Posted on 2/7/2008 1:33:21 PM

NCAAB Betting - Razing Arizona

By BetUS Staff

They’re one of the most intriguing NCAAB betting stories out there. But how much more punishment can the Arizona Wildcats possibly take?

Wildcats guard Nic Wise had surgery Wednesday to repair a torn meniscus and is expected to miss the next 4-6 weeks. Coach Kevin O’Neill made the announcement later that day, but did not reveal who would move up the depth chart to replace Wise for Sunday’s visit by the Arizona State Sun Devils.

Arizona has already proved resilient this year, going 15-7 (11-8-1 against the spread) despite the Lute Olson situation and previous injuries to Bret Brielmaier and hotshot frosh Jerryd Bayless. But replacing Wise for what could turn out to be the rest of the season will be difficult. “He’s our only real true point guard,” O’Neill told the Associated Press.

Wise was enjoying a productive sophomore campaign for the ‘Cats, putting up 8.3 points, 4.0 assists and 1.9 steals per game while hitting 49.1 percent of his 3-point attempts. Those numbers have lifted Arizona’s offense to No. 6 in the efficiency rakings; the defense is lagging behind at No. 59, but the combination of the two is good enough to leave the Wildcats 19th in overall efficiency.

O’Neill is known more for his prowess on the defensive end, but these are unusual circumstances for the former Marquette and Toronto Raptors coach. Olson hired O’Neill last May as an assistant coach to handle the Wildcats’ defense, then took a yearlong leave of absence that we now know is related to his divorce proceedings. This is still Olson’s team, although O’Neill has officially been named his successor at some point down the road.

Even under these circumstances, O’Neill has gotten the Wildcats to play some solid basketball. They took the Kansas Jayhawks (-15) to overtime in Lawrence before losing 76-72, and they own victories as road dogs over Houston, Cal and USC. But overcoming this latest obstacle might be beyond Arizona’s scope.

Wise was the sixth-man for the Wildcats, playing 28 minutes per game rotating in with the starting backcourt tandem of Bayless and senior Jawann McClellan. Arizona had freshman prospect Laval Lucas-Perry in the fold, but he transferred to his native Michigan after the first semester. Next on the list: senior Daniel Dillon, a strong rebounder and defender with very little offense at 2.6 points and 1.3 assists in 15.2 minutes per game.

That’s a significant drop in quality from Wise and a very good reason to check the NCAAB odds for Sunday’s Sun Devils-Wildcats matchup.

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