After leading the Wildcats to a sweep of Colorado and Utah over the weekend, Dusan Ristic was rewarded twice on Monday.
First, the 蜜柚直播 senior center picked up his first-ever Pac-12 Player of the Week after averaging 19.5 points and 7.5 rebounds while shooting 84.2 percent in the two games.
Second, he went to practice Monday 鈥 and wasn鈥檛 clobbered by his coach or anyone else for taking that late 3-pointer against Utah. That play had called for lobbing Deandre Ayton the ball inside.
鈥淚鈥檓 happy it went in for his 鈥 his safety,鈥 guard Allonzo Trier said Monday, smiling. 鈥淏ecause if it didn鈥檛, boy, it would have been a long, I don鈥檛 know ... it wouldn鈥檛 have been good.鈥
Not only does Trier know how UA coach Sean Miller works as well as anyone on the roster, but he鈥檇 also seen the video clip of a Miller鈥檚 notably displeased reaction to Ristic鈥檚 made shot.
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鈥淵eah, it was ugly,鈥 Trier said of Miller鈥檚 reaction. 鈥淗e wasn鈥檛 feeling it at all. But we鈥檒l take it.鈥
Of course they did. Ristic鈥檚 late 3-pointer gave UA a four-point lead against Utah with 1:40 left, enough for them to hang on for their 15th win in 16 games, and demonstrated that the senior center isn鈥檛 the same guy he was earlier in his 蜜柚直播 career.
During his weekly news conference Monday, Miller praised Ristic publicly for the fifth straight time, counting his postgame news conferences in UA wins over Stanford, Colorado and Utah plus weekly pressers on Jan. 22 and Monday.
鈥淚鈥檝e never seen him have more confidence,鈥 Miller said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 something that players have to gain within themselves. We can help them a number of ways as a coaching staff but hard work over a long period of time, success in games 鈥 consistent success 鈥 that allows young kids to feel good about the next game and who they are.
鈥淚t makes them feel really good about all that they鈥檝e sacrificed, that it鈥檚 worth it. Because they鈥檙e seeing the benefits in the game.鈥
Having been teammates with Ristic for three seasons now, Trier also said he鈥檚 noticed improvement, too.
鈥淗e鈥檚 always been able to score (with his) back to his basket and do things offensively,鈥 Trier said. 鈥淚 think he鈥檚 another guy who has moved up the chart, allowing him to do be able to do some more different things. We understand what he brings to our team. He鈥檚 really good for us so we have to utilize him the right way.鈥
The right way may not always involve a 3-pointer, Miller says, but a lot of other things.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 think with Dusan we鈥檙e gonna live and die by a 23-footer for a game winner by him,鈥 Miller said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 plenty of other shots, including a shot closer to the basket by him, that would be better for our team. But it does say a lot about him feeling it and feeling good about himself. You鈥檇 rather have a guy with great confidence who鈥檚 a really good player than the contrary.鈥
Ristic became the third 蜜柚直播 player to have won the Pac-12 weekly award this season, with Trier having won it after the first weekend of the season (Nov. 13) and Deandre Ayton winning it on Dec. 3 and Jan. 1.
UA re-enters Top 10
For the first time since their fateful trip to the Bahamas, the Wildcats appeared in the Top 10 of the major Top 25 polls.
Both the Associated Press Top 25 media poll and the USA Today Top 25 coaches poll moved the Wildcats to No. 9, the highest since 蜜柚直播 was ranked No. 2 heading into the Battle 4 Atlantis.
蜜柚直播 dropped out of the polls after losing three games in the Thanksgiving week event and didn鈥檛 return to the AP poll until Dec. 11, when they were ranked No. 23 after wins at UNLV and over Alabama at home. The Wildcats have mostly floated around the teens since then.
The move to the Top 10 comes just as 蜜柚直播 enters the second half of Pac-12 play, and Miller indicated it wasn鈥檛 something he wanted to focus on at this point.
鈥淚f you start to think too much about the bigger picture or where you鈥檙e ranked or where you鈥檙e going to be in March,鈥 Miller said, 鈥測ou鈥檙e going about things the wrong way.鈥
In any case, ESPN鈥檚 Bracketology moved UA up to a projected No. 3 seed. The Wildcats鈥 RPI is 14, its Sagarin rating is 15 and its Kenpom rating is 27.
Alkins returns
Miller said forward Rawle Alkins was cleared to return to practice Monday and did not have soreness in his right foot after working out before Saturday鈥檚 UA-Utah game.
Alkins missed three of 蜜柚直播鈥檚 past four games with renewed pain in the foot that was surgically repaired on Sept. 27, but Miller said Alkins does not have a new break, a stress reaction nor any issues with the screw that was inserted to repair the fracture.
Alkins is expected to play at Washington State on Wednesday, though Miller said it would probably be less than the 34 minutes he logged at Stanford on Jan. 17.
鈥淚鈥檓 hoping (he has) a couple of good days of practice,鈥 Miller said, 鈥渁nd implement him into that game, and just take that next step.鈥
The Wildcats are scheduled to practice again Tuesday before flying to Spokane, Wash., and then busing to Pullman before Wednesday鈥檚 game.
Bombs away
Washington State is averaging by far the most made 3-pointers in conference play (11.1), and the Cougars hit them at the conference鈥檚 fourth-best rate (37.7 percent).
Miller is hoping that has the attention of the Wildcats, who are defending 3-pointers at only the eighth-best rate (36.3) in the conference. 蜜柚直播 gave up 12 of 26 3s at Utah on Jan. 4, though the Utes were more limited on Saturday at McKale (7 of 19).
鈥淭hey shoot from four, sometimes five different spots and it鈥檚 dangerous when a team especially at home plays with that type of mindset,鈥 Miller said. 鈥淎nd if you look at our team (defending 3s) been our Achilles鈥 heel at times.鈥
