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"We are tough, nasty and relentless," Arizona's Rondae Hollis-Jefferson told ESPN, speaking about the state of his Wildcats. Compared to this year's nasty, Florida, and perennially nasty, Michigan State, the freshman might be guilty of an overstatement. Yet, there is something maybe a little harder about this current Arizona team.
We all know about point guard T.J. McConnell and head coach Sean Miller's shared Pittsburg roots -- and, by extension, their blue-collared toughness. On the floor, McConnell has confirmed that geographical correlation. The next most obvious tough guy is Kaleb Tarczewski, who's something between a Plumlee brother and Tyler Hansborough. Then, there's Aaron Gordon, who may not boast the same level of overall nasty, but can do so many things they add up. Plus, he's got the team's best finish. Still left to mention is leading scorer Nick Johnson. He's been my biggest concern this tournament. Luckily, he redeemed himself during last round's second half. How he plays tonight could once again determine Arizona's fate.
When you think of Wisconsin, you don't think of nasty, though you do think of some of its associated qualities (like toughness and relentless). So far, Wisconsin has outplayed its reputation for early first round exits. In their last game against Baylor, they looked as good as anybody after being questioned by many for their two seed. Most people don't believe Wisconsin has the offensive power to overcome Arizona, but that hasn't been an issue yet, as evidenced by point totals of 75, 85, and 69.
I picked Arizona to win it all so I'll obviously go with them again here. I didn't, however, pick Wisconsin to make it this far. Obviously, they're better than I believed. Should be a good one.
