Arizona men’s basketball is off to its best start in program history with a 22-0 record. Following the regular season sweep of rival Arizona State, the Wildcats are now heading into the second half of conference play.
The first half of conference play provided some learning lessons for Tommy Lloyd’s team, but the team continues to roll through its schedule.
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Here are five things we’ve learned about Arizona men’s basketball from the first half of conference play:
Arizona is built for any type of game
The Wildcats’ nine conference wins did not all come easily. Arizona was challenged in every game, as a team who is undefeated and ranked number one should be.
For the most part, Arizona has been able to put games away within the final 10 or so minutes. However, there have been games where UA was pushed to the edge and challenged to respond in critical situations.
Regardless, Arizona has responded to every situation presented to it with steadiness. It’s something that Lloyd and his team rely on.
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“We value steadiness,” said Lloyd. “A lot of people talk about momentum, momentum, momentum. I understand what momentum is, but I think there’s way more value in being steady and consistent.”
Up to this point nothing has come easy for the Wildcats. ASU pushed them to the limit in McKale Center. UCF gave Arizona a scare in Orlando. BYU had a furious comeback in the final two minutes.
None of this is a surprise to Lloyd. He expects other teams to attack Arizona with more than 100 percent effort in every game.
“We don’t expect these games to come easy, we obviously take all these games serious,” said Lloyd. “I learned that our guys are here for it. You put them in tough situations, they’re not afraid to make plays and find a way in a really tough game.”
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The notion or thought of losing does not scare Lloyd. He knows that a loss can still present an opportunity to learn and grow.
“I understand it’s part of the process,” said Lloyd on the concept of losing. “Would I be happy? No, but I’m gonna be all right. I’m built for this.”
The close games are building an exterior around the team that is rough and hard to break through. Very rarely do you see the Wildcats out of control or thrown off their game.
Being ready for any type of game or any type of situation is what allows Arizona to stay composed through chaos.
“I always tell our guys, if we’re not gritty then we look like a word that rhymes with gritty,” said Lloyd. “We want to be gritty and that’s our DNA. That’s what it takes to win at the highest levels of college basketball, and that’s what it takes to win in this conference.
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No matter what teams throw at Arizona, whether it be a low scoring grind it out game or a high scoring flying up and down the court game, the Wildcats will be ready for to face it head on.
Burries has hit his stride
Since conference play started, Brayden Burries has scored 15 or more points in five of the nine Big 12 games.
After a rough start to the season, he has found his rhythm and flow. Scoring has become easier for him, especially in transition. Of course, this is nothing new to his teammates.
“He did what he usually does,” said Tobe Awaka after the West Virginia win on Jan. 24. “Tremendous scorer, uber talented. He shows it in practice so really just as expected today.”
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Burries scored 22 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the field against the Mountaineers, which included four 3-pointers. Lloyd was expecting a big jump in Burries’ game in the month of January and won’t be surprised if there is another jump in the month of February.
“Like I said, I’m not putting any ceilings on any of these guys,” said Lloyd. “He’s getting a lot of confidence, and Brayden, he has amazing instincts for a young basketball player. Now, I think he’s layering that with some experience, or maybe he’s understanding what’s coming before it’s happening a little bit more, and he’s able to kind of manipulate certain situations. He’s responding to situations in the game as opposed to reacting.”
That experience that Burries is gaining is paying off now for the Wildcats. Saving the day against BYU, Buries had the play of the game when he blocked a last second shot by the Cougars and then proceeded to hit two free throws to put the game away.
“Honestly, I was just thinking like my teammates have been having my back this whole year,” Burries said on his game sealing block. “Like that was the least I can do is help them in that position right there.”
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The most impressive part of the play was the fact that the player he blocked was not his man. He was guarding someone else when he recognized that he can race across the court and help make the play.
Safe to say that Burries overall game is continuing to improve, which is a great thing for Arizona. In the last month, he honed in on his rebounding and it has paid off.
Since conference play started, he is averaging 6.4 rebounds per game. Awaka and Motiejus Krivas might be upset that rebounds are being taken away from them, but they won’t be too upset at the fact that Burries is the one taking the boards away from them.
High intensity on defense
While Lloyd’s teams are primarily known for their offensive output, this year’s team has been focused on the defensive side of the ball.
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On the season, Arizona averages 4.5 blocks, 8.5 steals and forces 13.2 turnovers per game.
For the Wildcats, defense leads to offense. They score 17.5 points per game off of turnovers.
Ivan Kharchenkov, one of Arizona’s lockdown defenders, knows that Arizona’s defense is what has helped it get off to a perfect start.
“We want to be known as a good defensive team, and I think we’re showing it most of the game, most of the time,” said Kharchenkov.
It’s not just the plays that go into the stat sheet for Arizona. It does a really good job of defending shots while staying vertical and avoiding fouls.
Teams have yet to figure out how to get Arizona in trouble on the defensive end this season. If they continue to overlook the Wildcats defense, Lloyd will continue to emphasize it in practice.
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“Coach is always hard on us for playing defense, being in the stance, helping our brothers out when they get beat, simple stuff like that,” said Peat.
Overall team selflessness
Arizona averages 18.2 assists per game and with 31.8 field goals made per game, most of its baskets come from the extra pass.
This team is about as close of a team as you’ll ever see. During every postgame interview, the team gathers around the player that is being interviewed and usually throws up that player’s number with their hands.
Not many players would take a starting role and give it up. However, both Awaka and Anthony Dell’Orso did that. They both did what was best for the greater good.
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Now, Lloyd is looking for that similar type of sacrifice from the rest of his team.
“I think our guys need to be a little more intentional just being a player-led program down the stretch,” said Lloyd. “Now it’s time for them to own the execution, own the fundamentals, own effort, own energy.”
The willingness to give up personal gain for what could be accomplished by the group as a whole is what has set Arizona apart from everyone else. The Wildcats are always willing to make the extra pass, both literally and figuratively.
“I think we all want what’s best for each other and we’re an unselfish group, and we all love each other,” said Peat.
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Wildcats handled the ‘easy’ part
The Wildcats stand at 9-0 in conference play, mainly due to the fact that they played teams in the bottom half of the Big 12. Outside of BYU and UCF, Arizona has not played the cream of the crop in the Big 12.
“We need to continue to understand we’re going to meet a lot of tough moments and tough environments, and we got to stay steady and be poised,” said Lloyd.
Those tough moments might come when Arizona goes on the road to Kansas and Houston. February presents a gauntlet for the team, but given what it did in nonconference play, it should not be too tall of a task.
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“We’ve got to be ready for all this stuff,” said Lloyd. “We got to be ready to make adjustments. They have as much time to prepare as we do, so they’re going to throw things at us. We always respect that, and we want to learn from these situations.”
The good news for the Wildcats, there are only four road games the rest of the season. Arizona plays Texas Tech, BYU (again), Kansas (again), and Iowa State in McKale Center.
While that favors UA, Lloyd is not looking ahead to those games. He solely focused on his next opponent which is Oklahoma State.
“We’ve literally taken these games one by one, and we’ve been able to come out on the right side of them,” said Lloyd. “Obviously, we have a really good team, but we’re building for something bigger.”
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More than likely for guys like Burries and Koa Peat, this is probably their only shot at possibly making a deep run in the NCAA tournament. They both know what is at stake this season and they both are trying to make the most of their opportunities.
“We’re just taking it one game at a time, trying to win one game every week, however many games we have, just trying to take it one game at a time,” said Peat.
The overall goals for Arizona may be lofty, but the 22-0 start to the season and the significance of that accomplishment is not lost on Peat and his teammates.
“I think it’s just a testament to the hard work we’ve put in since the summer, but our mindset is to taking one game at a time,” said Peat. “Coach said we need to have our best week of practice.”
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After having passed every test up to this point in the season, the Wildcats face one last stretch of tests. Ideally, Arizona will pass this test as well, but it knows that the only test that matters will come in March.
