Transcript: Live Q&A chat with Bruce Pascoe on UA basketball

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Transcript: Live Q&A chat with Bruce Pascoe on UA basketball

Here is the transcript of today's live Q&A chat with Bruce Pascoe on UA basketball.

Today's live chat with Bruce Pascoe will get under way at noon.

While your attention this week might be focused mostly on the Pac-12 tournament, it's not too early to begin thinking about the NCAA tournament, since Selection Sunday is less than a week away. Again this year, the Star will be a participant in a national bracket contest with a potential $1 million prize for the top winner (with a perfect bracket). You can register now at azstarnet.com/marchfever and return to begin making your picks on Sunday evening after the tournament field is set.

The contest - actually two games, round-by-round picks or the entire bracket up-front - is a fun way to organize your friends and co-workers into competitive groups. You can play on your computer, tablet or phone.

by John Bolton, StarNet night... 3/11/2013 6:31:26 PM
Thanks for joining and reading. UA's news conference this week is at 1 so I will have to jump off early and apologize in advance if I can't get to everyone's questions or comments..

by Bruce Pascoe 3/11/2013 7:06:35 PM
Elite 8 at least im calling it now

by Jason 3/11/2013 7:06:37 PM
Think senior class is going 2 want this

by Jason 3/11/2013 7:06:39 PM
So, do they get a new Ooh Aah Man, start a new tradition entirely, or let the whole thing die?

by SierraVistaZach 3/11/2013 7:06:44 PM
I can't imagine you could replace him with anyone like that. I think if it started again it would have to be somebody completely different. I can't tell you the kind of weird reactions I see from visiting writers -- there really is nobody quite like him.

by Bruce Pascoe 3/11/2013 7:08:18 PM
Johnson guarding the point looked very successful. Will we continue to see it with Lyons playing off the point guard on defense ?

by John 3/11/2013 7:08:29 PM
Johnson's going to guard the best perimeter player, whether it's a 1 2 or 3. I don't think that will change.

by Bruce Pascoe 3/11/2013 7:10:28 PM
Bruce, your thoughts on the Ooh Ahh Man tribute at halftime of the ASU game? Everybody go buy an Ooh Ahh Man shirt from the UA bookstore (available online), the proceeds of which will benefit Joe and his family, who have really fallen on hard times in the last several years with health issues, etc.

by Bluto 3/11/2013 7:10:47 PM
I think everybody watching that had mixed emotions. He will be missed no doubt.

by Bruce Pascoe 3/11/2013 7:11:23 PM
Is a sleeper in the pac 12 tourney that can pull of a Colorado like last year

by Ted 3/11/2013 7:11:27 PM
Yes, absolutely. I always think underachieving teams have a chance so I'd go with Stanford, USC or maybe even Oregon State. They all should have done better than they did, all have veterans and all have decent depth.

by Bruce Pascoe 3/11/2013 7:12:24 PM
Arizona has a chance to salvage the season by now making a run. They can do it

by chillman33 3/11/2013 7:12:29 PM
That's what they're hoping i'm sure. Redemption this week also maybe gets them that No 3 or 4 seed back.

by Bruce Pascoe 3/11/2013 7:13:04 PM
After Arizonas performance against ASU, do you think that we are final four contenders? I do!

by Jordan 3/11/2013 7:13:07 PM
Not really because of the defense, shooting, point guard and depth issues. I don't think team chemistry is as good as it was in December and don't think ASU win cured that. But a good run this week might. And you never know because there is really nobody that dominant this year

by Bruce Pascoe 3/11/2013 7:15:42 PM
if they play good defense, low turnovers, rebound and pass well.......that is

by chillman33 3/11/2013 7:16:12 PM
their best chance and very doable.......they cannot rely on offense as it is not high powered enough to win games against good teams

by chillman33 3/11/2013 7:16:14 PM
Agreed. That's a big list there but they have done that. Maybe the second Washington game was the last time.

by Bruce Pascoe 3/11/2013 7:17:07 PM
Has coach Miller commented as to why neither Chol or York got any playing time Saturday?

by Tomcat 3/11/2013 7:17:10 PM
I asked him why neither played Saturday and he just said it "wasn't in the cards." This is frustrating to figure out for everybody because these guys have gone in and out of favor and we are not allowed to watch practice so don't get to see what they are doing on the court that much.

by Bruce Pascoe 3/11/2013 7:18:35 PM
Do we just have ASU's number this year or is there specific (not just defensive intensity or some lame line like that) things that Miller or the team did different. This team looks like world beaters vs ASU, not so much against the rest of the PAC-12.

by Dax 3/11/2013 7:18:51 PM
I don't think it's about ASU as much as UA just beats the teams it should (for the most part) and never beats the ones that are better (at least since New Years). Miller loves to keep his team level headed and really they kind of play that way -- they never have really bad losses but also no great wins (since New Years). But also I do think they (and many teams) have figured out how to deal with Bachynski.

by Bruce Pascoe 3/11/2013 7:20:50 PM
Did this team overachieve, underachieve or do what was expected?

by Wayne 3/11/2013 7:20:59 PM
That's an opinion for everyone to come to. But for me it's kind of a tale of two parts -- they overachieved early, beating Florida, Miami and SDSU but blew several chances to win the Pac-12. Overall, I think they were about as expected, maybe one loss below. I picked them to finish second in the Pac-12 behind UCLA and they did (in a tie).... The one thing that maybe really stood out is that the rest of the Pac-12 really is improved in the middle and bottom. That made it so no game was a gimme, which has not often been the case in this conference.

by Bruce Pascoe 3/11/2013 7:24:32 PM
Is there any chance that Nick will see any time at the point guard position (aside from injuries happening) going forward this season ?

by Tomcat 3/11/2013 7:24:38 PM
Probably not much more than he is already. Technically, Lyons is the starter but if you consider how much Johnson handles the ball, sets people up and even defends some point guards, it's almost like they're sharing the position now.

by Bruce Pascoe 3/11/2013 7:25:28 PM
Based on what I saw, I thought our defensive intensity was much improved on Saturday, especially on-ball defense. However, the box score suggests otherwise: ASU shot 50% through most of the second half, ending at 46.5% for the game. Were my eyes playing tricks on me?

by This Guy 3/11/2013 7:27:08 PM
That's a good point. I also thought they played better defense than the number showed. ASU made a lot of layups, though, which may have bumped up their percentages some.

by Bruce Pascoe 3/11/2013 7:28:05 PM
I'd like to see them "retire" the Ooh Ahh Man shirt into the rafters of McKale. Any chance of that happening?

by Bluto 3/11/2013 7:29:07 PM
Not that i know of. worth asking though.

by Bruce Pascoe 3/11/2013 7:29:16 PM
Breaking news from the Pac-12 but no surprises: Allen Crabbe is player of the year. Shabazz Muhammad and Jahii Carson are freshmen of the year. UA gets Hill and Lyons on the 10-man first team all league. No UA players made the five-man defensive or freshman teams...

by Bruce Pascoe 3/11/2013 7:33:34 PM
Do you think any seniors have a future playing pro ball in Europe or Asia?

by ladderflappy 3/11/2013 7:40:30 PM
Yes all of them. Hill is projected as a second round pick and he'll make good money whether he sticks in the NBA or not. Lyons and Parrom will be getting paid somewhere for sure.

by Bruce Pascoe 3/11/2013 7:41:38 PM
During the broadcast, I was reminded of Ashley's 20-10 performance against Long Beach State. Obviously, you can't expect a freshman to perform like that nightly. But his general stats have declined in the conference season, especially in the late 6 games. I know KP took his place in the starting lineup, but that can't explain the depth of the decline. Is there something teams are doing to defend him differently? Is he best against a certain type of 4/5 matchup?

by This Guy 3/11/2013 7:42:16 PM
I don't think it's about matchups with him as much as he's faded in and out a bit, confidence and toughness wise. Parrom has just wanted it more the last few weeks no question.

by Bruce Pascoe 3/11/2013 7:43:46 PM
What are the chances that Oregon State can beat Colorado again on Wednesday?

by CCW 3/11/2013 7:44:31 PM
That's hard to do but if Roberson's out there's a good chance. Colorado can't handle OSU's big guys too well without him.

by Bruce Pascoe 3/11/2013 7:44:57 PM
No Nick on the Pac-12 all-defensive team, UNBELIEVABLE...

by Tomcat 3/11/2013 7:45:00 PM
Who's your underrated team going into the Pac12 Tournament? Washington State seems to be playing to save Ken Bone's job right now, so that's my pick.

by TucsonSco 3/11/2013 7:45:05 PM
I wouldn't say underrated but maybe underachieving -- and that would be ... Stanford.

by Bruce Pascoe 3/11/2013 7:45:48 PM
Am I the only who's super annoyed that everyone refers to Jahii Carson as a freshman? He had to sit out last year because he was academically ineligible, but did get to practice with the team all year. He's more like a redshirt freshman, but nobody points that out. To me, a redshirt freshman shouldn't be able to get freshman-of-the-year awards. Thoughts?

by Miguel Cazar 3/11/2013 7:46:03 PM
Good point, he is a redshirt freshmen. but it gets cumbersome to say that all the time so once it's established, he just gets called a freshman. Some people have made that point, that maybe he shouldn't even be eligible for a Freshman of the Year.

by Bruce Pascoe 3/11/2013 7:47:17 PM
Do you know think Miller wants Chol and York to transfer?

by CATSFAN 3/11/2013 7:47:24 PM
Don't know. Miller keeps saying they're important to the future, but if those guys don't get in the rotation this week that could tell you something.

by Bruce Pascoe 3/11/2013 7:48:11 PM
What's your best guess RE: whether Parrom will get a fifth year of eligibility?

by SRD 3/11/2013 7:48:19 PM
I'd guess no. He doesn't meet any of the yearly hardship criteria. That said, his "kitchen sink" appeal of everything he's been through is very unique - and the winds can sometimes change with NCAA committees who rule on these things. (but honestly I think KP is fine either way -- he'd probably be just as happy going somewhere to get paid)

by Bruce Pascoe 3/11/2013 7:50:24 PM
I've got to run now because of UA's press conference. Thanks again for joining.

by Bruce Pascoe 3/11/2013 7:50:40 PM