Tommy Lloyd after Arizona beat Texas Tech: 'The Big 12's been a ton of fun'
After a 4-5 start to the season the Arizona Wildcats have found their groove. And they've done it in arguably the deepest conference in college basketball
Arizona (17-6, 11-1) beat Texas Tech 82-73 on Saturday for its sixth consecutive win and 13th victory in its last 14 games. The Wildcats kept pace with Houston (19-4, 11-1) atop the Big 12 standings and jumped to No. 7 in the country in the NCAA NET Rankings.
Redshirt sophomore Henri Veesaar came off the bench to score 15 points, grab 8 rebounds and ignite the McKale Memorial Center crowd with several dunks. JT Toppin led Texas Tech (18-5, 9-3) with 21 points and 13 rebounds.
"Henri really responded today," Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd said after the game. "These guys punked Henri last game and so obviously we challenged Henry and he was there for the fight today."
Junior forward Tobe Awaka had another big game, racking up 14 points and 11 rebounds. Arizona had five players in double figures, highlighting the depth and talent of their roster.
Here are the highlights of what Lloyd said after Arizona's big win over the Red Raiders.
Veesaar, Awaka 'Were Awesome'
"They were awesome. I mean they've really developed. Let's not forget — I felt like we had one of the most dominant bigs in the country coming back this year in Mo Krivas, and he's out. These other guys have done an incredible job stepping up. We've always been a program that's taken a ton of pride in our bigs and their development.
Everyone's a work in progress, but the way Henry and Tobe played today was pretty special. They really took the challenge of the physicality, and Texas Tech's a hard team to play. I mean they they find one thing and they can pick on it over and over again. ... It was a heck of a battle and a heck of a basketball game."
Lloyd On 'Having A Response'
"We've been talking a lot about habits. I've told you guys about that and you want to practice your habits in pressure moments. That's a really cool thing to be able to do. We also talked about having a response. Texas Tech didn't get our best look and I felt like we were right in the game last time. ... These games probably really mirrored each other. The team that won probably controlled the game for the most part. The opponent is good and hangs around and gives a chance and then home court ultimately at the end was held. And fortunately we were able to do that today."
Lloyd On Trey Townsend Missing The Game
"When Trey goes out our rotation changes a little bit. To be honest with you I did not know Trey wasn't going to play until closer to the game. One of the things we were practicing initially was playing the two-big lineup. I just thought it would be important this game. I thought we got crushed on the glass so bad by these guys last time. And we were planning on playing two bigs to start out the season and then Mo gets hurt and things change.
I definitely think Henri and Tobe playing together can be something we can see down the stretch of this season, and I think there's a lot of advantages to it. I think Tobe did a great job defensively no matter what position he played today. I thought Henri was really impactful around the rim today, changing shots and then coming up with rebounds around the basket.
Lloyd On Texas Tech's Physicality
"I've always thought we were a physical program. There's different levels to the physicality obviously, with Houston probably being at the top of the list. ... I love physical basketball. It's nothing we ever shied away from. But I also know in this conference you've got to be built for it, and if you're not you're going to get crushed on the glass.
"You can't wilt on your drives. Their guards aren't big but they're really physical. Their guards do a great job, as you start penetrating and get down by the elbow, just timing their contact just right to kind of knock you off your drive line. When we went back and watched the tape the first time we played them, we got knocked off our drive line and were doing things that I've never seen our guys do before. That's a response to their physicality on defense.
They might not be big, but they're physical and smart. I thought we did a much better job today of asserting our physicality on them across the board. I'm sure if we end up playing them again it'll be a knock-down, drag-out game where both teams are going to be throwing a lot of punches."
'You Have To Have A Game-By-Game Approach'
"This is what we expected. I didn't expect to be (4-5), but I didn't panic. That doesn't mean there wasn't a sense of urgency. We rolled up our sleeves and figured it out. ... We've never acted like we're perfect or we're above losses. We're just like anybody else. We've got a bunch of great dudes. We've got a great coaching staff that's all in and we rolled up our sleeves and we fought.
But I also know this: there's a a humbleness to it. We're playing a Kansas State team that's probably as hot as we are, and it didn't start out like that. ... They looked pretty good playing Kansas today. So we've got another challenge. We could be on a one-game losing streak come Wednesday morning, so I think you just have to have a a game by- game approach."
Lloyd On How Arizona Turned Its Season Around
"The Big 12's been a ton of fun. ... Was it fun when we were (4-5)? ... I remember there was a moment when I'm sitting at my table at home and I look right at the Catalina Foothills, and out the other side I've got downtown ... great views. It was tough. It was tough. But I also thought, man, it's a lot of fun. It's a lot of fun trying to figure this out. Sometimes you've just got to roll up your sleeves and you've got to be built for it.
"For me as a young coach who's kind of a newer to this head coaching thing, we'd had a lot of momentum, kind of constantly, and never played from behind. So it was great for us to learn how to roll up our sleeves and literally double down on what we do. Not panic. Double down on what we do and rebuild it. And that's what we did. So to me it's galvanized our program."
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-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.