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Lee, Coleman, Jeter
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Men's Basketball Arizona Athletics

Cats Host Ducks; Look to Extend Win Streak to 7 Games

TUCSON, Ariz. -- Fresh off a road sweep in the Bay Area against Stanford and Cal, the Arizona Wildcats are set to return to McKale Center on Thursday night when they host Oregon at 7 p.m. The Cats are 4-0 in Pac-12 play for the third time under coach Sean Miller and have won seven straight games. 

The game will be televised by ESPN with Dave Pasch, Bill Walton and Molly McGrath on the call. 

Oregon at Arizona
Thursday, Jan. 17 at 7 p.m. (MST)
TV: ESPN (Dave Pasch, Bill Walton and Molly McGrath)
Radio: Arizona IMG Radio Network (Brian Jeffries & Ryan Hansen)
Twitter: @APlayersProgram
#BearDown

OFF THE TOP
  • Arizona returns to McKale Center after picking up its 13th road conference sweep under coach Sean Miller. The Wildcats will host Oregon on Thursday and Oregon State on Saturday. 
  • The Wildcats are 73-10 at McKale Center in conference games under coach Sean Miller. Arizona is 91-4 at home since the start of the 2013-14 season, which is the best mark in the country. 
  • Arizona has started 4-0 in Pac-12 play for the third time under Miller. Arizona started 10-0 in 2016-17 and 8-0 in 2013-14. 
  • The Wildcats converted on 31 of 35 free throws in their two wins in the Bay Area last weekend and are shooting 82 percent from the line in four conference games. 
  • Led by Brandon Randolph, Brandon Williams and Justin Coleman, the Wildcats were 15 of 31 from deep against Stanford and Cal last weekend. Randolph, Williams and Coleman combined to go 13 of 20 from 3-point range. 
  • Arizona has at least 13 assists in all four conference games this season. The Wildcats had 13 or more assists in five of their 13 non-conference games. 
  • The Wildcats shot a season-best .561 from the floor against California. Arizona has shot 50 percent or better from the field in two of its past four games. In the first 13 games of the season, the Cats topped the 50 percent mark twice. 
  • Sophomore Brandon Randolph is one of two Pac-12 players to have scored in double figures in each of his team's games this season. Kris Wilkes (UCLA) is the other. 
  • Senior guard Justin Coleman has 995 career points and is five away from 1,000. 
  • Freshman Brandon Williams is 5 of his last 7 from 3-point range after a 2 of 14 stretch. 
BAY AREA FOLLOW UP
Arizona collected its 13th road conference sweep under Sean Miller last weekend in the Bay Area, topping Stanford and Cal to improve to 4-0 in league play. The Cats went 31 of 35 from the free throw line, shooting 89 percent in the two wins.  In four conference games, Arizona is shooting 82 percent from the line, converting on 63 of 77 free throws. That's tied for the best mark in the league.  The Wildcats shot 15 of 31 from 3-point range against Stanford and Cal with Brandon Randolph (6-for-9), Brandon Williams (4-for-6) and Justin Coleman (3-for-5) combining to go 13 of 20 from deep in the two wins. The Wildcats shot a season-best .561 from the floor against Cal. Arizona has shot 50 percent or better in two of its past four games, after topping that mark just twice in the previous 13 games.

MR. 2nd HALF
Sophomore Brandon Randolph is Arizona's leading scorer at 16.3 points per game and has scored in double figures in all 17 games this season. As good as Randolph has been all season, he's been at his best in the game's second 20 minutes. Consider: Randolph is averaging 10.2 points per contest in the second half of games and is shooting 51 percent from the floor. In the first half, Randolph averages 5.7 points per contest on 36 percent shooting. Randolph is 17 of 21 from the free throw line in the first half of games and 43 of 45 in the second half. Proving he welcomes the big moment, Randolph is 27 of 27 from the free throw line in the final five minutes of games this season. Randolph also shoots 47 percent from 3 in the second half and 22 percent in the first. 

DROPPING DIMES
Arizona's assist production has picked up in conference play, something coach Sean Miller attributes to better shot selection. The Wildcats have at least 13 assists in all four conference games, twice hitting the 15-assist mark. In Arizona's 13 non-conference games, the Wildcats had 13 or more assists just five times. Senior Justin Coleman and freshman Brandon Williams are leading the way for Arizona with 14 assists each. Dylan Smith, Ryan Luther, Brandon Randolph and Chase Jeter are all averaging at least an assist per game in the early going of conference play. 

JETER STRONG FROM THE FLOOR
Chase Jeter arrived at Arizona prior to the 2017-18 season after transferring from Duke, but had to sit out the season per NCAA rules. In his first 17 games as a Wildcat, Jeter has been a presence in the paint and a threat down low. Jeter is averaging 13.4 points per game and 7.4 rebounds a contest with four double-doubles. Jeter is shooting 64 percent from the floor, having connected on 90 of 140 shot attempts. He entered Pac-12 play with a percentage of 65.7, which is the best by any Arizona player in pre-conference play since Jordan Hill also shot 65.7 percent on 99 attempts in 2007. Jeter has scored in double figures in 12 of the 16 games. Jeter is coming off a career night in Arizona's win over California. Jeter had a career-high 23 points and added nine rebounds in 27 minutes. He was 8 for 11 from the floor and 7 of 8 from the free throw line. On the Bay Area trip, Jeter was 9 for 10 from the free throw line in the two wins and scored in double figures in both games. Jeter has set or tied his career high three times in his past six games. 

CHASE IN CHARGE
Not only has Chase Jeter been productive scoring and rebounding, he's also been Arizona's top charge-getter this season. A play Coach Sean Miller values as much as any in basketball, Jeter has taken 21 charges in 17 games this season. Jeter took four charges in the finale in Maui against Auburn. Jeter had taken at least one charge in every game this season, until the Montana game. He also has at least two charges in four of the 17 games. Jeter has taken nearly half of Arizona's charges this season. As a team, the Wildcats have drawn 44 charges, with Jeter drawing 21.

FIVE-GAME STREAKS
With its 87-65 win over Cal on Saturday, Arizona extended its winning streak to six games. It's Arizona's longest winning streak of the season and the 20th time under Sean Miller that the Wildcats have had a winning streak of at least five games. With Miller in charge, Arizona has had at least one five-game winning streak in nine of the head coach's 10 seasons with the Wildcats. The only exception was Miller's first year when the longest streak was four games. Arizona's longest winning streak under Miller came in 2013-14 when the Wildcats won 21 straight to open the season. In 2016-17, Arizona had four winning streaks of five games or more, which is a single-season high under Miller. Arizona has 14 five-game winning streaks the past five seasons, which is the most in the Pac-12. The next closest is Oregon at eight.

Most Winning Streaks of Five Games or More Since the Start of the 2014-15 Season in the Pac-12
Arizona, 14
Oregon, 8
California, 6
Utah, 6
USC, 5
UCLA, 4
Colorado, 3
Oregon State, 2
Arizona State, 2
Washington, 2
Stanford, 2
Washington State, 1

RANDOLPH'S IMPROVEMENT
Sophomore Brandon Randolph is having a dynamic sophomore season. Randolph has scored in double figures in all 17 games this season and is averaging a team-leading 16.3 points per game. He's one of two players in the Pac-12 to have scored in double figures in each of his team's games this season, joining Kris Wilkes from UCLA. As a freshman last season, Randolph played in 31 games, drawing four starting assignments. He averaged 3.7 points per game, scoring a total of 116 points. Randolph's scoring increase of 12.6 points per game is the biggest of any player in a Power 5 Conference. Jordan Nwora from Louisville is second with an increase of 11.6. It's also the largest increase from one season to the next by any Arizona player since at least 1977. The previous best was a a 12-point increase by Khalid Reeves in 1993-94. Randolph has also surpassed his rebounding total as a freshman. He had 26 rebounds last season and already has 59 this year. Randolph is the first Arizona guard to score in double figures in each of the first 17 games of the season since Hassan Adams in 2005-06. He's the first Wildcat, regardless of position, to score in double figures in the first 17 games since Derrick Williams in 2010-11. Here's a closer look at Randolph's production so far as a sophomore versus his time as a freshman.

LEE MAKING HIS MARK
Arizona has seen a rise in production from sophomore forward Ira Lee over the past five games. Lee is averaging seven points per game, 3.2 rebounds a contest and has seven blocks in the five games. The 6-foot-7-inch power forward is 14 of 24 from the floor and a perfect 7 of 7 from the free throw line. Lee had a strong trip to the Bay Area. He had a career-high 12 points against Stanford and followed that up with a five-block game against Cal, adding seven rebounds. 
 
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Players Mentioned

Chase Jeter

#4 Chase Jeter

C/F
6' 10"
Redshirt Junior
Ira Lee

#11 Ira Lee

F
6' 7"
Sophomore
Brandon Randolph

#5 Brandon Randolph

G
6' 6"
Sophomore
Dylan Smith

#3 Dylan Smith

G
6' 5"
Redshirt Junior
Brandon Williams

#2 Brandon Williams

G
6' 2"
Freshman
Ryan Luther

#10 Ryan Luther

F
6' 9"
Senior
Justin Coleman

#12 Justin Coleman

G
5' 10"
Senior

Players Mentioned

Chase Jeter

#4 Chase Jeter

6' 10"
Redshirt Junior
C/F
Ira Lee

#11 Ira Lee

6' 7"
Sophomore
F
Brandon Randolph

#5 Brandon Randolph

6' 6"
Sophomore
G
Dylan Smith

#3 Dylan Smith

6' 5"
Redshirt Junior
G
Brandon Williams

#2 Brandon Williams

6' 2"
Freshman
G
Ryan Luther

#10 Ryan Luther

6' 9"
Senior
F
Justin Coleman

#12 Justin Coleman

5' 10"
Senior
G
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