It’s been nearly 20 years since the Kansas Jayhawks have visited Tucson. So, after suffering their first loss of the season in Lawrence two weeks ago, the Wildcats played like they had something to prove on Saturday at the McKale Center at ALKEME Arena. Led by freshmen Brayden Burries and Koa Peat, who returned to the hardwood after missing the last three games, Arizona men’s basketball soared past No. 14 Kansas 84-61 to clinch a share of the Big 12 title.
Tommy Lloyd used a balanced offensive attack as all five starters scored in double figures, led by Brayden Burries, who had a 20-point, 12-rebound double-double, his third of the season. Motiejus Krivas also had a 13-point, 10-rebound double-double, his eighth of the season and fifth in conference play. Koa Peat finished with 12 points, seven rebounds, and five assists in his return, while Ivan Kharchenkov scored 11 points on 3-6 shooting, along with six rebounds, two assists, a block, and a steal. Veteran Jaden Bradley tacked on 10 more points for the Wildcats.
“We just got so many options. So just playing with each other, you know, it’s fun out there and [we] love sharing the ball,” said Bradley on the unselfish and balanced nature of Arizona’s play after the game.
The Wildcats dominated the paint, both on offense and defense. Tommy Lloyd’s group won the rebounding battle 48-26, which included a 14-9 advantage on offensive rebounds and 16-8 edge in second chance points. Arizona was +10 in points in the paint, outscoring Kansas 30-20 down low.
The Wildcats erupted out of the gate to start the game. After a Darryn Peterson three opened up the scoring, Arizona used a 19-0 run that featured three monster dunks, two from Krivas and one from Peat, to take a 21-5 lead over Kansas with 13:35 to play in the first half. The Wildcats and Jayhawks largely traded buckets down the stretch of the first half, but Bill Self’s team used a 9-2 run at the end of the first half to cut Arizona’s lead to 11 at the break.
Three Jayhawks finished in double figures, including a game-high 24 points from Peterson, the potential No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft, who shot 8-21 from the field, including 3-8 from beyond the arc. He also tallied five rebounds, three assists, two blocks, and a steal. Fellow guards Tre White and Melvin Council Jr. each scored 13, while White grabbed four rebounds and Council Jr. dished out four assists.
Using the momentum from the first half, Peterson took the game into his hands to start the second half. He went on a personal 7-2 run to cut Arizona’s lead to seven with 15:40, before an Anthony Dell’Orso triple and a pair of Tobe Awaka free throws helped rebuild the Wildcats’ lead to double digits. But Kansas responded with another blow, this time a 12-2 run over 2:26 that saw Arizona’s lead shrink to two with a score of 49-47.
But Arizona never wavered, or frankly looked back, using another “kill shot” 16-0 run to take a 65-47 lead with 7:59 to play. Ivan Kharchenkov got the run started with a three-pointer that touched just about every square inch of the rim before dropping in, while Jaden Bradley and Brayden Burries added at the line, and Krivas knocked down back-to-back jumpers.
“They cut it to four, and I just told our guys, we’re gonna win the game. Take a breath. Stay steady,” said Tommy Lloyd after the game. “Let’s see if we can put together a little bit of a run here. And how do you put together a run? Play by play. Play by play, by play, by play, I mean, that’s just possession, by possession, by possession, by possession. That’s how you put together a run. So, get a stop and score. It’s not much more complicated than that.”
Arizona’s lead ballooned to 20 with 4:42 with a Krivas layup and five free throws, including 4-4 from Tobe Awaka in the final two and a half minutes sealed the deal for the Wildcats.
Tommy Lloyd and his group now have to quickly shift their attention to No. 4 Iowa State, a projected 1-seed in the NCAA’s Bracket Preview a week ago, which fell at home to No. 16 Texas Tech 83-72. With a win, Arizona will clinch the Big 12 regular season title outright.
“It’s awesome. The job’s not done. I don’t think you set a goal at the start of the year that, let’s tie for the Big 12 Championship. Let’s see if we can win it. We got a couple games down the stretch here to give ourselves an opportunity to do that. And you guys know me, let’s focus on Monday and see if we can get it done Monday,” said Lloyd postgame.
“The Big 12 is a monster. We all know that. And we know we have to earn our keep, and we know that we’re going to be given nothing, and I don’t say that a bad way. We want to earn everything we get. So, I mean, if you can earn a conference championship, that’s a good first step.”
The Big Monday showdown tips off at 7:00 PM MST on ESPN.
[…] lost two straight games after starting the season 23-0. After avenging one of those losses with a win over No. 14 Kansas on Saturday, Tommy Lloyd’s group closed out Senior Day and its final game at home with a bang. On Monday, […]