Instant Analysis: Oregon upsets Arizona in overtime 73-72
Oregon rallied and erased a six point deficit with just over three minutes remaining in regulation to even the score and force overtime. In the extra session, Shakur Juiston accounted for all nine of Oregon’s points, including the game winning layup with 1.4 seconds to play. The result was a near carbon copy of Arizona’s 74-73 overtime loss in Eugene, back in January, when the Ducks also hit the game winner in the waning seconds. Peyton Pritchard played like a savvy veteran, who has already won a regular season Pac-12 title, a conference tournament championship and helped advance his team to the Final Four, by notching a career high 38 points Saturday in Tucson.
What Happened?
Arizona went from functional to dysfunctional at the absolute worst time. The Wildcats did not score a single point in the final three-plus minutes of regulation to blow a six point lead. Arizona’s offensive possessions in the final minutes were difficult to comprehend, with shot attempts hitting the side of the backboard, gift wrapped turnovers, and missed free throws.
To Oregon’s credit, they played like the veteran club while Arizona played like a team comprised of eight new players still searching for on the court chemistry.
The Ducks (21-7, 10-5 Pac-12) were led by Pritchard’s career-high 38 points. Juiston added 14, highlighted by his nine points in overtime.
The Wildcats (19-8, 9-5 Pac-12) trailed by three points at the break, but quickly built a 46-40 lead early in the second half. From there, the teams traded mini scoring runs to keep the game close throughout. Overall, there were nine ties and 18 lead changes.
The evenly matched teams each had 37 rebounds. The Wildcats shot 44.8 percent from the field while the Ducks knocked down 42.6 percent of their field goal attempts. Each team made 10 3-Pointers. Arizona outscored Oregon in transition points 12-10, while Oregon outscored Arizona inside the paint 32-30.
Coming out of the under four minute television timeout, Arizona got a bucket from Stone Gettings to lead 64-58. Arizona still led 64-60 entering the final minute of regulation. However, Pritchard would hit two pairs of free throws to even the score at 64-64. With 2.5 seconds remaining, Arizona’s Josh Green was fouled hard on a dribble drive to the basket, with his head slamming into the floor. Green would miss both attempts from the charity stripe to set up overtime.
Oregon’s Juiston then took over, scoring all nine points for the Ducks, including a layup off an assist with 1.4 seconds to go. Now trailing 73-72, Arizona’s Jemarl Baker then connected on a length of the court pass to Christian Koloko, who was fouled on the catch under Arizona’s basket. However, like Green at the end of regulation, Koloko would miss both free throw attempts.
Arizona’s was just 10-for-21 as a team from the free throw line on the night. Oregon was 11-for-14.
Who Starred?
Oregon’s Pritchard finished with 38 points, six rebounds and four assists. Juiston scored nine of his 14 points in overtime. Arizona’s Dylan Smith led the Wildcats with 18 points, while Gettings added 11 points and eight rebounds. Zeke Nnaji finished with 13 points and six rebounds, but had only a single field goal in the second half off of very limited touches.
How Oregon Won?
The Ducks did not panic when they were down late. Conversely, Arizona looked like a deer in headlights over the final three-plus minutes of regulation. This isn’t to say Arizona choked. They simply did not execute on the offensive end of the floor while trying to protect a lead, which is something that this team has struggled with all season. The Wildcats had been doing all the little things (except make free throws) to win a big game like Saturday’s. However, down the stretch in regulation and in overtime, suddenly it was the Ducks getting offensive rebounds, chasing down loose balls, making clutch free throws, and not turning the basketball over.
X Factor(s)?
Juiston basically came out of nowhere in overtime to completely steal the show and help Oregon win the game. With Pritchard carrying the load for the first 40 minutes, Juiston seemed to be in the right place at the right time in the extra session. Arizona did its best to match Juiston in the final five minutes, but a late offensive rebound by the Ducks to extend their final possession ultimately set up Juiston for the game winner.
Player of the Game
Oregon’s Pritchard was a star, and personally, I love to see seniors shine during the ‘1-and-done’ era of college basketball. Soon, some of the current Arizona underclassmen will be long gone and all but erased from the memory of fans, barring a deep NCAA Tournament run that nobody ever forgets. Meanwhile, Pritchard already has a Final Four appearance to his credit, has completely crushed Arizona in two games this season, and will graduate from Oregon as a legend. Good for him.
Stat of the Game
Arizona’s missed free throws were huge, but not the only reason why they lost. Although both Green and Koloko each had chances to actually win the game with free throw makes, the two had legitimate reasons why they did not. First, when fouled at the end of regulation, Green truly did slam his head straight into the floor. It wasn’t one of those little, innocent head taps either. It was a full-fledged body slam and head snap into the floor. How the true freshman even attempted the free throws is a testament to his competitiveness.
For Koloko, the freshmen center entered the game just 5-for-16 from the free throw line for the season. It was a shame, too, because Koloko was turning in one of his best performances of the season. The 7-footer had six rebounds, a blocked shot, a steal, contested a host of other shot attempts inside the paint by effectively helping off his man time and again. In short, Koloko earned a spot in the limelight on Saturday, but the sports gods are brutally harsh sometimes.
Bigger was Oregon’s ability to rebound the basketball after intermission. The Ducks outrebounded the Wildcats by four after the break, while pulling down nine offensive boards. Oregon’s ability to keep possessions alive after halftime was a big difference in the game. Notably, on Oregon’s final possession, it was an offensive rebound that led to Juiston getting that final look at the basket from point blank range with just 1.4 seconds to play.
Up Next:
Arizona visits USC on Thursday, February 27. Tip time is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. MST. The game will be televised on ESPN.