Arizona cruises in 50 point win over Omaha
After Arizona routed San Jose State by 48 points in mid-November, it was difficult to imagine the Wildcats producing a bigger blowout this season. However, Wednesday night in Tucson, Arizona bounced back from its first loss of the season, at Baylor, to outhustle, outpace and outscore visiting Omaha, 99-49.
Josh Green and Chase Jeter scored 15 points apiece, Nico Mannion matched his career high with 11 assists, and Christian Koloko had a team-high 10 rebounds.
After a forgettable shooting day in Waco, Arizona’s return home saw the Wildcats shoot a sizzling 65.5 percent from the floor in the second half, and an impressive 38-for-66 (57.6%) overall.
Dylan Smith and Mannion combined to make 7-of-12 shots from deep, while scoring 14 and 13 points, respectively. Reserve forward Ira Lee chipped in 12 points to give Arizona five double-digit scorers.
Omaha was led by KJ Robinson’s 15 points. Matt Pile finished with a double-double, scoring 10 points and pulling down a game-high 12 rebounds.
Arizona outscored Omaha 44-20 in the paint and limited the Mavericks to 26.6 percent shooting on 64 field goal attempts. The Wildcats also won the battle of the boards, 47-33. Impressively, as if the 50-point victory isn’t impressive enough, Arizona had a season-high 25 assists against only nine total turnovers.
A much-needed game
The Wildcats needed this game, and Omaha had nothing to do with it. Before fans roll their eyes, beating any team in basketball by 50 points is difficult. Besides, Omaha has already defeated Washington State in Pullman, pushed Wichita State in their season opener, and played competitively against St. Mary’s. Granted, the Mavericks were down a key contributor, but still, 50 points is 50 points.
More importantly, the Wildcats needed this type of performance following two competitive practices after the loss to Baylor last weekend. Against the Bears, Arizona’s offense was dysfunctional. Team rebounding was borderline abysmal. Wednesday against Omaha, it’s as if the Baylor game never happened. The Wildcats not only came out confident, they came out motivated, the type of motivation that proves that this team, composed of true freshmen, transfers, and experienced Wildcats trust their coaches and trust the process that Sean Miller has preached since day one in Tucson.
Every single player who took the floor against Omaha played fast, hard, and smart.
Defense is getting better
Let’s face it, without some gut-check defense against Baylor, the Wildcats would have lost by 20 points or worse. Arizona did some really nice things against the Bears. However, against Omaha, Arizona was even better on the defensive end of the floor. Omaha’s 27 percent shooting night aside, the Wildcats help rotation on defense against the Mavericks was as good as we’ve seen this season. Critically, the help rotation was so smooth and spot on, Wildcats were not overextending and getting out of position to do the most important thing after a missed shot, which is rebound the basketball.
Arizona won the rebounding edge by 14, and outrebounded the Mavericks 25-13 in the second half. In the decisive opening frame, the Wildcats only committed two personal fouls on the defensive end of the floor despite aggressive on-ball pressure, high and hard hedges on screens, and contesting every single shot inside the paint.
Transition offense is a thing of beauty
Wednesday night was basically a 40-minute highlight reel for the offense. However, this wasn’t simply one of those nights when everything went in the basket. The Wildcats have the athletes to run the floor with anyone in the country this season. Even in the loss to Baylor, on the rare breakout play, Arizona had guys filling the lanes, properly. This is something to keep an eye on because if Arizona’s defense does continue to improve, the Wildcats will have plenty of opportunities to run the floor and make things happen in the open court all season long.
The importance of Arizona’s bench
Against Omaha, Arizona's bench was great on both ends of the floor. Defensively, everyone performed. Offensively, Lee’s 12 points on 6-of-7 shooting was better than solid, particularly when you add in his six rebounds and two assists. Similarly, Koloko’s 10 rebounds in only 13 minutes of playing time is the type of production Miller is seeking from his freshmen center. Add in Baker’s nine points, three rebounds and three assists and it’s easy to see how Arizona’s bench outscored Omaha’s 33-14.
Dylan Smith
The senior guard is delivering. It’s amazing what happens to a good player once he’s surrounded by true talent. There’s no single returning player benefiting more from Arizona’s resurgence into a national power than Smith. Smith, who has always been a solid defender, is now evolving into Arizona’s most consistent three-point threat. He’s also doing the dirty things for the Wildcats like crashing the boards, getting deflections, and continuing to get after it on defense. Smith has solidified himself in the starting lineup, and that’s exactly where he belongs.
Max Hazzard
Hazzard, like so many others, had a rough outing at Baylor. Overall, his shooting stroke has been hit or miss. Defensively, he earned some extra playing time against Omaha with a solid effort on that end of the floor. Offensively, he was 2-for-6 shooting, but one of those makes came on a fast break layup. For the very reason why Arizona lost to Baylor, they need Hazzard to shoot with confidence the rest of the way. There will be days like the one in Waco where the starters are also struggling. The Wildcats need guys like Hazzard to give the starting guards some cover on points and assists as the opponents continue to get better and better. He’s certainly done it at times this season. Now, it’s time to get things going night in and night out, particularly in true road games where production depth is needed the most.
Up Next:
Arizona hosts No. 6 Gonzaga on Saturday December 14. Tip time is scheduled for 8 p.m. MST. The game will be televised on ESPN2.