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A huge win over No. 13 Texas Tech has men’s hoops back in the spotlight, plus Arizona baseball is set to take on its first test at Shriners Children’s College Showdown as Summerhill nabs preseason honors.
All the little things lead to Arizona’s big midseason turnaround
At 4-5, most people in the country wrote off Tommy Lloyd and his Arizona men’s basketball team. There were concerns about talent, scheme and overall enthusiasm as the Wildcats dropped five contests in a row against Power Four opponents. Even the most optimistic of fans had a hard time seeing the positivity in a brutal stretch capped off by a loss to UCLA in Phoenix which saw the Wildcats squander a 13-point lead late in the second half.
But Arizona could harken the preachings of Geno Smith, quarterback of the Seattle Seahawks, with his famous post-game quote, “They wrote me off, I ain’t write back though!”
Truer words have never been spoken. After a big win at home vs No. 13 Texas Tech Saturday, Lloyd’s squad is now 13-1 since that UCLA game, 11-1 and tied atop the Big 12 conference standings and is in prime position to host a massive game against No. 5 Houston at McKale Saturday that could determine the outcome of the conference regular season title.
So what changed? How has a team that once looked lost, trying to find its identity, all of a sudden become one of the hottest teams in basketball? Consistency, plain and simple. By the numbers, nothing Arizona does will necessarily knock you out, but the sum of all the consistent parts paints a picture of a team that has slowly figured out that the little things can add to the bigger picture.
Case in point, defensively Arizona is rated one of the top teams in the country sitting anywhere from at 16th to 18th in the country in defensive rating according to Kenpom, EvanMiya and Haslametrics. It’s good, but not analytically considered elite. Offensively, the Wildcats are ranked 12th to 15th from the same 3 sites. Again, very good but not elite.
Where the numbers start to change is when you look at items such as kill shots. A kill shot is a run of 10 or more points without an opponent scoring. Arizona has given up just three runs of that sort all season, tied for 2nd least in the country. This has led to more consistent answers to thwart momentum and keep Arizona on schedule. Rhythm is everything and Arizona is on the constant search to maintain it at all costs.
On the other side of the ball, it has been about being more efficient than the opponent in field goals and free throws. Arizona has lost every game but one where it lost the efficiency field goal percentage margin. That one game was the win at ASU where the Wildcats made 11 more free throws than the Sun Devils in Tempe. The Wildcats have lost every game it lost the free throws made margin. Every. Single. One. So the way that Arizona has attacked the rim, the emergence of Tobe Awaka as a legitimate low post threat, and the overall physicality of the team has definitely paid dividends in the most subtle of ways.
Lloyd’s coaching job this season has been one of the best in the country. It points to his trust in the development of players through the course of the season. It also points to a coach that knows what he wants the program to be and hasn’t wavered off that path despite the rough times earlier in the year. Messaging is important, waver too much and player’s start to doubt if you believe in what you are doing. Lloyd has never once lost sight of that and the Wildcats are reaping the benefits at just the right time.
Arizona heads out on the road against a tough Kansas State team Tuesday in Manhattan, Kansas. It’ll be the first trip to the Octagon of Doom since the 1981-82 season. Arizona has never won at Bramlage Coliseum and is 6-8 all-time against KSU with all but three of those games happening before Lute Olson ever set foot in Tucson. The Wildcats return home Saturday against No.5 Houston.
Other noteworthy items:
Caleb Love was named conference player of the week last week and is just two points shy of 2500 for his career and already eclipsed the 1000 points scored as a Wildcat mark, becoming the 4th player under Tommy Lloyd to accomplish the feat.
Arizona moved up to No.13 in the AP Poll and is projected to be a 4-seed according to ESPN’s Joe Lunardi.
Carter Bryant got his first career start in the Big 12, replacing Trey Townsend who was sidelined due to concussion protocol. Lloyd said Townsend’s status for Tuesday is still up in the air but ruled out him being out for the season.
Tobe Awaka was named Big 12 Newcomer of the Week for his performances against BYU and Texas Tech where he averaged 14 points and 10 rebounds. He is the first Wildcat player to receive the honor.
Down the Mall
Softball
No.17 Arizona started off the season 5-1, capping off the Candrea Classic with a run rule victory over No.11 Alabama. The Wildcats’ lone loss was to Washington which they avenged on Sunday with a 4-0 shutout over the Huskies.
Women’s Basketball
Jada Williams, Breya Cunningham and Lauryn Swann combined for 44 of the Wildcats’ 66 points in a win Saturday over ASU. The win moves them to 15-10 on the season and 6-6 in the conference. Arizona is in desperate need of quad 1 wins, having only secured one on the season so far. Their next two games appear to be the only chances to do that as the Wildcats go on the road to Stillwater to face No. 25 Oklahoma State on Wednesday before taking on No. 9 TCU at home next Sunday.
Baseball
No. 21 Arizona baseball begins the season on Friday against Ole Miss at the Shriners Children’s College Showdown at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. They will also take on No. 15 Clemson on Saturday and wrap up with Louisville on Sunday before coming home for their opener against New Mexico.
The Wildcats also received numerous preseason honors as shortstop Mason White and outfielder Brendan Summerhill received NCBWA second team All-American nods and Summerhill received 1st team All-American recognition from Baseball America in addition to being on the Golden Spikes Award preseason watch list.
Tennis
Colton Smith became the winningest singles player in program history notching his 97th win, passing the mark set a year ago by graduate and former team captain Nick Lagaev. The win capped off a great weekend as Arizona improved to 8-1 on the year after defeating Utah State, Loyola Marymount and No. 25 Pepperdine.
The week ahead:
- Men’s Basketball at Kansas State, Tuesday Feb. 11th at 6pm MST on ESPN+
- Women’s Basketball at Oklahoma State, Wednesday, Feb. 12th at 5:30pm MST on ESPN+
- Softball: Bear Down Fiesta at Hillenbrand, Thursday Feb. 13th at 5:00pm on ESPN+ through Feb. 16th
- Gymnastics vs Iowa State, Friday Feb. 14th at 7pm MST on ESPN+
- Track and Field: Husky Classic in Seattle Washington Feb. 14-15
- Baseball: Shriners Children’s College Showdown Feb. 14-16, watch on FLOCOLLEGE
- Women’s Tennis vs Princeton & Texas Tech (Singles Only) Feb.14-15
- Men’s Tennis at ITA National Team Indoor Championship Feb. 14-17
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