That was before Josiah Turner elected to transfer (not good) and Kyryl Natyazhko decided to leave school to pursue a professional career in Europe (not bad).

Their departures, along with a few recent commitments elsewhere, have dropped the 'Cats to 17th in Katz's newest rankings.

The Wildcats had to deal with a number of issues this season, and that has carried over into the offseason as well. For the second straight year, UA has lost its point guard to transfer, with Josiah Turner announcing his intentions this week. But fans in Tucson shouldn't panic. Arizona can lean heavily on returnees like Solomon Hill, Nick Johnson and a healthy Kevin Parrom, but this will be a team heavy on newcomers. The recruiting class is currently ranked No. 2 nationally by ESPN, with Kaleb Tarczewski, Grant Jerrett, Brandon Ashley and Gabe York heading to the desert. This team will be young in November, but should make its mark in March.

It makes sense.

As of now, the Wildcats are entering the season with a huge question mark at the point guard position, with one of Jordin Mayes, Nick Johnson or freshman Gabe York to man the spot. Unfortunately for Arizona, none of the three are what would be considered a "true point guard," as they are more scorers and combo-guard types.

However, Sean Miller now has one open scholarship to use on someone, and chances are he will look to land a point guard over the next few weeks.

If he can do that, things could very well be just fine in Wildcat land. If not, well, it could be an interesting year down in the Old Pueblo.