With under 15 minutes to play in the second half, Arizona was clinging to just a two-point lead over Cincinnati. From there, the battle tested and gritty Wildcats (19-0, 6-0) outscored the Bearcats 37-13 to secure their sixth conference win and stay perfect on the season. Check out our takeaways from the Arizona Wildcats’ 77-51 win over Cincinnati.
1) Europeans on the UP and UP for Tommy Lloyd
Things may have looked very different for the Wildcats without the play of Motiejus Krivas and Ivan Kharchenkov. Krivas led all scorers with 17 points on 7-of-9 shooting, along with nine rebounds, an assist, a block, and a steal. Kharchenkov lived up to his German Army Knife nickname, scoring 14 points on 6-of-11 from the field, and adding two rebounds, an assist, and two steals.
Both players have come into their own down the latest stretch of the season, opening up options for Tommy Lloyd and Arizona. Koa Peat has struggled with some foul trouble as of late and Anthony Dell’Orso is in a bit of a slump on both ends of the floor. But with the elevated play of Krivas and Kharchenkov, the Wildcats don’t need to rely on a 20-10 game from Peat, or for Tobe Awaka to come away with every rebound (though those things are nice).
Since coming back from the holidays, Krivas has scored in double figures in four of his seven games and secured three double-doubles. He’s playing with a noticeable increase in toughness, and it’s resulting in him averaging 13.0 points and 8.9 rebounds per game during that span.
For Kharchenkov, he’s becoming a offensive threat as he finds his role on the team. After notching a double-double in the season opener against Florida, the German took a bit of a back seat offensively. But since the Auburn game in early December, Kharchenkov has scored in double figures in all but two games. He’s moving with and without the ball better, cutting to the basket well, and shooting at an efficient 50.0% clip on the season.
For both players, it wasn’t an if, but rather, when, they would break out and start contributing at a high-level for Arizona.
2) Does Arizona even need a 3-point shooting game?
All season we’ve been asking when Arizona’s 3-point shooting woes would come back to bite it. The game against Cincinnati looked like it could have been the one to do the Wildcats in, that is until Arizona closed the second half on its 37-13 run. And while the UA shot just 3-13 (23.1%) from beyond the arc, it still pulled away to win by 26 against a defensive-minded conference opponent that upset No. 2 Iowa State a week ago. So how did Arizona do it?
The Wildcats outscored the Bearcats 48-14 in the paint. Let that sink in for a moment. Arizona had nearly as many points in the paint as Cincinnati scored in the entire game. The entire roster, not just the bigs, have a nose for the cup and are more than comfortable playing at and around the rim, which bodes well for Arizona. Because while a streaky 3-point shooting day can get you a win in the NCAA Tournament, the Wildcats’ consistent, steadfast offense in the paint is physical, wears teams down, and is the reason they are the unanimous No. 1 team in the nation for the first time in program history.
Arizona is also tough defensively. The Wildcats committed just six turnovers, while forcing the Bearcats to cough the ball up 14 times, leading to 17 points. Cincinnati also secured just 11 offensive rebounds, leading to just nine second chance points, and was held to just 4-of-21 (19.0%) from the perimeter shooting.
So while the 3-point shooting numbers haven’t been eye-popping, the gritty style Tommy Lloyd’s team is playing with right now is more than enough to remain in the win column.
3) As sensational as he’s been, Peat isn’t perfect…yet!
Koa Peat finished with a respectable 13 points and six rebounds on 5-of-8 shooting against Cincinnati. But for the second straight game, the freshman has battled early foul trouble and left points on the court, reminding us that while he’s been one of the most electric players, let alone freshmen in the country, he’s still got plenty of room to grow.
After two quick fouls in less than a minute, Peat was forced to sit for the final six minutes of the first half. He went 1-of-2 at the free throw as Arizona clung to just a six-point lead at halftime. In the second, he played cleaner, picking up just one foul and playing for 15 minutes, but shot just 2-5 from the charity stripe.
Four missed free throws didn’t decide this game, but with the Wildcats’ toughest stretch of the schedule, including games against BYU, Kansas, Texas Tech, and Iowa State still on the horizon, Arizona needs Koa Peat to be the best player on the floor at all times. It’s better to have games like this now rather than in March, but the biggest test of Big 12 play is rapidly approaching when Arizona heads to Provo for a showdown with No. 13 BYU in less than a week.