Just How Good is Arizona?

ARIZONA WILDCATS RE-ENTER AP TOP-10 
Cats' Inch Closer to Another PAC-10 Regular Season Title   

With 2 just weeks left in the 2010-2011 College Basketball Regular Season, PAC-10's Arizona Wildcats have re-entered the AP-Top 10 (at #10).  The 1st Place Cats' remain conspicuously absent from National Contender Discussion.  Truthfully, for all the praise these abundantly proficient Cats' continue to realize (much from me), Arizona has the look of a 'tweener-heavy', non-descript, (hard-to-say-but-true), 'Paper-Tiger' to many experts. 

Of Arizona's 4 Losses, 3 have come vs Top-25 Teams.  Nevertheless, the Wildcats remain, as ESPN's Andy Katz' might label, 'a weird team'; inexplicably, "painfully efficient" in stature.  In fact, upon considerable analysis of Arizona's NCAA Tournament chances, The Cats' genuinely appear to have three glaring weaknesses: 

ARIZONA STILL LACKING:

1. Sizable, "Wide-Body" Defender: Arizona has glaring need for just one better-than-average post defender.  With all Cats' depth, & 7-0 | 256 Soph, Kyryl Natyazhko's offensive weaknesses, 6-8 | 240 Soph Derek Williams is Zona' biggest starter, & an out-of-position Power Forward Defender.  Williams is outlandishly efficient, yet admittedly 'needs improvement' defensively.
2. Legit Offensive 'Finisher': Arizona still needs one true offensive-mined individual who can 'create' a critical offensive shot.  Either elite teams invariably have ‘The Guy’ to find a way to obtain a late-shot-clock or crucial game-situation shot, or effectively induces attention for an extra-pass look.  Williams is a special talent, yet not a big-time shot threat for Cats.
3. Leadership at Point: Cats' must continue improving in consistent, game-to-game, steady play at Point Guard from Mo Mo Jones, or Freshman Jordin Mayes.  Jones had a very good weekend vs Washington Schools, and appears (again), to have turned a corner.

Arizona's Derek Williams is poised to win an entirely deserved M.O.P. Conference Trophy.  Williams punctuated his frontrunner's status with easily the most memorable moment of the 2010-2011 PAC-10 Season, when Williams' blocked UW's Darnell Gant's last second shot attempt, preserving Cats' 87-86 win over UW.  Williams has been playing with a broken pinkie finger since January 26, helped Cats' withstand a late Husky charge in Tucson Saturday. 

Nevertheless, for all of their accolades, Arizona comprises an unspeakably rare combination as a Power-6 Team, alone in 1st Place by 2-full games in late-February, yet possessing ZERO Top-25 Wins on the season.  This underscoring the need, as the 2011 Pacific Life PAC-10 Tournament draws near, for Arizona to really 'Win-Out', in hopes of obtaining a 3-Seed (#3 or #4 Rated Region would help), to be taken seriously to reach Sweet-16 and/or beyond. 

CAPTAIN OBVIOUS' STATEMENT:
Arizona's draw, regardless of Opponent Seed, will matter more for Arizona's opportunity to succeed in 2011 NCAA Tournament than any other factor...in my humble opinion.

10 + 2 = REGRET?
Realization that the 33-Year existence of The "PACIFIC-TEN CONFERENCE", at least in it's current, long-standing configuration is nearing its' unceremonious expiration is expectantly lacking cognizant attention or fanfare.  The clandestine symmetry of TEN glorious, Idyllic "5 x 2" PAC-10 Conference Hoops Weekends each Winter will be notably absent in the 2011-2012 PAC-12 Basketball Season.  For all intents and purposes, the trusty Thursday & Saturday two-fers (& occasional Wednesday or Sunday), with our familiar, traveling rival  duo schools was an almost 'too-perfect', uniform piece of comfortable West Coast Sports Fabric.  Basketball purists who reside in PAC-10 Communities of Pullman, Seattle, Corvallis, Eugene, Palo Alto, Berkley, Westwood, Los Angeles, Tempe, Tucson & many western-points in between may not know what they'll soon miss.