After Tuesday's 30-point win over Western New Mexico, there was little doubt that the Wildctas had shown improvement.
Whether it was on defense or offense, Arizona looked as if it was ready for the season to begin.
"Generally, I thought that tonight was a better performance than the first exhibition game," Arizona coach Sean Miller said. "We had a very good intensity; we rebounded the ball well, and passed the ball well. Our defense tonight looked like the defense we hope to see this season."
While a win is the ultimate goal, Miller and the rest of the coaching staff were looking mostly for improvement.
"For the most part, tonight showed how we built on everything we learned from the first exhibition and we are moving in a positive direction," Miller said.
"We are making better decisions across the board, though we still need to work on our transition and to not give up the quick baskets. We definitely executed better on offense tonight, and I know that we are going to improve on it throughout the season."
With that being said, there is still some concern about the season opener, much of which is out of Miller's control.
"My biggest concern, which is something that I can't place blame on, is that so many of our guys are new and have very little experience," he said.
"I know that coming into our first game of the regular season, some of them won't know what to expect."
In order to improve on that, Miller is going to be asking the veterans of the team for help.
"The older players, like Nic and Jamelle, will definitely have to educate the younger players," Miller said. "When Nic prepares for a game, he focuses like it's the biggest obstacle, the most important match, and the younger guys don't quite know how to get ready like that."
As the UA gets ready for Sunday, Miller is confident the Wildcats will be ready.
"I know going into Sunday's match, we will be at a higher level, all across the board," he said. "We're going to make good progress this week, and we'll be ready to face Northern Arizona."
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