Newark, N.J. –The No. 4 seed University of Arizona Wildcats suffered a season-ending 100-93 loss to No. 1 Duke in the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA tournament. While Arizona was knocked by the Blue Devils, the Wildcats mounted an enormous effort in an attempt to advance themselves further into the tournament.
There were several key aspects of the game to look at when reflecting on one of the Wildcats’ most competitive matchups of this season.
Perimeter shots
Arizona was effective from the outside, specifically around the 3-point line. Caleb Love put up 35 points, shooting 5-for-11 from beyond the arc. Love recorded a season-high score to end his career as a Wildcat.
The 6-foot guard was an essential part of keeping Arizona in the game against Duke, finding shots to balance out Blue Devils’ 6-foot-9 Cooper Flagg’s own attempts.
“They’re a team that competes at a very high level. They play really hard. It’s hard to get downhill and finish when you have a 7-foot-2 guy roaming around with a 7-foot-3 [or] 4 wingspan kind of just roaming around and blocking shots, being able to alter your shots. So I think they just did a great job in making us settle for outside jumpers,” Arizona forward Carter Bryant said.
Jaden Bradley was another major contributor to Arizona’s perimeter shots, going 6-for-10 from inside the arc and earning 15 points for the game.
Learning from mistakes
Arizona saw Duke earlier in the Wildcats’ season on Nov. 22, 2024, losing to the Blue Devils 69-55. Their improvement from their previous game to Thursday night’s matchup is impressive, showcasing Arizona’s dedication and ability to adapt while facing pressure.
“Yeah I mean, you know, that was one of the earlier games of the season. I think a lot of teams are finding out a lot about themselves at that time. You know, just the way we play offensively kind of completely changed from that time and even defensively has, but I think we just got a lot closer as a group and played for each other a lot more,” Trey Townsend, Arizona’s 5th year forward, said.
“I think it’s just the growth of us as players. I think we went back in from that time that we lost that game and we just allowed ourselves to learn and kind of move forward and learn from our mistakes,” Bryant said. “I think for us, we kind of saw that and obviously we built throughout the season. We won a lot of Big 12 games. We won a lot of games from the time we lost that game. So I think we did a good job of just getting better and better and better.”
Arizona’s offense saw immense improvement since playing Duke in November, going from hitting 21-of-53 shots from the field to 30-for-66. From the 3-point line, the Wildcats went from a previous standing of 6-of-23 and increased it to 12-of-26 made attempts.
This improvement was truly game-changing for the Wildcats.
Controlling fouls
Arizona struggled with fouls throughout the entire match against Duke. Despite multiple players finding themselves in foul trouble, KJ Lewis was the Wildcats’ only player to see his fifth foul, putting him on the bench for the remainder of the game in the second half.
Due to Arizona’s fouls, the Wildcats were forced to leave the outside floor more open defensively in hopes to steer clear of receiving a call.
“We just had to, you know, try to play with our hands back and really lock into the game plan. You know, we had to let them kind of shoot some mid range shots just trying not to foul,” Townsend said. “Obviously you know, getting [fouls] that early on is hard to come back from. You got guys sitting that don’t normally sit at certain times. But, I think we kind of figured that out and locked back in and obviously a couple guys fouled out at the end, but you know, it was way later on. It was a challenge, but I feel it was a challenge for them too.”
Energy, energy, energy
Maintaining a positive energy on the court and a hungry mental attitude arguably kept the Wildcats within reach against Duke. There was a point in the matchup where the Blue Devils recorded a gaping 19-point lead over Arizona as time was nearing its end.
However, the Wildcats never gave up and fought to stay in the game. All Arizona players on the court were on the floor for loose balls, working to get open for their teammates and hustling to retreat on defense.
“A game like this, you get down by a team like this, and, you know, it’s easy to kind of just throw your hands up in the air and just say, you know, whatever but […] our season was on the line. Mentally, we’re sort of thinking that we didn’t come this far just to come this far,” junior forward Tobe Awaka said.
Despite Awaka’s limited time on the court due to foul trouble, he kept energy up alongside other members on the bench, not allowing any Wildcats to hang their heads.
Playing for Arizona’s program
Despite all other factors, the Wildcats played for each other and for the name on their jersey this game. Knowing it would be several seniors’ last times playing as Arizona basketball players, this game meant more than just beating a No. 1 seed competitor.
“I’m just so grateful and honored to be here and to my teammates, to be [on] their journey. You know, I learned so much from them and I hope they learned some things from me and I’m excited for, you know, their careers ahead. Even from ‘C-Love’ [Caleb Love] all the way down to the walk-ons [and] coaches. I’m following everybody’s journey and just happy to be in their lives,” Bradley said.
“They’re just great guys, and I think that’s a really big thing. You don’t really get an inside peek being an outsider. Even when I was committed, I mean I think I was committed two years [into] high school, and you still don’t really know what’s going on,” Bryant saud “Even though, you know, you feel like you’re part of the program but you’re not really yet because you’re not on campus. It’s like, we have great people on this team and I think the biggest thing that stood out to me was ‘C-Love’. So many people talk about him in the worst ways. People drag his name through the mud. He’s just a- he’s just one of the greatest human beings I’ve ever met.”
Some graduating players even look forward to their future with Arizona athletics.
“Next year, I’m coming back. I’ll be a part of a team in a different way. I’ll be a graduate assistant for my dad. Yeah, I’m looking forward to it and that’s just the next chapter of my journey,” Liam Lloyd, son of head coach Tommy Lloyd, said.
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