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It's been a while since we've done this, but with basketball season heating up and National Signing Day a week away, now is as good of time as any to bring back the Tuesday Twitterbag!
Every Tuesday night, we'll be looking for your Arizona Wildcats questions on our Twitter, so be sure to tweet them @azdesertswarm. And we know you have questions!
Without further ado, let's dive right into the things keeping you awake at night (maybe).
@azdesertswarm About halfway through conference play. Who's on your Pac-12 1st team if it were only 5 guys? POY, DPOY, & COY?
— Andy Blaho (@AndyBlaho) January 27, 2016
I'm starting with the easy one. Coach of the Year is Andy Enfield. No brainer. They almost have as many Pac-12 wins this year as they've had the last two years combined. The turnaround there is amazing.
So, Pac-12 first team with five players. At guard, I think I'll go Gary Payton II and Andrew Andrews. Payton is second in the league in scoring (17.5) and assists (5.3). He also leads the league, by a lot, with 2.4 steals per game. Andrews leads the league in scoring by more than four points per contest (21.7), and still dishes out 4.7 assists for Washington.
At forward, I'm going to go Josh Scott and Ryan Anderson. I know Anderson's production has dipped slightly, but he's still averaging a double-double. Only Josh Hawkinson can also claim that in the conference, but I don't think Washington State is good enough to warrant a player on the first team. Scott on the other hand deserves to be on here, tying Payton for second in the Pac-12 in scoring, and also collects 9.8 boards per game for the Buffs.
My center will be Jakob Poeltl, even though Utah lists him as a forward. 16.9 points and nine rebounds per, plus Utah is surging after that whole OSU-kicking-a-ref situation.
So that leaves POY and DPOY. I'm going to go Payton POY for now, even though Oregon State feels like they're underachieving a little bit while having someone that good. I'll give Hawkinson DPOY after leaving him off my first team. His 9.5 defensive rebounds per game is 2.4 better than the next best guy...Ryan Anderson.
@azdesertswarm Are there really no great teams in college basketball this year?
— Michael Coronado (@Mike18Coronado) January 27, 2016
There are not, which is why I'm making sure I go to the Pac-12 Tournament this year, as March will be the craziest it's ever been. No one can win on the road anywhere, not just the Pac-12. Oklahoma lost last week, and stayed at No. 1 in the AP poll. That's how wacky everything is. The NCAA Tournament is gonna be fun man.
@azdesertswarm What's the prediction for the last 8 members of the recruiting class? Will a kicker be a part of it?
— AJ Johnson (@AJJohns00946697) January 27, 2016
If I knew this, I'd be on the coaching staff probably. I will say that Josh Allen and Chacho Ulloa look good, along with a couple other guys. Jessie Britt is interesting because he decommitted from Western Kentucky while in Tucson, but hasn't actually flipped to Arizona. Josiah Sa'o is another name to know too.
I'm sure there's plenty of names out there that are being kept under wraps. Victor Viramontes being here in the middle of the week this week is a nice addition to the list of targets as well. I can guarantee it'll be a crazy week, especially February 1st and 3rd.
@azdesertswarm What happened to the kicker UofA was pursuing? pic.twitter.com/HF9gsebUM1
— RobfromAZ (@RobfromAZ) January 27, 2016
You guys are obsessed with kickers. I don't think one will be a part of this class on scholarship. Preferred walk-on? Sure. That Casey Skowron guy is certainly gonna be missed in 2016 though.
As far as Riccitelli goes, best I can tell he only has offers from the service academies. He did really like Arizona when he visited, so we'll see what happens. He put out his highlight video earlier this month though:
Carolina. I'll go 27-20.