For 19 games spanning more than two months, every Arizona Wildcats basketball game began with questions regarding whether Allonzo Trier would get to play and ended with curiosity about what the team would be like if and when he returned.Much loftier speculation has replaced those queries: Now that Trier is back, is Arizona the team to beat'The sophomore guard made his long-awaited season debut Saturday, coming off the bench to score 12 points. He added seven rebounds, four assists and a steal in 27 minutes in No. 14 Arizona's 96-85 win at third-ranked UCLA. It was his first action since the NCAA cleared him Friday following a failed offseason drug test.The 6'5" Trier was 4-of-10 from the field and made only one of four three-pointers, looking rusty on some of his jumpers and not as quick off the dribble as he was last season, when he averaged 14.8 points per game. But he looked much better than someone whose last real competition came in March, when Wichita State bounced Arizona in the first round of the NCAA tournament.But what Trier did Saturday should end up paling in comparison to his impact on the remainder of the season. A team that, less than a month ago, was down to seven available scholarship playerswhich forced head coach Sean Miller to rush back junior point guard Parker Jackson-Cartwright from a high ankle sprainnow becomes one of the deeper squads in the country."The fact that he's back I think means the world to our future," Miller said of Trier on Sportsradio 1290 prior to Saturday's game (via Anthony Gimino of AllSportsTucson.com).It wasn't like Arizona (18-2, 7-0 Pac-12) was struggling without Trier. Its only losses were by four against No. 13 Butler in Las Vegas and by seven to unbeaten Gonzaga in Los Angeles. The Wildcats had won their four true road games by an average of 17.5 points and came into Saturday's clash allowing 61.8 points per contest, which was the best in the conference and 13th in the country.Now, with another versatile player available, the Wildcats deserve to be considered at least a Final Four contender and a certainty to be in the mix for their first national title since 1997.Trier released a statement Wednesday, admitting he had "tested positive for a trace amount of a banned performance-enhancing drug" that was unknowingly given to him by a "well-intentioned but misguided person." The statement said he appealed what would have been a one-season suspension. He got his eligibility restored, but he noted he wouldn't be able to play until the substance had completely left his body.That came Friday, when the NCAA informed the school that Trier's most recent drug test was negative. He'd been practicing with the team all season and had made most road trips. Thus, he was with the Wildcats for their Los Angeles swing, allowing him to play right away.He will return to the starting lineup at some point, possibly as soon as Arizona's next game on Thursday against Washington State, which means someone has to go to the bench. The most likely option is freshman guard Kobi Simmons, though he had a career outing against UCLA with 20 points, six rebounds and five assists.ESPN's Jeff Goodman liked what he saw from Simmons:A move to the bench for the freshman just means Arizona's second unit will become even more formidable, with Miller able to mix and match five guards. He also has four frontcourt playersthree of whom are 6'11" or tallerwith each showing his ability Saturday to hit outside jumpers.That's been a known quantity for 7-foot freshman Lauri Markkanen, who was 3-of-4 from deep against UCLA and is shooting 50 percent (48-of-96) from beyond the arc, but junior Dusan Ristic and sophomore Chance Comanchewho had a combined 21 points on 9-of-14 shootingeach hit long twos in addition to scoring inside.Arizona's offensive rating ranked 34th in the country entering Saturday, and the Wildcats proceeded to shoot 50 percent overall and 45 percent from three. They also turned it over just seven times, avoiding empty possessions that could've been dangerous against UCLA's uptempo attack. And by holding the Bruins to just eight fast-break points, they forced UCLA to shoot 45.1 percent overall and 32.3 percent from three.UCLA (19-2, 6-2) came in shooting 53.6 and 44.1 percent, respectively, both tops in the country.Recent games have shown Arizona's defensive intensity wanes in the second half, possibly because of fatigue. On Thursday, it nearly blew a 23-point lead at USC after holding the Trojans to 19 first-half points. That prompted Miller to say "our ability to endure ... all the way to the finish line is nonexistent," per the Daily Wildcat (h/t Ryan Kelapire of Arizona Desert Swarm).That wasn't the case against UCLA, though the Bruins did rally from a 14-point hole to cut the deficit to 67-65 with 11:31 left. After that, Arizona regrouped and, possibly thanks to Trier's giving it another body to work with, never led by fewer than four points in the final nine minutes.One game doesn't ensure anythingboth for Trier and the Wildcatsthough their first win in 15 tries at Pauley Pavilion against a Top 10 UCLA team made for a strong foundation. How Arizona continues to assimilate Trier into the rotation and redefine everyone's offensive and defensive roles while adding the equivalent a 5-star prospect midway through the season will dictate how long its campaign lasts.All statistics courtesy of Sports-Reference.com unless otherwise noted. All recruiting information courtesy of Scout.com unless otherwise noted. Follow Brian J. Pedersen on Twitter at @realBJP.
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