Arizona has all the pieces; UH trying to fit its pieces

It’s not quite as big as Michigan, North Carolina and Kansas in the Rainbow Classic.

But the Fab Five’s coach from 20 years ago is here for a tasty matchup of his San Diego State Aztecs against flamboyant Arizona for Tuesday’s championship final of the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic.

Steve Fisher’s team figures to be about eight- to 10-point underdogs against the ridiculously talented and deep Wildcats. But if Arizona cools off a bit, SDSU has a shooter’s chance — especially since the game is not on a ship. Neither of these teams has lost a game indoors; SDSU’s only failure was on an aircraft carrier, against Syracuse.

Mr. Astute Observer, sitting in the front row for Sunday’s 69-50 demolition of Miami, agrees with me and many others that the Wildcats project as Final Four-worthy. Yes, it’s a long way to March, but Arizona appears to have all the right parts, plus some spare ones. Its 11-0 record is no fluke, including a win over then-fifth-ranked Florida.

I thought the freshman 7-footer, Kaleb Tarczewski, might be a weak spot. But every time I started to discount him as a stiff, Tarczewski came up with a big rebound, defensive play or dunk against the Hurricanes. He doesn’t need to do anything else with this crew.

And you know when the postseason rolls around, people will be talking about how he’s not a freshman anymore, after months of experience, including a Pac-12 season.

Hawaii coach Gib Arnold wants the same for his first-year players, and that’s part of why he started Manroop Clair and Brandon Jawato in the backcourt against East Tennessee State and gave Clair 30 minutes and Jawato 29.

Let’s face it; UH could’ve put pretty much any combination of players out there and handled the Bucs. ETSU is an easy target, saddled with four players kicked off the team as well as injuries.

It was a smart move to give Clair extensive action at the point in a game where he could gain confidence. He responded well with a steady effort in most offensive phases. Clair does need to improve defensively, particularly in getting through screens. But overall, good job.

As for Jawato, he wasn’t going to stay hot forever, but Arnold said his 1-for-7 from beyond the arc was easier to take because of an overall floor game that included three assists and four steals.

This doesn’t mean Clair and Jawato are the new starting backcourt and that Jace Tavita (three minutes) and Hauns Brereton (nine) are banished to the end of the bench forever. If we’ve learned anything about Arnold over the past 21⁄2 seasons it’s that he likes to mix and match, and his starting lineup and player rotation is subject to change.

Critics will say the Warriors, now 6-4, should have a set lineup by now. But is that a realistic expectation this year? With a team this new and this young?

It’s less than ideal, but it should be no surprise that the coach is still figuring out which combinations work best, especially with the major questions at point guard.

The Miami loss Saturday was ugly and disappointing, especially the failure to respond to the Hurricanes’ surges in the second half. The effort and energy of Sunday’s win is encouraging, despite the level of the competition. Vander Joaquim’s missing mojo returned.

The preseason ends Tuesday against Ole Miss (9-2). This game should tell us much more than the previous two about the Warriors’ readiness for their maiden voyage in the Big West that starts Saturday.

Reach Dave Reardon at dreardon@staradvertiser. com or 529-4783.