Three Areas Arizona Excelled Against San Diego State
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A second-half surge is just what the No. 1 Arizona Wildcats men's basketball team needed to overcome a relentless attack of the San Diego State Aztecs, outscoring their opponents 28-18 in the latter part of the game to remain undefeated.
Tommy Lloyd's group of electric freshmen and experienced upperclassmen struggled to find their shot at the beginning of the game. Still, once they settled in and made all the necessary adjustments at halftime, Arizona quickly pulled away and eventually left Mortgage Matchup Center with a 68-45 victory.
The Wildcats will make a quick turnaround and face Bethune-Cookman this Monday, expecting to dominate after the rigorous contest. Here is a look at what Arizona was able to do to come away with yet another blowout win against a formidable opponent in the Aztecs.
High pressure on defense
In the first half of Saturday's contest with SDSU, Arizona struggled to handle the Aztecs' offense, which found its shots near the rim and at the free-throw line.
Eventually, Arizona's size and physicality were too much for SDSU to handle, as the Wildcats wore down its opponents with pressure in man-to-man defense and forced a large number of misses. By the final buzzer, the Aztecs shot 26% from the field.
"This is how I thought the game might go," Lloyd said. "We obviously didn't play our best in the first half and you're up one. So, we made a nice little run there and I just really challenged our guys. What happens if we come out and hit first? And it probably doesn't get enough attention, but we're also a pretty good defensive team."
"I thought our guys did a great job just being sticky and having constant ball pressure on these guys and in the right spots in the gaps. You hold a team that good to 26% shooting, man, that's impressive. That really was the story of the game. Everyone's going to make it about the three-point shooting, but it was our man-to-man defense that was really the differentiator."
Outrebounding SDSU
Arizona has been elite at outrebounding its opponents through the first 11 games of the season. It is the 13th-best rebounding team in the NCAA, 21st on defense. Arizona's rebounding margin of 42.8-29.7 is also the third best in the country, according to the NCAA website.
By the end of the Wildcats' matchup with SDSU, they outrebounded the Aztecs 52-28. In the first half, Arizona held a narrow lead in that category, going into the locker room with a 22-16 advantage on the boards. By the end of the second half, the Wildcats imposed their will, outrebounding the Aztecs 30-12.
"I think we just had to find our rhythm and our flow state a little bit," Lloyd said. "Give San Diego State a lot of credit. They came out with a game plan where they were really forcing us to play outside in. They were really heavy in that first gap. They were going under a lot of our ball screens. So, we really haven't faced that much conviction with that defense."
"So, I think it just took a while for our guys to get comfortable in the game. So, sometimes you got to make a decision. Maybe today's not the day we shoot it as good as we'd hope. So, there's lots of ways to win and if you can win in the effort areas, which we did today, that'll go a long way to helping it."
Stopping the 3-point shot
Going into this game, SDSU averaged 41% shooting from 3-point range, which was the third best rate in the NCAA, according to the NCAA website.
The Wildcats did an outstanding job of nullifying that area of the Aztecs' offense, forcing them to go 1-for-14 (7%) through 40 minutes of play.
A lot of SDSU's struggles from 3-point range can be attributed to a suffocating defensive scheme that rarely generated any pressure over the two halves of play.
What do you think Arizona did right in its win over SDSU? Tell us by commenting on our Facebook page. Also, be sure to follow @NateMartTSports for updates on all things Arizona Wildcats.
Nathaniel Martinez and a set of shoulder pads at 7 years old. He later graduated from Pima Community College in 2023, where he began writing for the Pima Post. He is working to achieve a Bachelor’s in Mass Communication and Media Studies.