Arizona men’s basketball defeated Utah 74-73 on Saturday, Jan. 27. Here is a breakdown of the key numbers for the Wildcats.

15

Arizona had 15 turnovers in the game which contributed to the Utes ability to remain in the game despite being down by as much as 13 in the game. Senior point guard Parker Jackson-Cartwright was unusually sloppy with the ball, turning the ball over four times.

18 of 21

Utah went to the line 21 times to just 11 for Arizona. The Utes connected on 18 of those attempts and guard Sedrick Barefield was the main culprit in getting several Wildcats in foul trouble in the second half.

13

Minutes freshman Emmanuel Akot had in the game. Akot hasn’t seen a ton of playing time but with Rawle Alkins injured, Akot should see increased minutes. He also looked very at ease on the court which could indicate he is relatively pain free after battling tendonitis earlier this season.

64.4

Arizona was efficient on offense and made every shot count for the most part, shooting nearly 65% on the day. Perhaps the biggest reason for their narrow victory could be attributed to the teams ball movement and quality shots.

30

Arizona was outscored by Utah in the paint by 10. The Utes had 30 points in the paint and were largely aggressive attacking the rim which also goes back to the free throw disparity.

1,003

Senior Dusan Ristic joined the 1,000 point club and sealed it in the most epic way possible, by hitting a big 3-point shot to extend the Wildcats lead to four in the last minutes of the game. Ristic may be playing his best basketball of a largely up and down career.

10

The Wildcats hit 10 3-pointers on the evening. That combined with a series of mid-range jump shots from Ayton and Ristic should bode well moving forward.

Follow Saul Bookman on Twitter