Arizona Basketball: Complete Roster, Season Preview for 2014-15 Wildcats

After falling just short of the Final Four a year ago, Arizona returns as a top contender for a national championship in the 2014-15 season. 

An overtime loss to Wisconsin in the Elite Eight ended the Wildcats' run last postseason, along with the college careers of Nick Johnson and Aaron Gordon. Head coach Sean Miller will have to find a way to replace the production from his top two scorers if he wants to improve upon last year's result and finally reach the pinnacle of the college basketball world.

Fortunately, Arizona has one of the best returning lineups in the nation to go with a recruiting class that ranked No. 6 in the nation, according to 247Sports.

The expectations are sky-high for the upcoming season, coming in as the No. 2 team in the country in the Associated Press poll. The only question is whether this group can reach its potential and cut down the nets at the end of the year.

Stanley Johnson (Shooting Guard)

The No. 3 recruit in the 2014 class has everything you want in a shooting guard. He has the size and strength to simply outmuscle opponents on the way into the lane while also having the ability to knock down a three when given space.

It will be a tough task for a freshman to try to replace Nick Johnson in the lineup, but the California native might be just the guy to do it.

Kadeem Allen (Shooting Guard)

As the Junior College Player of the Year, Kadeem Allen has the opportunity to make an impact right away with Arizona. He has good enough handle to be a backup at point guard, but his real contribution will be quick scoring off the bench.

Dusan Ristic (Center)

There were questions about whether the Serbian center would be able to play this season, but he was cleared by the NCAA to compete from Day 1. Although he is a bit of an unknown at this point, the skilled 7-footer should give the team added depth in the low post.

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (Small Forward)

Hollis-Jefferson took a bit of a back seat last season as a freshman with more veteran players on the roster, but he still averaged 9.1 points and 5.7 rebounds per game. Expect him to take a big jump this season as a go-to option on the offensive end of the court.

The big question is whether he can improve his poor outside shooting from last season.

T.J. McConnell (Point Guard)

While he is not an elite scorer, the senior might be one of the best pure point guards in the country. He is composed on the court and always seems to make the right decision with the ball.

With the rest of college basketball getting younger, this floor general could give the Wildcats a big advantage when March comes around.

Brandon Ashley (Power Forward)

After missing the second half of last season with a foot injury, Brandon Ashley is looking at the bright side, via Myron Medcalf of ESPN.com:

"In all honesty, this injury—although it was tough to deal with—I think that it might have actually made me a better person. I no longer take the game for granted. I realize how important every day that I have is. I respect the game a lot more and I think this situation truly humbled me."

Considering Arizona was undefeated while Ashley was healthy, it is clear the Wildcats will love to have the big man back on the court. 

Kaleb Tarczewski (Center)

Although it seems college teams are going away from the idea of a true center, Kaleb Tarczewski will try to bring it back. The 7-footer has the skill set to be a force on both ends of the court, but he will have to be a lot more aggressive if he wants to reach his potential.

Between valuable returning players and a number of new prospects, Arizona has one of the most talented rosters in the nation. Here is a projection for the starting lineup and rotation going into the year. You can view the full roster at ArizonaWildcats.com.

Starting Lineup

PG: T.J. McConnell

SG: Stanley Johnson

SF: Rondae Hollis-Jefferson

PF: Brandon Ashley

C: Kaleb Tarczewski

Key Bench Players

Gabe York (Shooting Guard), Kadeem Allen (Shooting Guard), Dusan Ristic (Center), Craig Victor (Power Forward)

The starting lineup will be pretty easy for Sean Miller to determine with four of the team's top six contributors from last season coming back. Stanley Johnson is good enough to play right away and get starter's minutes.

There will be less experience off the bench with junior Gabe York the only player left who saw regular minutes last season. Elliott Pitts and Matt Korcheck will each look for bigger roles after limited playing time a year ago.

Otherwise, look for a number of newcomers to get consistent minutes, with Kadeem Allen and Parker Jackson-Cartwright spelling the starters in the backcourt while Craig Victor and Dusan Ristic battle for minutes up front. 

Frontcourt Depth

The starting frontcourt is as good as there is in the country, but the bench is full of unknowns. Matt Korcheck played sparingly last season, but we are more likely to see some freshmen make an impact this season as Craig Victor and Dusan Ristic look to make their mark.

This could end up being a problem if the unit deals with an injury like last season.

Go-To Scorer

Getting points will not necessarily be a problem for this team, but every elite squad has someone it can count on to get the important buckets down the stretch. Nick Johnson did that last year, but someone else must take on this role.

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson might get the first crack at this job, although it would not be surprising to see freshman Stanley Johnson step up as well.

Three-Point Shooting

In order for the frontcourt to be effective, the rest of the lineup needs to keep the defense honest with quality outside shooting. T.J. McConnell is solid from the perimeter, but Sean Miller might provide more minutes to Gabe York and Elliott Pitts to give the Wildcats another dimension offensively.

Best-Case Scenario

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson improves his outside shooting and turns himself into one of the toughest players to defend in the country. He and Stanley Johnson create a formidable tandem on the perimeter while the upperclassmen round out an elite starting lineup.

The team stays healthy and the deep rotation cruises to a conference title in a relative down year for the Pac-12.

T.J. McConnell provides the Wildcats with the veteran leadership they need in the postseason, and the squad keeps up the strong play all the way to the school's first national championship since 1997.

Worst-Case Scenario

Without the on-ball defense of Nick Johnson and the shot-blocking of Aaron Gordon, the team is unable to replicate the success from a 2013-14 squad that ranked first in the country in adjusted defensive efficiency, according to KenPom.com.

The freshman class does not live up to expectations, putting too much pressure on the returning players on a weekly basis.

Arizona still plays its way into the NCAA tournament, but it receives a middling seed and is eliminated in the first weekend.

The team's experience should carry Arizona in the early part of the season in games against Gonzaga and Michigan, as well as the Maui Invitational.

Once the conference season begins, the Wildcats shouldn't have too much trouble in a Pac-12 lacking elite squads. Teams like UCLA, Stanford, Utah and others will cause problems, but Arizona should still take home a second regular-season title in a row.

Arizona should earn one of the top seeds in the NCAA tournament with the talent and experience necessary to get to the Final Four for the first time in Sean Miller's career.

However, a national championship could be just out of reach as top opponents get in the way in the final rounds. Kentucky, Duke and a few others simply have too much depth and coaches who will be able to get them over the top.

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