

“In my mind there's no game that we've played this season that's bigger than the one we play on Sunday,� Miller said. “We only have two home games left, and (we want) to try to take advantage of both of those games, play our best basketball down the stretch. Again, we have our fingers crossed that Brandon can join us, we're a better team with him.�

Of course, he always has the Wildcats looking at the next game like it’s the biggest of the season, but this one could send the Wildcats in a couple of different ways.

A win would put UA at 7-8 in the Pac-12, maybe still on the NIT bubble at 16-12 overall and with some momentum heading into a potentially difficult trip — when Williams might be able to return.

A loss sinks UA to 6-9 in the conference, with no more wins guaranteed the rest of the way. The Oregon trip would look more daunting, even a home-court finale with ASU could be tough and the Wildcats would likely wind up with a No. 10 seed at the Pac-12 Tournament, which could pit them against somebody like Oregon, Colorado, Stanford or UCLA on March 13 in Las Vegas.

Sean Miller says there’s a “slim chance� Brandon Williams (knee) plays against Stanford on Sunday.

— The Wildcaster (@TheWildcaster)

But for the first time since Williams missed UA’s Jan. 31 game at ASU, Miller did not rule him out for the next one.

Here’s what he said about whether Williams could play Sunday:

“I would look at him as being not available on Sunday,� Miller said. “I guess there's a slim chance depending on how the next couple of days go. But you know, I think once we get beyond Sunday, (he’ll become) potentially more probable as we go on. But he could get a setback in the next couple of days or over the next five days and not play a single minute the rest of the year.

“So it's really about being really smart with what we're doing. And the only way he would play is if he's pain free.

“And the last part is, just like Chase (Jeter, who returned from a sore back at ASU on Jan. 31), when you're out as long as he's been out … you don't just wave a magic wand and all of a sudden and he's going to score 18 points and look like he did against UCLA. I mean, there's going to be a progression. So he knows that we know that but we will be better with him than without him.�

Miller and the two players UA selected for postgame interviews, Ryan Luther and Devonaire Doutrive, all described the Wildcats as being on pretty much the same page despite their seven-game losing streak that ended Thursday.

The Wildcats held a players-only meeting during the Utah-Colorado swing to air it out a bit.

“Anytime you go through some struggles, there's gonna be some adversity,� Luther said. “But no one really pointed fingers. We kind of just you know, came to the gym, worked hard every day and I mean, we're in it together. We're not gonna, we're not going to break apart.�

When asked how he’d describe what the streak was like for young players like himself, Doutrive said:

“It's tough. Really. … You gotta just be positive. Be there for one another, have a positive attitude every time.�

Nico Mannion overcame some rough early shooting to score 42 points in Pinnacle's semifinal win on Thursday. He wore an "#overrated" T-Shirt in warmups to poke fun at those who have chanted the word at him all season.

Mannion discussed the shirt toward the end of this video from the Republic:

Stanford returned home to attend class Thursday and Friday after on Wednesday. KZ Okpala did not play against the Sun Devils and is questionable for Sunday's game.

Our coverage from Thursday's game is attached along with PDFs of the box score and stats.