Breaking Down No. 4 Arizona's Upset Over No. 3 UConn
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Welcome! To another edition of the Arizona Wildcats Insiders Podcast featuring your host Troy Hutchison, who will be delivering a daily podcast discussing everything happening surrounding Arizona athletics giving you an inside look at all the programs on campus.
Hutchison has been covering Arizona for the last seven years with his coverage spanning all-across UA’s campus from football and men’s basketball to Title IX sports. Plus, with so many former Wildcats playing at the next level in their prospective sports there will be moments where he will take a deep dive into the Cats excelling outside of Tucson.
The college basketball season is a long and bumpy road filled with highs and lows in what is a 31-game regular season slate. And for No. 4 Arizona (5-0), the gauntlet of the schedule is in full swing as it hit the road against No. 3 UConn for a midweek clash of titans.
The last meeting between these two programs came during the 2018-19 season when the Wildcats won 76-72 over UConn. Arizona was riding a 2-game winning streak but trailed the all-time series 2-5 to the Huskies.
Arizona and coach Tommy Lloyd faced their toughest test of the early part of the schedule and went into Storrs, Conn. and took down the Huskies (4-1) in a thrilling 71-67 game that came down to the wire.
Once again, with the game on the line, Arizona point guard Jaden Bradley delivered bucket after bucket to help lift the Wildcats to the win. Bradley, with UA up by 1-point, hit an up and under move to score a layup with 13 seconds left to give his team some cushion in the last few seconds.
Overall, Bradley was able to score 21 points while going 6 of 13 from the field and recorded three rebounds and two assists in 35 minutes.
In every one of the Wildcats’ games against ranked teams, it has been Bradley coming through in the clutch to seal the win. Although he was left off every single major awards and honors list, he has turned into “Captain Clutch” and one of the best point guards in the nation.
Not only did Bradley come through for the Wildcats but so did freshman Koa Peat, who was able to have a bounce back game after struggling against UCLA.
Peat recorded his first career double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds while going 7 of 14 from the field. He was able to take the action to the Huskies and forced them into tough situations with his constant pressure throughout the game.
Overall, the Wildcats had ups and downs on the offensive side of the court in this game. As a team, Arizona shot 46% from the field and knocked down two 3-point shows while shooting 20% from deep.
Although UConn was missing one of its top players in center Tarris Reed, the Huskies are still one of the toughest teams in the country and are extremely hard to beat in their home arena.
Arizona held UConn to 45% shooting from the field and saw the Huskies go 8 of 25 from the 3-point line.
Senior forward Alex Karaban was held in check by Peat and other defenders as he went an underwhelming 2 of 5 from the field where he scored eight points. Karaban just couldn’t shake the Arizona defenders and was clearly frustrated throughout the night.
Arizona will now travel back home to take on Denver (1-3) in a late 8:30 p.m. (MST) tip-off with the game being televised on CBS Sports Networks. It will be the last game before the Thanksgiving Break for the Wildcats.
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Troy Hutchison grew up attending Arizona athletic events, which gave him a unique perspective and knowledge of the athletic department's rich history. He attended UA and began covering the Wildcats in 2018. As the Arizona Wildcats Beat Writer on SI, he is set to deliver wall-to-wall coverage to give fans an in-depth perspective.
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