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Inside The Wildcats

Arizona Plays and Stats That Led To Sweet 16 Win

Wildcats dismantle Arkansas 109-88 in Sweet 16.
Caleb Meadows|
Eakin Howard-Imagn Images

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Arizona Wildcats

Arizona is back in the Elite Eight after an 11-year drought. The Wildcats defeated Arkansas last night in the Sweet 16, 109-88. It was a battle between two of the top coaches in college basketball, but Tommy Lloyd got a huge win and knocked off John Calipari.

This Wildcats team continues its dominance, steamrolling to the Elite Eight. The Razorbacks were one of the hottest teams in the country heading into the game, especially coming off winning the SEC Tournament. You could not tell by how easy the Wildcats made it look against the Razorbacks.

There were several key plays and statistics that stood out in the Wildcats win. Let’s take a look at what led the Wildcats to the Elite Eight.

Arkansas Shot 5-23 From Deep

The Wildcats stayed true and did not let the Razorbacks get them out of their comfort zone. Lloyd and his team do not shoot many 3-pointers, and Calipari and his group have gotten them up in the tournament.

That was ultimately the downfall of the Razorbacks, as they went 5-for-23 from downtown. This put the Razorbacks down quickly because the Wildcats were getting easy buckets in the paint. Since the Razorbacks could not throw a rock in an ocean, it was preventing them from coming back.

The combination of the number of threes attempted and the lack of them caused a recipe for disaster. The Wildcats, on the other hand, only shot eight 3-pointers. They played their game and dominated the Razorbacks as they wanted to.

Acuff Held To 8-19 From the Field

Razorbacks star guard Darius Acuff Jr. was held in check. He is in the top 10 in the nation in scoring, averaging 23 points per game. If you just look at the box score, you will see he scored 28 points, but the full game told a different story.

Jaden Bradley went head-to-head with Acuff, and he got the best of him. Acuff shot 8-for-19 from the field and was a non-factor in the first half. He got going a little in the second half, but by then the game was out of reach. Acuff never played a key role when the game was close.

Overall, you cannot ask for a better performance by the Wildcats defense on Acuff. He was averaging 30 in the tournament heading into the game versus the Wildcats. Not only did the Wildcats hold him under 30, but they also held him under his average field goal percentage.

109 points

One hundred nine points is the second-highest point total in NCAA Tournament history for the program. It was an absolute clinic offensively from the Wildcats, as they could do no wrong. What is even more impressive is that they scored 109 on only five made threes.

The Wildcats had six players in double figures, and they all shot over 50% from the field. Freshman duo Brayden Burries and Koa Peat were the leading scorers for the Wildcats. Burries had 23 points, and Peat had 21. The duo solidified themselves as NBA prospects.

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Caleb Meadows
CALEB MEADOWS

Caleb Meadows is a contributor to the UNC Tar Heels. He previously covered Louisville sports and WWE for FanSided. Meadows also covered local sports in Oklahoma while attending Oklahoma State, where he earned a degree in sports communications. Follow him on X, at @CalebMeadows25."