Arizona's win sets up Big 12 showdown with Iowa State: 3 takeaways
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It wasn't easy, but the Arizona Wildcats (13-6, 7-1) took care of business on Saturday afternoon.
Leading but just six points with 7:46 to play, Arizona went on a 15-4 run to put Colorado away and secure a crucial 78-63 Big 12 men's basketball victory in front of a sellout crowd at McKale Memorial Center.
Arizona guard Anthony Dell'Orso took advantage of the holes in Colorado's zone by scoring a game-high 20 points, including 6-of-9 from downtown. KJ Lewis had 12 points, 6 assists and 4 steals, and Caleb Love added 10 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals.
Arizona vs. Iowa State Showdown
The Wildcats kept pace with Iowa State (17-2, 7-1) for second place in the Big 12, setting up a showdown on Monday in Tucson.
The Cyclones, who beat Arizona State 76-61 earlier Saturday, will stay in Arizona to prepare for Monday night's game vs. the Wildcats. The game is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. MST and will be televised on ESPN.
Depending on how Houston (15-3, 7-0) fares vs. Kansas later Saturday, Monday's game could be for first place in the conference.
Iowa State is currently ranked No. 5 in the NCAA NET Rankings, while Arizona is No. 14. If the Wildcats beat the Cyclones, there's a good chance they will jump into the top 10 of the NET.
Dell'Orso Catches Fire
Dell'Orso is Arizona's zone buster, and he did his job incredibly well on Saturday.
A 6-foot-6 transfer from Campbell, Dell'Orso made four 3-pointers in the second half to help Arizona pull away from a pesky Colorado team.
Dell'Orso came into the game shooting 45.3% from the 3-point line. If Love continues to struggle with his shot, Tommy Lloyd will need Dell'Orso to fill that void.
Caleb Love Struggles
After a 27-point performance against Oklahoma State, Love's shooting woes returned on Saturday.
Love was just 3-of-14 from the field and 2-of-8 from the 3-point line. Like he said last week, though, he doesn't let his shooting impact other parts of his game.
Love filled out the stat sheet with 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals. And he committed just one turnover.
To beat Iowa State, though, the Wildcats will need a better offensive performance from their senior leader.
More Arizona & Big 12 Analysis
-029877d49238355bd3388a94f90e3c72.jpg "Ben Sherman")
Ben Sherman has been covering the sports world for most of his 27-year journalism career, including 17 years with The Oregonian/OregonLive. A basketball junkie, March Madness is his favorite time of the year.