Short-handed and coming off back-to-back losses, Tommy Lloyd’s squad looked like it could be in for its second straight challenging week in an unforgiving league. Instead, one of the Wildcats’ veteran players rose to the challenge, helping the UA take sole possession of first place in the league’s standings. After ranked wins over No. 23 BYU and at No. 2 Houston, Arizona guard Anthony Dell’Orso has been named to the Big 12 Starting Five.
The Starting Five recognizes the league’s top five players each week. After struggling for much of Big 12 play, Dell’Orso broke out against BYU, scoring a team-high 22 points, the most he has scored in a Wildcat uniform, in 26 minutes off the bench. The Aussie senior connected on 8-15 shots from the field, including 4-8 from deep.
He followed up his bounce back game on Saturday with an equally impressive performance on the road at Houston’s Fertitta Center. In the win over the 2nd-ranked Cougars, Dell’Orso scored another 22 points off the bench, knocking down 8-14 shot attempts, including 2-5 from beyond the arc. Dell’Orso, who has garnered criticism for his defensive toughness throughout his career in Tucson, tallied a career-high four steals against the Cougars.
Following the win in Houston, head coach Tommy Lloyd said he never lost faith in his senior play-maker.
“Our media was getting a little worried back home and I just kept telling them, guys, ‘Delly is going to be at his best when we need him at his best.’ And I think you’ve seen that the last two games.”
Dell’Orso and Arizona remain on the road through Tuesday, when they face the Baylor Bears, before returning home to host No. 14 Kansas at the McKale Center at ALKEME Arena for the first time since joining the Big 12.