SAN DIEGO – It wasn’t pretty, but the Wildcats found a way to get a gritty dub in San Diego and keep their dancing shoes on for at least another day. No. 1 Arizona had one of its most uneven performances of the season, but never trailed in the game, knocking off No. 9 Utah State 78-66 on Sunday evening in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
The Wildcats (34-2) advance to their third straight Sweet 16 and fourth in five seasons under head coach Tommy Lloyd, and will face No. 4 Arkansas (28-8) in the West Region semifinals on Thursday, March 26, in San Jose, California.
Arizona connected on just 39.3 percent of its shots from field, tied for its 2nd-worst field goal percentage of the season. The Wildcats went 15 of 39 on 2-point shots, missing 13 layups. The UA also struggled at the free throw line, but benefited by the sheer volume of attempts, going 27-39 from the charity stripe.
Jaden Bradley finished with a game-high 18 points, including 12 in the second half when the Wildcats needed it most. Brayden Burries dazzled down the stretch for the UA as well, scoring 16 points, 11 of which came in the second half, including a 3-pointer to put the Wildcats up by three possessions with less than two and a half minutes to play.
Arizona dominated the boards, finishing pus-28 on the glass and collecting 22 offensive rebounds that led to 21 second-chance points.
The Wildcats had not had a freshman with a double-double in the NCAA Tournament since 2018 (Deandre Ayton). The UA now has its second in as many games after Koa Peat finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Motiejus Krivas went for 11 points, 14 rebounds, nine of which came on the offensive end, and three blocks.
Utah State shot 31.9 percent, including 25 percent from 3-point range, and only took 11 free throw attempts. Despite the lackluster shooting numbers, the Aggies forced 11 turnovers, eight of which came after halftime, as USU cut an 18-point lead down to four on three separate occasions.
The UA jumped out to an early 10-2 lead, forcing Utah State to call an early timeout after a Bradley triple. USU responded, scoring on its next two possessions, while the Wildcats missed three of their next four shots. Burries got into early foul trouble and sat after picking up two fouls in the first six minutes of the game. Arizona’s offense struggled in his absence and USU got within 19-16. The freshman and UA’s top scorer this season returned with 8:24 to play in the first half, spurring an 8-0 run as the Wildcats held USU scoreless for over four minutes. Over the last six minutes of the first half, Arizona connected on just two of its 10 shots, as a layup from Ivan Kharchenkov and a jumper from Koa Peat helped the Wildcats take a 33-24 lead into the locker room.
Ivan Kharchenkov’s lone 3-pointer of the night was part of a 5-0 run for Arizona early in the second half. A pair of Utah State triples cut the lead back to single digits, before the Wildcats went on a 9-0 run to stretch the lead to 18 points, their largest of the night, with 14:43 left to play.
But the Aggies responded, ratcheting up the pressure on defense and forcing six turnovers and four missed shots on the next 14 possessions, as the Wildcats went nearly eight minutes without a field goal. Then, Jaden Bradley reminded everyone why he has been dubbed “The Closer” this season.
The senior scored eight of the next 10 points for Arizona, never letting Utah State get closer than four points, before Mo Krivas knocked down two pairs of free throws to stretch the Wildcats’ lead back to nine with 3:02 to play.
Utah State’s MJ Collins Jr. drained with 2:51 left to play inch back within two possessions, before Brayden Burries buried his third triple of the night and one of the biggest shots of his freshman campaign to re-extend Arizona’s lead back to nine points. Kharchenkov and Krivas finished things off for Arizona, as the Wildcats got to experience what it feels like to “survive and advance” in March first hand.
If Tommy Lloyd and the Wildcats can handle No. 4 Arkansas, led by future hall of fame coach John Calipari and SEC Player and Freshman of the Year Darius Acuff Jr., it’s possible Arizona will face former head coach Sean Miller for a trip to the Final Four. Miller and the No. 11 Texas Longhorns will battle the No. 2 Purdue Boilermakers in first game of Thursday’s doubleheader at the SAP Center in San Jose.
[…] SAN DIEGO – It may not have been pretty, but the top-seeded Arizona Wildcats are going to continue dancing after battling in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament. Before the Wildcats shift their attention to No. 4 Arkansas and the Sweet 16, see what head coach Tommy Lloyd and Arizona players Jaden Bradley, Brayden Burries, and Koa Peat said postgame after the 78-66 win over the No. 9 Utah State Aggies. […]