THE GOOD NEWS: Lute Olson is back, but he has work to do. As usual, the Wildcats have recruited well. Incoming guard Brandon Jennings is UA's next star, having broken the single-game scoring record with 61 points for prep school powerhouse Oak Hill Academy. The mass defections from the roster left Arizona with three available scholarships to lure another impact player.
THE BAD NEWS: There are unanswered questions everywhere. Jerryd Bayless and Chase Budinger bounced to the NBA, and the Wildcats' projected bench has a combined 126 career points.
KEY RETURNEES: That's the Wildcats' biggest unknown. Bayless is gone and Budinger could follow. Sophomore forward Jordan Hill is expected back and will be an anchor inside for the Cats. Arizona hopes freshman forward Jamelle Horne (3.0 ppg, 2.7 rpg) makes a big leap by next season.
ROSTER REPORT:
--Freshman Jerryd Bayless finished the season as the Pac-10's third-leading scorer at 19.7 points per game. He scored 592 points, averaged 4.0 assists and shot 41 percent from the 3-point line. On April 6, Bayless announced he was leaving for the NBA.
--Sophomore post Jordan Hill improved his numbers from 4.7 points and 4.1 rebounds a year ago to 13.2 and 7.9, and shot 62 percent from the field. He had 16 points and 12 rebounds in the loss to West Virginia.
--Sophomore Chase Budinger improved his scoring from 15.6 per game as a freshman to 17.1, but disappeared at times, including in a loss to rival Arizona State, where he shot 1-for-12. Budinger declared for the NBA days after Bayless.
