The University of Arizona men’s basketball team (7-5, 1-0 in Big 12) opened Big 12 conference play for the first time in program history with a commanding 90-81 victory over TCU on Monday, Dec. 30 at 8 p.m. This matchup also marked the Wildcats first meeting against TCU since the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2022.
Starting guard Caleb Love led the way for Arizona, recording a season-high 33 points, seven rebounds, seven assists and two steals. 7-foot forward Henri Veesaar followed with 15 points, six rebounds, four assists
First half
Arizona collected the first 5 points of the game, all scored by fifth-year guard Love. The Horned Frogs answered as 6-foot-11 center Ernest Udeh Jr., shot a jumper to get within the 7-4 score. Love found an open lane to score the layup as Arizona’s shots continued to fall early in the quarter, with 16 minutes left in the first period. The Wildcats went on a 7-0 scoring run ending on a dunk made by Veesaar, followed by a 3-pointer by Love to extend the lead 20-8. TCU scored on back-to-back possessions to get within 9 points of the 24-15 lead Arizona built.
The Horned Frogs continued to apply pressure, going on a 8-0 run that prompted a Wildcat timeout after TCU narrowed the lead down to 26-23. Out of the break, Arizona came out on a 8-0 scoring run of its own, regaining the double-digit lead 34-23 with under five minutes remaining in the first half. Soon after, Carter Bryant went up for an impressive TCU rejection, blocking a shot attempt by freshman Micah Robinson.
Back-to-back turnovers by Arizona allowed TCU to keep the game at bay as the Horned Frogs got back within single-digits. The Wildcats went into halftime leading TCU 41-37 and were led by Love who put up 16 points, shooting 7-of-10 from the field. He also added on two rebounds and a steal. Arizona shot 57.1 percent from the field in the first half.
Second half
Two minutes into the second half, TCU brought the lead down to just 1 point. The Wildcats tried to maintain their edge, spreading the lead to 5 points after a jumper taken by KJ Lewis. Veesaar and Love both hit shots from beyond the arc within a minute of each other, exciting the crowd in McKale after finding a 64-58 lead with 11:18 left in regulation.
Not giving up, TCU Isaiah Manning narrowed the Wildcat’s advantage to just 3 with a shot from beyond the arc. Lewis converted on a steal from Love into a dunk, keeping a 8 point gap between TCU and Arizona.
A technical foul was called on TCU, giving Love two free-throws. Shortly after, 6-foot-8 forward Tobe Awaka made a layup off a TCU turnover, solidifying the Wildcats’ 86-75 lead with 3:23 remaining. Ultimately, the Wildcats went on to win their first game in a new Big 12 schedule 90-81 over TCU.
Arizona collectively shot 56.9 percent from the field and held the Horned Frogs to just 39.1 percent (9-of-23) from 3-point range. The Wildcats had success against the Horned Frogs inside the paint scoring 42 of their total points.
Looking ahead
Arizona will be traveling to play the University of Cincinnati Bearcats as the Wildcats prepare for their first Big 12 road game on Saturday, Jan. 4 at 12:30 p.m. in Cincinnati, Ohio.
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