Key Takeaways from No. 5 Arizona’s Win vs. UCLA
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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 in full swing and No. 5 Arizona (4-0) has gotten off to an impressive start with marquee wins over then-No. 3 Florida and most recently over rival No. 15 UCLA in a 69-65 gritty win.
Through the first couple of games this season, the top player on the Wildcats’ roster has been freshman forward Koa Peat, who won several awards and honors for his opening week of college basketball.
Against the Bruins, Peat struggled going 2 of 5 from the field and recording seven points to go along with six turnovers and four personnel fouls.
Still, even after being down by as many as 10 points, the WIldcats kept chipping away and got massive production off the bench with 28 points, which helped flip the game in favor of Arizona.
Plus, Arizona was able to control the glass outrebounding the Bruins 35-28, which led to 12 second-chance points and a 38 to 20 deficit in the paint as the Wildcats used their size as an advantage.
Leading the charge throughout the game for Arizona was guard Anthony Dell’Orso, who had a game-high 20 points off the bench. Dell’Orso managed to go 6 of 11 from the field while hitting four 3-point shots.
Meanwhile, as the game reached the final five minutes and crunch time was upon Arizona, point guard Jaden Bradley took over hitting clutch shot after clutch shot to help put the game on ice.
Bradley finished the game with 15 points, four rebounds and three assists to just one turnover while going 6 of 10 from the field. Plus, UA trailing by 1-point with 1:47 left, he hit the go-ahead 3-point shot to give the Wildcats the lead, which they wouldn’t relinquish the rest of the way.
As a team, Arizona shot 47% from the field and managed to go 6 of 19 from the 3-point line. Meanwhile, the defense held the Bruins to 43% shooting and forced them into 16 turnovers, which led to 22 points on the other end for the Wildcats.
Center Motiejus Krivas has been trying to get back to normal after missing last season due to an injury sustained in practice. Against UCLA, Krivas recorded 10 points and eight rebounds while recording two blocked shots.
This marks back-to-back games where Krivas has scored in double-digits and recorded seven, or more rebounds in a game. Although he hasn’t unlocked his full potential, he is trending in the right direction.
Arizona will now take on No. 3 UConn (4-0) on the road in Storrs, which is the first time UA will be playing the Huskies in the regular season. The last and only time the two programs played against each other was in the 2011 Elite Eight, which ended in heartbreak 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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