Pac-12 Basketball

Arizona Wildcats guard Bennedict Mathurin was selected No. 6 overall by the Indiana Pacers in the 2022 NBA draft Thursday.

Bleacher Report Draft Expert Jonathan Wasserman's Scouting Report

Player: Bennedict Mathurin

Position: SG/SF

Height: 6'6"

Pro Comparison: Jason Richardson

Scouting Report: Explosiveness and shot-making are Mathurin's NBA moneymakers. He's still working on becoming a more efficient shot-creator, but he should immediately be able to score by drilling jumpers and picking up easy transition buckets.

Pacers Active Roster and Average Salary (Expiration Year)

Bennedict Mathurin, SG: rookie-scale contract

Buddy Hield, SG: $23.5M (2024)

Malcolm Brogdon, PG: $22.5M (2025)

Myler Turner, C: $20M (2023)

T.J. McConnell, PG: $8.4M (2025)

Tyrese Haliburton, PG: $4.5M (2024)

Chris Duarte, SG: $4.4M (2025)

Goga Bitadze, C: $3.3M (2023)

Isaiah Jackson, PF: $3M (2025)

Duane Washington, Jr., PG: $1.4M (2024)

Terry Taylor, G: $1.3M (2024)

Oshae Brissett, SF: $1.2M (2023, Team Option)

Free Agents

Ricky Rubio, PG: UFA

T.J. Warren, SF: UFA

Jalen Smith, PF: UFA

Lance Stephenson, SG: UFA

Nate Hinton, SG: RFA

Gabe York, SG: RFA

The 20-year-old excelled in his second season at Arizona, averaging 17.7 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.5 assists while shooting 45 percent from the floor and 36.9 percent from deep in 37 games.

The Canadian helped lead the Wildcats to a Pac-12 championship and the Sweet 16 of the men's NCAA tournament under first-year head coach Tommy Lloyd.

Given his consistent scoring touch and ability to get separation, Mathurin will be a difference-maker for the Pacers during the 2022-23 campaign and beyond.

Former Arizona assistant basketball coach Emanuel "Book" Richardson is trying to rebuild his reputation to return to the college game following his three-month stint in jail stemming from the 2017-18 NCAA men's basketball corruption scandal.

Speaking to The Athletic's Seth Davis, Richardson noted he has "a scarlet letter" attached to him but he wants "an opportunity to move on with my life."

In September 2017, Richardson was one of four assistant coaches in college basketball who was arrested as part of a federal investigation into bribery and corruption in the sport.

Auburn's Chuck Person, Oklahoma State's Lamont Evans and USC's Anthony Bland were also arrested. All four coaches were accused of taking bribes between $13,000 to $100,000 to steer athletes to managers and funnel payoffs to players' families in order to ensure they signed with particular schools.

In June 2019, Richardson was sentenced to three months in prison and two years of supervised release after he pleaded guilty to a federal funds bribery charge.

Per ESPN's Mark Schlabach, FBI wiretaps intercepted conversations between Christian Dawkins, who was connected to a sports agency implicated in the scandal, and then-Arizona head coach Sean Miller.

In the conversations, Miller is heard discussing a $100,000 payment to ensure Deandre Ayton signed to play basketball for the Wildcats.

Evans also received a three-month prison sentence, and Dawkins received a prison sentence of one year and one day. Bland was placed on two years' probation.

The University of Arizona fired Richardson in January 2018. He hasn't been given another college job since being released from jail on Oct. 15, 2019.

According to Davis, Richardson expressed frustration that Miller, who was fired by Arizona in March 2021 and was hired as Xavier's new head coach in March 2022, got another job despite his reported involvement in the scandal.

"I don’t sit next to you as the victim. I’m flawed,” Richardson told Davis. “I’ve asked for forgiveness from God. I’ve asked for forgiveness from the people who I may have hurt. I didn’t just get fired. I was ostracized."

Richardson spent 14 seasons as an assistant coach in college basketball. He had a three-season run at Monroe College from 2001-04. The 46-year-old spent 10 seasons as an assistant on Miller's staff between Xavier (2007-09) and Arizona (2009-17).

The Arizona Wildcats landed a major recruit in the 2022 class Wednesday.

Jonathan Givony of ESPN reported Henri Veesaar, who is from Estonia and "considered arguably the most promising European prospect" in this class, has joined the Wildcats.

"I believe in [Coach] Tommy Lloyd's philosophy and how he coaches," Veesaar said. "I've had my eyes on playing college basketball for some time now, and I believe that Arizona is a great fit to make a jump between youth and professional sport."

Givony noted the 7'0" big man first made waves as a 15-year-old at the FIBA U16 European Championship, played for Real Madrid's junior program and represented the Estonian senior national team as a 17-year-old.

Veesaar averaged 16.2 points, 11.6 rebounds, 3.8 blocks and 2.6 assists per game during last summer's FIBA U18 European Challengers.

He can protect the rim and control the boards on the defensive side while able to work in pick-and-pops and pick-and-rolls as a versatile shooter who is athletic enough to finish lobs.

Arizona is likely losing Bennedict Mathurin, Dalen Terry and Christian Koloko to the draft, so Veesaar could compete with Oumar Ballo and Azuolas Tubelis for playing time in the frontcourt.

He will also be one of eight international players on the Wildcats during the 2022-23 campaign, which seemed to play a factor in his decision.

"It helps to fit on the team not being the only foreigner and the play style is different because they are used to having different players from different continents," he said. "The basketball background varies a lot depending on where you grow up, so I think they have a nice mixture from different cultures."

He joins an Arizona program coming off a 33-4 season that included Pac-12 regular-season and tournament titles. Yet it will be looking to take the next step in the NCAA tournament after losing in the Sweet 16 to Houston.

Veesaar has the skill set to help the Wildcats do just that.          

Top Class of 2023 prospect Mookie Cook is headed to the Oregon Ducks after announcing his decision Thursday.

Cook chose the Ducks and head coach Dana Altman over teams like Kentucky, Gonzaga, Arizona and others.

"I’ve been having a great relationship with coach Altman since I first got that offer in the eighth grade,” Cook told 247Sports' Eric Bossi. “Me and him have been communicating and it has been the same message since then. I also have great relationships with coach Mennenga and coach McKenna and they’ve made feel like I’m the number one guy they’ve prioritized."

Cook is considered a 5-star recruit and No. 4 overall player in his class, per 247Sports' composite rankings.

The small forward has good size for the position at 6'7", 200 pounds, while his athleticism allows him to finish inside with consistency. He also has a well-rounded offensive game that is only getting better as his career progresses.

"I play both sides of the ball, offense, and defense," Cook said a year ago, per Stock Risers. "I can facilitate, I’m very versatile at 6-foot-7, can guard any position 1-4, run the court hard, I can shoot the three as well as bring the ball up. All-around game and I’m a team player."

The athleticism gives Cook an extremely high floor as someone who can score consistently in the paint while also remaining a quality defender on the perimeter.

His play gained the attention of college coaches and led to dozens of scholarship offers, including from top programs around the country like Kansas, UCLA, Michigan and more. 

He eventually decided to play for the Ducks, giving the team a player who should make an instant impact from the start of his freshman year.

Cook might not be a go-to offensive option right away, but he should fill up the stat sheet while helping on both ends of the court. It will also likely be a stepping stone before quickly moving onto the NBA draft.

Kylan Boswell, a 5-star point guard in the class of 2023, committed to Arizona on Monday.

Boswell chose the Wildcats over Illinois and UNLV.

A 6'1", 180-pound point guard who plays for Compass Prep in Arizona, he is ranked as the No. 2 point guard in the nation and the No. 11 player overall, according to 247Sports' composite rankings. He transferred from Corona Centennial (Calif.) for this season because of the latter's national schedule against some of the top teams in the country.

247Sports recruiting analyst Brandon Jenkins describes Boswell as "a competitive and winning point guard with a strong and sturdy frame who sets the tone on the defensive end. One of the best on-ball defenders in his class, Boswell is aggressive in getting into opposing ball handlers and guarding with physicality."

Boswell blogged about his junior year for Sports Illustrated, writing in October how he had a "great time" visiting Arizona and "loved to see how the coaches were in live action."

Boswell had an excellent summer, helping lead his AAU squad Team Why Not (Calif.) to the E16 Peach Jam title and winning a gold medal as a part of Team USA's under-16 squad.

Boswell's commitment gives Arizona its first prospect in the 2023 class. He should be in line for a starting job in the Wildcats backcourt as soon as he steps on campus.

The No. 3 UCLA Bruins were upset by the unranked Arizona State Sun Devils 87-84 in triple overtime on Saturday at Desert Financial Arena for just their fourth loss of the season. 

However, Saturday's loss was the second straight for UCLA after falling to the No. 7 Arizona Wildcats 76-66 on Thursday. The Bruins have also lost to the Gonzaga Bulldogs and Oregon Ducks this season. 

The Bruins needed to avoid a loss in Saturday's game against the Sun Devils to avoid falling further away from winning the regular-season conference championship. The Wildcats are first in conference play at 9-1, while the Bruins are tied for second with the Ducks at 8-3.

While junior guards Jaime Jaquez Jr., Johnny Juzang and Tyger Campbell had solid performances for the Bruins, senior forward Cody Riley put up 10 points, and senior guard Jules Bernard put up just six points against the Sun Devils. 

And while the Sun Devils are typically paced by Illinois State transfer DJ Horne, Marreon Jackson was the hero for the team on Saturday night. The senior finished with a whopping 24 points, four rebounds, three assists and three steals off the bench.

Junior forward Jalen Graham also had a solid night for Arizona State, finishing with 16 points, 10 rebounds and six assists. 

Arizona State had entered Saturday's game having lost their last four games, while UCLA had won eight of their last 10.

As for what's next, UCLA will trip to snap its two-game skid on Tuesday when the Bruins travel to face Stanford. Arizona State, meanwhile, will look to upset another ranked opponent in the Arizona Wildcats on Sunday. 

No. 7 Arizona avenged its Jan. 25 loss to No. 3 UCLA, this time emerging with a 76-66 victory at the McKale Center.

Kerr Kriisa led all scorers with 16 points Thursday to help the Wildcats (18-2) earn an important Pac-12 win, improving to 12-0 at home this season.

Defense was on display early for Arizona as the squad built a 42-30 lead at halftime:

The home team led by as much as 17 in the first half before the Bruins made it respectable at intermission. 

It was a closer battle in the second half with UCLA quickly getting within single digits. The Wildcats cooled offensively before a 7-0 Bruins run cut the margin to three with under four minutes remaining.

Arizona found a way to stay in front, however, with Kriisa hitting a clutch three to put the game away:

It led to the first true road loss of the year for UCLA (16-3) with leading scorer Johnny Juzang held to just 12 points. 

Notable Performances

Kerr Kriisa, G, ARI: 16 points, 5 assists

Bennedict Mathurin, G, ARI: 11 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals

Dalen Terry, G, ARI: 10 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 turnover

Johnny Juzang, G, UCLA: 12 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists

Jaime Jacquez, F, UCLA: 13 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals

Jules Bernard, G, UCLA: 15 points, 6 rebounds, 2 steals

Arizona Moves to Top of Pac-12 Standings Behind Balanced Attack

When Bennedict Mathurin was just one of five players in double figures, you know Arizona had a good night offensively.

The best thing Arizona had going for it early was the pace, getting open looks early in the shot clock to run up the score in the first half.

Mathurin had only six points at halftime, but the team scored 42 thanks to the quick movement getting everyone involved.

The pace slowed in the second half, but the team still got production from a lot of different sources. At different times there were several players who were seemingly the difference-maker for Arizona:

Dalen Terry was especially impressive, playing solid defense on Johnny Juzang while filling up the stat sheet offensively.

In addition to the five players in double figures, Oumar Ballo and Christian Koloko played important roles in the low post with seven combined blocks. 

It was a complete performance from a team that can beat anyone in the country when it plays at this level.

Poor Shooting Dooms UCLA

In the first meeting between these teams, Arizona struggled offensively with just a 30.7 shooting percentage and 25 percent mark from three-point range. 

This time, it was UCLA that couldn't get anything to fall. 

The Bruins were just 1-of-9 from three in the first half while facing an early deficit:

The squad finished just 3-of-14 from beyond the arc and 38.9 percent from the field.

When the shots were falling, it usually required great individual effort.

UCLA finished with 12 assists on 28 made field goals, much worse than Arizona's 18 assists on 24 makes.

With the Bruins also struggling at the free-throw line (7-of-12), a key road win was simply out of reach.

What's Next?

The schedule remains difficult for Arizona, which will host No. 19 USC on Saturday. UCLA will continue its road trip with a game against Arizona State on Saturday.  

Arizona State head coach Bobby Hurley and guard Jay Heath were suspended for Monday's game against USC for their actions toward an official after Saturday's 79-76 loss to Stanford.

"The actions of the head coach and student-athletes were in clear violation of the conference's standards of conduct and will not be tolerated," Pac-12 Commissioner George Kliavkoff said in a statement. "The Pac-12 and its membership has established regulations requiring all institutional personnel, especially head coaches, to conduct themselves in a sporting manner, and those involved in this situation failed to meet those standards."

Hurley and Heath both verbally confronted an official who was exiting the court. That came after Stanford's Brandon Angel got sent to the free-throw line and drained all three of his shots with 1.1 seconds remaining to give Stanford a one-possession victory.

Stanford shot 41 free throws to Arizona State's nine, and the Sun Devils were called for 29 fouls overall.

Hurley, who received a technical early in the second half, was also fined $20,000 for his actions. Forward Jalen Graham received a public reprimand but was not suspended.

Heath, in his first year at Arizona State after transferring from Boston College, is averaging 9.9 points and 3.9 rebounds per game this season.

Arizona State has dropped four of its last five games and is sitting at 6-10 on the season. Hurley, in his seventh season with the Sun Devils, has not led his team to the NCAA tournament since 2018-19 and could be facing the pressure of an increasingly hot seat. Going on the road against No. 16 USC without their head coach and a starting guard will be a challenge.

Each of Arizona State's next four games comes against ranked opponents (at USC, at No. 3 Arizona, vs. USC, vs. No. 9 UCLA). Hurley and Heath will return for Saturday's game at Arizona.

There has been a recent spike in COVID-19 cases across multiple sports, and college basketball is no different.

UCLA announced that men's basketball head coach Mick Cronin will not be with the team for Wednesday night's game against Alabama State because of COVID-19 protocols. Associate head coach Darren Savino will coach the Bruins in Cronin's absence.

UCLA is ranked No. 4 in the AP Top 25 after earning a road win over Marquette on Saturday. The Bruins are 8-1 and have won their last four games, which includes a forfeit by the Washington Huskies because of COVID-19 issues within their program.

Cronin is in his third season at UCLA. He led the Bruins to a 22-10 record last year and a trip to the Final Four, the program's first appearance in the national semifinal since 2008.

UCLA is a deep team with four players averaging over 10 points. Junior guard Johnny Juzang leads the team with 16.6 points per game, followed by Jaime Jaquez Jr. (14.8), Jules Bernard (13.0) and Tyger Campbell (12.6).

The Bruins should have little trouble without Cronin against Alabama State. The Hornets are 2-9 and enter the contest riding a four-game losing streak. UCLA is 5-0 on its home floor this season and averages 90.4 points while allowing opponents to score 67.6.

If UCLA is able to get past Alabama State, the team will look ahead to a marquee matchup against North Carolina on Saturday Dec. 18 in the CBS Sports Classic. The Tar Heels are 8-2 and have won their last five games.