Arizona did not cruise into the Sweet 16 so much as grind its way there, finally putting away Utah State 78-66 in San Diego yesterday to extend its winning streak to 11 games and improve to 34-2. The top-seeded Wildcats built a comfortable margin after halftime, watched it shrink uncomfortably late, then steadied themselves in the closing minutes to advance, according to Axios Phoenix.
Jaden Bradley led the way with 18 points, 12 of them coming after the break as Arizona tried to keep the Aggies at arm's length. Motiejus Krivas controlled the paint with 11 points and 14 rebounds, freshman Brayden Burries added 16, and Koa Peat turned in a 14-point, 10-rebound double-double. Arizona dominated the glass 54-26 and still had to sweat a late Utah State push that cut the deficit to four before the Wildcats finally closed the door in the final minutes, Axios Phoenix noted.
Utah State wraps its season at 29-7 after sweeping both the Mountain West regular-season and tournament titles. The Aggies did not go quietly, leaning on heavy trapping defense in stretches to make Arizona work for every clean look. Afterward, Utah State coach Jerrod Calhoun kept it simple: "Hats off to coach Lloyd and the Wildcats," he said, as reported by AZFamily.
Next up: Arkansas in San Jose
The reward for surviving Utah State is a trip up the coast. Arizona heads to San Jose's SAP Center for a West Regional semifinal against No. 4 Arkansas on Thursday, per NCAA.com. The Razorbacks bring a different kind of problem, with guard Darius Acuff Jr. able to generate his own offense and drag defenders into space, testing Arizona's perimeter and help schemes. With only a few days to reset, the Wildcats will again lean on their frontcourt size and defensive discipline as the key matchup cards.
What to watch
If Sunday proved anything, it was that Arizona's work on the boards can cover for a lot of other sins. The Wildcats were monsters on the glass but also went through familiar cold spells and allowed Utah State's pressure to force turnovers. Those wobbles will be tougher to survive against Arkansas. Cleaner ball security and sharper free-throw shooting figure to be non-negotiable, since every trip to the stripe in March has a way of feeling magnified. As Axios Phoenix pointed out, it was hardly a wire-to-wire flex for a No. 1 seed, but Arizona did the one thing that matters in a survive-and-advance tournament: move on.
From Tucson to San Diego, Wildcats fans only relaxed once the final horn sounded. Inside the locker room, the mood is likely a bit more sober. Arizona knows the margin for error tightens in the Sweet 16, and coach Tommy Lloyd will spend the week fine-tuning matchups and rotations in hopes of turning a tense second-round win into something more like a deep March run.
