ARIZONA BASKETBALL

Arizona Wildcats No. 2 in initial USA Today Coaches Poll

Oct 16, 2014, 6:14 PM | Updated: 6:15 pm

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It’s fair to say the Arizona Wildcats are entering the 2014-15 season with some pretty lofty expectations.

The initial USA Today Coaches Poll was released Thursday, and Arizona comes in at No. 2 behind Kentucky.

Arizona is the only Pac-12 school in the top 25.

Arizona, which won 33 games last season and reached the Elite 8, lost key players Nick Johnson and Aaron Gordon to the NBA Draft, but is returning starters T.J. McConnell, Kaleb Tarczewski and Brandon Ashley, along with sixth-man Gabe York and wing player (and projected starter) Rondae Hollis-Jefferson.

Sean Miller’s team is also expected to benefit from one of the nation’s best recruiting classes, which is headlined by forwards Stanley Johnson and Craig Victor.

Arizona’s annual Red/Blue scrimmage is set for this Saturday, and the team’s first exhibition game will be Nov. 9 against Cal Poly Pomona.

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