STANFORD, Calif. – It’s not difficult to figure out who ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥â€™s Pac-12 Player of the Week nominee is going to be, and leading the way in a road sweep should help his chances.
Zeke Nnaji scored 21 points each against Cal and Stanford, and averaged eight rebounds in the Wildcats’ two wins, getting 11 rebounds on Saturday in UA’s 69-60 win at Maples Pavilion.
The scoring and rebounding numbers don’t even tell the whole story themselves, either. Nnaji actually worked his way to the free-throw line 12 times, then shot 9 of 12, while fighting through Stanford’s aggressive post defense.
“He was outstanding,†UA coach Sean Miller said. “They post-trapped every catch he made and for him to finish this game with the points and rebounds that he had, it was a great, great performance.â€
Miller added that Nnaji’s ability to hit free throws has also developed into “certainly a weapon for us on offense.â€
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It was the latest progression in Nnaji’s game, having been dealing with double teams and all sorts of defensive attention pretty much since Thanksgiving.
“He scores in a lot of ways,†Miller said. “He doesn't just score back to the basket. He's moving. He's a moving target. He's obviously a great offensive rebounder. He can shoot the ball from 17 feet and he's obviously a very good free throw shooter. So he's not just depending on a low block shot.â€
Nnaji’s ability to deal with Stanford’s trapping helped the Wildcats, by extension, pull down 13 offensive rebounds. The Wildcats turned those into 10 second-chance points.
“Stanford does it to every team,†Miller said. “Their trap is more pronounced. They trapped everybody. They trapped Ira (Lee). They trapped Stone (Gettings) and, you know, sometimes the weakness of doing that is you give up second shots. So for us getting 13 second shots is a big deal.
“Part of why we did that is that is the post trapping, but you have to get the ball inside first for them to post trap and in in the second half, we did a good job of that.â€
Maybe even more difficult to discern from stats alone was Jemarl Baker’s impact. Baker had just four points, three rebounds and two assists over 28 minutes played but the Wildcats’ lead increased from six to 11 points in the second half when Nico Mannion was out with four fouls and Baker was in.
“A lot of times when that starting point guard goes out with four fouls, the game changes,†Miller said. “Jemarl was a steadying force and played some really good basketball throughout the second half. … that’s a credit to Jemarl and I think it says a lot about the team.â€
Josh Green said UA’s ability to win despite shooting 3 for 21 from 3-point range was “great, but it shows in how many areas we can improve.â€
The way Green described it, he’s also taking a big-picture approach to his own game. Green made just 1 of 3 3-pointers on Saturday, after going 1 for 6 from the field while missing both 3s he took at Cal, but sparked UA on Saturday by getting to the line eight times and hitting all eight free throws, while totaling 15 poitns and six rebounds.
“You don't have to score the ball every night and that's the thing for me, Nico and Zeke,†Green said. “With Zeke obviously we get the ball inside a lot because he's a lot bigger than everybody else. As far as scoring goes, I do what I can do, but at the same time, I don't need to overdo it or anything. I know my role on the team. I know that I make it up in a lot of other areas.â€
Not only was ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥'s win Saturday its 20th straight against Stanford, but it also marked the fourth straight year the Wildcats have swept the Bay area swing after they beat Cal 68-52 on Thursday.
"A road sweep in the Pac-12 is coveted," Miller said. "I think every team and every group of guys who does it, you realize that when you do it, how hard it is."
