Arizona men’s basketball coach Tommy Lloyd said the biggest reason the Wildcats lost to the Kansas Jayhawks Thursday was because “we played selfish.” (Photo by Yousef Mabrouk/Cronkite News)
PHOENIX – Just five days removed from a seven-point loss to Kansas, the Arizona men’s basketball team finds itself face-to-face with the Jayhawks again.
This meeting has plenty at stake.
The Wildcats hope to enhance their postseason resume in Thursday night’s Big 12 Men’s Basketball Championship quarterfinal game in Kansas City.
“Obviously I got really high standards for myself and for the program,” Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd said. “I wish we were higher than third (place), but it’s where we ended up and I don’t think there’s anything to be ashamed of, being third in the Big 12.”
With 16 teams in the Big 12, the top four spots secure a double-bye for the conference tournament. As the third seed, this means more rest for the conference and NCAA tournaments for the Wildcats (20-11, 14-6 Big 12) as well as a need to win only three games to capture the Big 12 tournament title.
“It’s huge,” Lloyd said. “I mean, listen, the main thing for me isn’t the two days off or this and that. I’m just proud of our guys ‘cause you know you have 16 other teams battling for that and only four get it.”
The Wildcats failed to end the season on a high note Saturday, losing to the Jayhawks 83-76. Strong play from Jaden Bradley and Caleb Love wasn’t enough to overcome a 14-point deficit. Bradley finished with 21 points and three rebounds, while Love added 16 points and three assists.
“I just thought we played selfish,” Lloyd said. “We played selfish. You’re not going to come to a place like Kansas and play selfish and be successful. We got to play team basketball. We are a team. And we should have learned that lesson. I’m proud our guys showed that we did in the second half and gave ourselves a chance.”
Jayhawks center Hunter Dickinson had his best game of the season with a double-double of 33 points and 10 rebounds.
Arizona men’s basketball coach Tommy Lloyd said the biggest reason the Wildcats lost to the Kansas Jayhawks Thursday was because “we played selfish.” (Photo by Yousef Mabrouk/Cronkite News)
“They played great,” Kansas coach Bill Self said about his team. “That was about as well as I can remember seniors playing on Senior Night. We needed our best player to carry us and we needed everybody else to play well. That’s exactly what happened. And Hunter was unbelievable.”
But will the Jayhawks play tired Thursday night?
Kansas (20-11, 11-9 Big 12) needed overtime to beat the Knights in a second-round game Wednesday at T-Mobile Center
The Wildcats, meanwhile, have experienced highs and lows this season. Their best wins came against ranked Iowa State, BYU and Texas Tech. Their worst losses came against unranked TCU, Kansas State and Utah.
Last year, the Wildcats’ season ended in heartbreak after losing to Clemson in the Sweet 16. With Caleb Love recognized as a first team All-Big 12 selection and Henri Veesaar and Tobe Awaka securing Big 12 honors, the team looks to use this talent to make a deep run in the postseason.
Arizona has a history of making deep runs in the tournament. In 1988, 1994, 1997 and 2001, it reached the Final Four. In 1997, it won its first and only national championship.
The Wildcats enter the tournament having lost five of their last eight games. In those eight games, they gave up an average of 79 points in a stretch that included five of the top eight teams in the Big 12.
“For one, I think we are playing good teams,” Lloyd said. “I think our schedule has been daunting so I don’t want to disrespect them. (We’re) probably just having a few too many breakdowns, a few too many execution breakdowns. The scheme is something we are always evaluating, and you’ve got to be able to adjust in college basketball this time of year.”
Defense will be a huge point of emphasis for Lloyd and the Wildcats. The Jayhawks bring an offense into the conference tournament that averages over 75 points per game.
Under Lloyd, Arizona had plenty of success in the Pac-12 tournament, which was held in Las Vegas. Winning two conference tournament titles in the three seasons with Lloyd as coach is something they hope to replicate in Kansas City.
“Think back to McKale in the Midwest,” Lloyd said. “We had ‘McKale North’ in playing in Vegas all those years. I would imagine Kansas and Iowa State are going to kind of own the arena, but we are here for it.
“We are here to compete.”