When the Arizona Wildcats blew a 13-point second half lead against UCLA and dropped to 4-5 on the season in mid-December, it looked like the hangover from their disappointing March Madness loss to Princeton was carrying over into the next season. However, the Cats have turned it around in a major way that has restored optimism in the team as they look to continue their big win streak.
The Arizona Wildcats Have Turned Their Dismal Start into a 7-Game Win Streak
The Arizona Wildcats had a rough start to the season, forcing many experts to reassess their expectations of the group. Head coach Tommy Lloyd was criticized early in the season, but after embarking on a 7-game win streak, including multiple victories over ranked opponents, it seems Lloyd has regained the trust of the fanbase.
That’s SEVEN straight W’s for Arizona! 🐻 Tommy Lloyd has them ROLLING 🔥 pic.twitter.com/W53TgNGmou
— College Basketball Report (@CBKReport) January 15, 2025
Their recent run included back-to-back road wins over #16 Cincinnati, where the Wildcats fought off a big comeback in the second half, and #21 West Virginia, who had beaten the Cats in the Bahamas earlier in the year but were unable to get it done again in Morgantown.
In their most recent game against #25 Baylor, Arizona was on cruise control for the entire evening in front of their home fans. The result never seemed in doubt, as they were up 42-19 at the half and kept the Bears down double-digits for almost the entire game. It was a big performance on the defensive end and on the glass, where they limited an imposing Baylor group to just 7 offensive boards. Arizona has grown into a well-rounded team – they now rank in the top 25 in the country for both offensive and defensive efficiency.
The Arizona Wildcats Have a Bench Stocked With Young Talent
The Arizona Wildcats have several sophomores who have made leaps this year. Henri Veesaar, a young big from Tallinn, Estonia, has emerged as a key bench player. Veesaar has been in good form as of late, showing off his perimeter shooting (4-8 from three-point land in his past 5 games), increased rebounding numbers (averaging 7 boards over the last 5), and rim protection (averaging 2 blocks over the past 5). Against Baylor, Veesaar had his career-high 19 points on 9-11 from the field.
PART CAT PART DAWG
w/ career high 19pts pic.twitter.com/IAnB0ud5MS
— Arizona Basketball (@ArizonaMBB) January 15, 2025
Forward Carter Bryant has been another important bench player. The freshman from Riverside, California has been improving as a defender and showing some potential on offense as well. Against Cincinnati, Bryant had a massive 14 points on 5-5 from the floor, including 3 triples.
Arizona’s last significant piece on the bench is sophomore KJ Lewis. After almost declaring for the NBA Draft last season, Lewis is back and has noticeably elevated his all-around game. He is up to 10.9 points per game in addition to 4.3 rebounds. His field goal efficiency is also up, as he is shooting over 50% from the floor and has added 7 percentage points to his free throw shooting.
Although his long ball has nosedived to 22% in a limited number of attempts, the aforementioned free throw shooting reveals a key development in his game. Not only does Lewis make most of his shots (86.2% on the season), but he has been getting to the line with regularity, particularly during the team’s win streak.
Keys for the Arizona Wildcats Moving Forward
The first order of business for Lloyd’s Arizona Wildcats is getting leading scorer Caleb Love to find some consistency. After a 33-ball against TCU, Love has really struggled, shooting just 28% from the field over his last 4. Love brings the team championship experience, having played in a title game against Kansas when he was at North Carolina earlier in his career. He has proven he can be one of the best scorers in the nation when it matters most, and he will have to step up big time to help this Arizona team get to where they want to go.
Caleb Love is 9 of 35 from the field in Arizona’s three wins vs. ranked opponents.
— Shane Dale (@ShaneDaleAZ) January 15, 2025
It also wouldn’t hurt for Arizona to get some more shooting. They are currently a poor three-point shooting team, ranking outside the top 200 in the nation at just over 32% as a collective. Leading sharpshooter Anthony Dell’Orso has been at over 45% on the year, but the rest of the team has really struggled. Part of this has to do with Love’s aforementioned slump, but players like Bryant or junior guard Jaden Bradley will need to find some better form to help out the team.
The Arizona Wildcats will be looking to take another big step in the right direction on Saturday, where they face a ruggedly talented Texas Tech squad.
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