.png)
With under seven minutes to play, Arizona led by only four points. Though to many, it would have felt very surprising if they ever completely relinquished their lead. Both on the court and in the stands, there was a confident presence among everyone who considered themselves to be Wildcats. Arizona did in fact hang on to earn their fifth consecutive victory, beating Texas Tech 82-73. Two days later, the Wildcats were ranked 13th nationally in the AP poll. Over a larger span Arizona had rattled off 13 of their past 14.
Not even two months prior to this most recent victory was the confidence Arizona played with against Texas Tech present. The Wildcats had lost several close contests where they were not at their best in the late stages of games. In the Battle for Atlantis, Arizona went 1-2, dropping tight contests against Oklahoma and fellow BIG 12 team West Virginia. Against UCLA, in a particularly stunning loss, Arizona led 49-36 with 10:00 remaining. The Wildcats would score one more field goal for the remainder of the game and lost 57-54, falling below .500 for the first time under HC Tommy Lloyd.
January was a month of revitalization for Arizona. One of the first steps was avenging their tropical loss against West Virginia. In fact, their road contest against West Virginia would offer an opportunity to show whether the team had actually improved since the start of the season. Arizona made a big statement, defeating West Virginia 75-56. KJ Lewis provided a much needed 21 point performance, picking up Caleb Love, who had 9 points on 10 shot attempts from the field. Arizona's ability to win when their star struggled was a significant feat.
This past Saturday, Love struggled once again. The fifth year senior was 4-15 from the field and had 3 turnovers. Love was aided by several teammates, notably in the front court where Awaka and Veesaar had a combined 29 points.
However, Arizona was unable to pick up their star on Tuesday night, in Manhatten Kansas. Love was 3-15 from the field and had just 6 points. Arizona looked throughout the roster for assistance, but little was provided. The strongest performance came from KJ Lewis, who had 15 points and shot 50% from the field. But for Arizona, their woeful three point shooting (2-22) was too much to overcome. Arizona was unable to extend their winning streak to 7, and now sits at 11-2 in conference play.
The question around this team is no longer whether they will be playing in march, but for how long? We have seen this team be dominant when Caleb Love plays well, and have also seen them win games when he doesn't. Additionally, Arizona has simply been a better defensive team this season compared to last year. In their past 5 games, Arizona has held opponents to below 30% from three point range, last season defending three pointers was a key point of criticism.
Consensus: I expect this team to finish with a minimum of 15 conference wins, and consider them to be one of the three teams with a strong chance of winning the BIG 12. I am also impressed by the team's defensive improvement. However, to be more convinced of a sustained run, I need to see stronger three point shooting and scoring in general from the teams three starting guards: Caleb Love, Jaden Bradley, and KJ Lewis. The three of them are a combined 29.5% from three--a concerning number for guards who should be more prolific shooters. This is a more complete team than last season, but weak three point shooting costed this team a run last season... it very well could again this year.
Comments