By Jeff Lund
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Monday Jan. 28, 2002
Turnovers turn wins into losses
Taking care of the ball is something coaches harp on from day one.
That area had not been a problem for head coach Lute Olson's team until this week.
Riding a five-game win streak including a sweep at home of the Southern California schools, Arizona was keeping pace with the leaders in the Pacific 10 Conference.
Entering the game with Arizona State, UA had amassed 97 assists, compared to 57 turnovers during the win streak.
Against UCLA, Arizona dished out a season-high 23 assists and turned the ball over 12 times.
During that game, seven different Wildcats had one assist or more.
The assist-to-turnover ratio drastically changed when Arizona dropped two games last week - one to conference and state rival Arizona State and the other Saturday to Big East-leading Connecticut.
In the two losses, Arizona accumulated 38 turnovers and dished out just 34 assists.
Not only did the turnovers foil offensive possessions, but opposing teams took advantage.
The Sun Devils tallied 19 points off 18 Wildcat turnovers. On Saturday, UConn put 24 points on the board as a result of Arizona miscues, compared to just 10 for UA.
Perhaps the most eye-opening number is the one produced by the team's best passer, Luke Walton, who had 14 turnovers and 14 assists in the last two games - a far cry from his 10-assist, three-turnover effort against USC on Jan. 17.
While associate head coach Jim Rosborough said he is not bothered by the fact that Walton's passing has not been as sharp as it has been in past games, taking care of the ball has to be a priority in the next two games for the Wildcats against Cal and Stanford.
Another problem that has haunted the Wildcats as of late has been their defense.
Arizona is giving up the most points per game (81.2) in the Pac-10.
Surprisingly, it has been the play of the opposing guards that has hurt UA.
ASU's top three guards shot 61 percent from the field against Arizona.
In Saturday's loss, three UConn guards - including one reserve - scored 58 of the Huskies' 100 points.
Freshman reserve guard Ben Gordon tied his career-high with 23 points, 11 above his season average.
If Arizona is to stop this slump, it will start with defense and end with taking care of the ball - two principles that Olson stresses.
