Arizona’s Kylan Boswell dunks the ball during the first round of the 2024 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament held at Delta Center against Long Beach State. (Photo by Brett Wilhelm/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY – While all eyes were on the experience of No. 2 Arizona in its first round game of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, the highlight of the competition was 18-year-old sophomore guard Kylan Boswell.
The former Arizona Compass Prep standout recalled a funny moment between him and senior guard Caleb Love during Thursday’s game against Long Beach State when Boswell had a breakaway dunk to help seal the victory for the Wildcats.
“I looked at Caleb, he looked at me. … I was dunking that one,” Boswell said, chuckling. “(Love) has enough dunks.”
Love knew that Boswell “had his mind set up as soon as he got the ball. I did give him a little extra ‘go ahead and go.’ I wish he’d have gotten a better dunk.”
Boswell scored a game-high and career-high 20 points with eight assists while making four 3-pointers in the 85-65 victory. In the Arizona locker room following the victory, Boswell said his teammates were encouraging him to play his brand of basketball.
“They want me to shoot the ball more,” Boswell said. “They have a lot of confidence in me and I have to put more confidence in myself. Any open shot for me and this team helps us. We can rebound too, one of the great rebounding teams in the nation.”
Boswell’s impact is real, as the Wildcats are 19-1 when the sophomore guard scores more than 10 points in a game. Boswell was also fifth in the Pac-12 during the regular season, averaging 3.7 assists and shot 38.9% from the 3-point line while making 1.9 per game.
The sophomore’s confidence impresses his teammates.
“When he’s going, we’re literally the best team in the country,” forward Keshad Johnson said Friday. “Him being 18-years-old, he’s probably the best 18-year-old in the country. So we rely on him heavily. Whether he’s making shots or not, as long as he’s shooting and his confidence is there, we know he’s doing other things on the basketball court that’s just getting us open.
I allow him a lot, (with just) being a forward, running the floor and throwing the ball. He shoots it, I’m going to rebound it. So I just tell him to shoot the ball. When he shoots the ball, make or miss, we’re at our best.”
Arizona senior guard Caleb Love (left) and senior forward Keshad Johnson talk about how Kaylan Boswell’s game allows for the team to be unstoppable. (Photo by Hayden Cilley/Cronkite News)
Boswell led the team in field goals made and attempted, 3-pointers made and attempted and assists, and tied for a team-high two steals in the Thursday win.
“I think (Boswell), when his confidence is high, we’re hard to beat,” Love said. “We just lean on him for a lot. He’s our point guard so he kind of runs the show and so he gets us into offense. When he’s knocking shots down like he was yesterday, like Keshad said, it’s tough for teams to go at us. We’ll take care of him on the offensive glass.
“When he’s got his confidence up, I’m telling you, we’re definitely tough to beat.”
Although it was his first tournament start, Boswell performed like he had been under the bright lights before.
“Kylan is a growing player,” Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd said. “I think we still forget, he’s young. He should be a true freshman this year. He doesn’t turn 19 for another couple weeks, so he’s still young.
“Maybe there’s been some inconsistencies there and that’s probably due to just his lack of experience. But I see him growing and I see him growing by the day. We all know when he plays well, there’s a good opportunity that we play well.”
Love knows a thing or two about playing well, as he was named the 2023-24 Pac-12 Player of the Year for the Wildcats. He understands that Boswell’s role in the offense is critical to get the Arizona offensive engine working.
“I think when his confidence is high, we’re hard to beat,” Love said. “We just lean on him for a lot. He’s our point guard so he kind of runs the show and so he gets us into offense. When he’s knocking shots down like he was yesterday, like Keshad said, it’s tough for teams to go at us. We’ll take care of him on the offensive glass.
When he’s got his confidence up, I’m telling you, we’re definitely tough to beat.”
Boswell developed since the 2022-23 season, where the latter was a Pac-12 All-Freshman Team Honorable Mention. The improvement began during the 2023 FIBA World Cup, where he was a member of the U19 team that went 5-2 in overseas competition. Experiences like those helped prepare him for the bright lights of March Madness.
Lloyd showed his emotion and stated how proud he was of Boswell’s performance and simplifying the game.
“I was proud of how he approached that game yesterday,” Lloyd said. “Those aren’t easy games. Those are big moments for any player, but especially a young player on that stage. He did a good job of just playing basketball and not making it more than it is.
“It’s literally the same game we’ve been playing all year. And I think if you can approach it like that and play your normal game, which his normal game is (being) aggressive and physical, he’s going to have a chance to be successful.
We just need him to stay in that lane, and that gives us — obviously gives us a better chance to do well.”
As a friendly wager, Love said that if Boswell dunked in a game, then a new pair of Kobe Bryant basketball shoes would be awaiting him. Safe to say that Boswell is getting his wish.
“That was big time, I can’t lie,” Boswell said. “He was calling for (the dunk) but no, I need those Kobes.
It was gross and ugly but a dunk is a dunk.”