College Basketball Championship Week 2017: 5 biggest takeaways

By Chris Stone | Mar 12, 2017

Mar 11, 2017; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Duke Blue Devils guard Grayson Allen (3) cuts the net after defeating against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish during the ACC Conference Tournament Final at Barclays Center. Duke Blue Devils won 75-69. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports /

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Mar 11, 2017; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Arizona Wildcats guard Allonzo Trier (35) cuts a piece of netting after the Wildcats defeated the Oregon Ducks 83-80 in the Pac-12 Conference Championship game at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports /

Arizona’s peaking at the right time

Arizona’s Sean Miller is one of the best head coaches in the country without a Final Four on his resume, but that could be set to change this season. After losing at home to UCLA in the penultimate game of the regular season, the Wildcats seem to be peaking at the right time heading into the NCAA Tournament.

Allonzo Trier, the sophomore guard who didn’t play in two of the team’s four losses this season, was named the Pac-12 conference tournament’s Most Outstanding Player after averaging 20.7 points per game in wins over Colorado, UCLA and Oregon. Trier has improved nearly across the board this season as he’s raise his rebounding and assist numbers while becoming a better outside shooter.

Freshman forward Lauri Markkanen also seems to have found his way out of a slump that lasted the entire month of February. Markkanen is Arizona’s best floor spacer and although he didn’t hit a 3-pointer in the final, he did managed to go 8-for-17 from deep over the course of the tournament.

With Trier and Markkanen picking up steam at the same time and an always stingy defense, the Wildcats may be poised to break through the ceiling (which is the roof, right?) and earn Miller his first Final Four.

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