Rivera: With Trier out, where does Arizona go from here?

So where does Arizona go from here given the news freshman sensation Allonzo Trier will be out for until the middle of February, at the very latest, after he suffering a broken right hand on Saturday night?

It's anyone's guess, but a Pac-12 title is still there for the taking. Seriously. It won't be easy, though.

What a season it's been and there is two and a half - maybe more? - left. Let me first say the two losses Arizona went through are nothing compared to the loss of Trier, who was coming along quite nicely in his first season. Arizona will be hard-pressed to find his points per game (14.8) but yet must.

It's a big blow to be sure but the program has been here before and has endured a few things already this year with Kaleb Tarczewski having been out nearly a month with ankle and foot problems, Ryan Anderson troubled with the same and freshman Ray Smith out for the season with a knee injury. And let's not forget the absence of junior Elliott Pitts, who has been out more than a month with "personal issues."

Maybe he's back this week … that would be fortunate.

How Arizona overcomes Trier's injury will have to come from the basketball mind of Sean Miller, who is quite capable for coming up with something.

What Arizona needs is scoring and defense. Trier supplied the former and right now both are important. Freshman Justin Simon could step in the role but how good would that be? He's more of an athletic defender than a scorer, so his role won't change.

The player most impacted could be Parker Jackson-Cartwright, who could be asked to handle more of the point guard duties while Kadeem Allen can move to the shooting guard/small forward spot. No doubt Allen can score (he averaged 26 in junior college), given his resume before he arrived to Arizona. And he has showed signs of it more recently. And he brings the ability to play defense at all perimeter spots.

Consider it a smoother transition than any other.

It will allow Gabe York to continue to be Gabe York only better … because he has to be. He can no longer be inconsistent from the floor. He knows it. Miller knows it. Everyone knows it.

All the while, senior transfer Mark Tollefsen will have to play better than he has (fewer threes and more near-the-basket shots would help). And UA's big men - Tarczewski and Dusan Ristic - will have to score more. Not much more, just more.

Still, playing defense is the No. 1 priority. And that, well, is a work in progress and will be all season, which of course means you'll have to be patient and realistic. Defense isn't fixed overnight. Wish and hope all you want, but this will be an ongoing issue.

Now, finding points will be too because it is likely opponents will play zones more often and we know Arizona's history against zones. It hasn't always been easy to bust the zone. With Trier out for at least a month, it'll be a major test.

But it also reminds me UA has been able to pass these types of tests (depending on your view).

Arizona survived some unexplained illness of guard Lamont Frazier in 2001 (it eventually reached the NCAA title game), the back injury to Loren Woods in 2000 (Arizona eventually lost to Wisconsin in the NCAA's second round after being the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament), Khalid Reeves injured thumb in 1991 (UA lost to Seton Hall in the Sweet 16), Luke Walton's injured finger and Gilbert Arenas injured sternum during its fun run to the NCAA title game, then there's the injury to Brandon Ashley, who suffered a season-ending injury foot two years ago while Arizona was rolling and undefeated at 21-0.

Wait, upon further review, given the history of the injuries Arizona has gone through over the years, they all had an impact (not in a good way) in Arizona's eventual success. That's why the Wildcats and Miller will need some good luck in a season pretty much void of it.

Until then, hold on tight -if it hasn't been a crazy ride so far it will be soon.

Steve Rivera has covered the Arizona men's basketball team full-time since the 1991 season, filling in since 1988. He's the author of the Arizona Basketball Vault and "100 Things Arizona Fans Need to Know & Do Before They Die."