Emmanuel Akot to Arizona
Emmanuel Akot, the 2018 small forward to
As expected, Trevon Duval will take his third official visit to Arizona this weekend for the UCLA game.
No. 4 Arizona hosts No. 5 UCLA in a nationally-televised game Saturday night (8:15 ET, ESPN).
The 6-foot-3 point guard has already taken officials to Kansas and Duke. He is also expected to visit Seton Hall and Baylor.
Arizona already has the No. 3-ranked recruiting class in 2017, per Scout.com, highlighted by DeAndre Ayton, the projected No. 1 pick in 2018 per DraftExpress.com.
By JOHN MARSHALL
The Top 25 underwent a major overhaul last week after 14 ranked teams lost, including seven of the top 10.
More changes are on the way after a wild Saturday of upsets and takedowns.
Six of the top 10 teams lost, including Nos. 2 and 3 at home to unranked teams — a first in the 69-year history of the AP poll, according to ESPN Stats.
The day opened with Iowa State knocking off No. 2 Kansas 92-89 at Allen Fieldhouse. The Cyclones’ victory, made possible by a school-record 18 3-pointers, bolstered their NCAA Tournament hopes and ended the Jayhawks’ home winning streak at 51 games.
“They played with house money today,” Kansas coach Bill Self said. “I’m sure Steve would say the same thing. They came in here with a free mind and said, ‘Let’s just let it go.'”
By JACOB POLACHECK Arizona head coach Sean Miller
Look out for Arizona.
The No. 14 Wildcats (17-2) got a major boost on Friday when the NCAA ruled that sophomore shooting guard Allonzo Trier had been ruled eligible immediately and will be available for Saturday’s Pac-12 showdown with No. 3 UCLA (19-1). The teams will square off at 4 p.m. EST on CBS.
Trier failed a test for performance-enhancing drugs back in the preseason, leading to him to getting suspended for Arizona’s first 19 games. He appealed the decision and won the appeal, but the NCAA prohibited him from playing until the drug was completely out of his system. He has been allowed to practice and travel with the team.
A source close to Trier confirmed to ZAGSBLOG an ESPN report that Trier “was in a serious car accident over the summer, and the Trier camp told the NCAA that someone close to his family gave him the drug — without his knowledge — to help him recover from injuries suffered in the accident.”
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — On Saturday at the Hoophall Classic, Arizona assistant Book Richardson had a front-row seat for a view of the future of his program.
Three Class of 2017 Arizona signees — DeAndre Ayton, Brandon Randolph and Ira Lee — all played, and played well, at Blake Arena. Brian Bowen, an Arizona target who is considering five schools, also was effective, scoring 18 points in Monday’s loss to Marvin Bagley and Sierra Canyon (CA).
In the showcase game of the day on Saturday, the 6-foot-5 Randolph went off for 30 points en route to game MVP honors as Westtown (PA) beat Ayton and Hillcrest Prep (AZ), 66-54, on ESPN. Ayton, the projected No. 1 pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, scored 19 points while battling Westtown big man Mohamed Bamba.
“He’s definitely a force, so I’m definitely looking forward to playing with him, Ira and [Alex] Barcello],” Randolph told me in reference to Arizona’s 2017 class, ranked No. 3 behind Kentucky and UCLA by Scout.com. “They’re all great players and great guys.”
Five Kentucky and five UCLA commits and
