Arizona picked up a much needed win over Texas A&M on Tuesday night.
After entering the season as a consensus top five team, the Arizona Wildcats have stumbled out of the gates. They entered Tuesday night’s contest against the Texas A&M Aggies with a trio of losses already on their resume, so picking up a 67-64 win over the Aggies should come as a relief.
Here’s a look at the most important takeaways from the Wildcats’ victory.
1. Maybe Arizona’s back?
The Wildcats, our preseason No. 1 squad, became the first team to go from ranked No. 2 in the AP poll to out of it within the span of week since 1986 earlier this season, but now they’re riding high after a road victory over UNLV and this win over Texas A&M.
Make no mistake, Arizona still has its issues. The 3-point shooting is inconsistent, the point of attack defense is pitiful and DeAndre Ayton’s rim protection has so far been a disappointment, yet Arizona remains one of the most talented teams in the country and few rosters have a better one-two punch than Allonzo Trier and Ayton.
It’s going to be easy to overreact to any future losses the Wildcats suffer. However, Tuesday night’s win provides a small look at the potential of this Arizona roster. Once they get Rawle Alkins back to full strength, things should run smoother.
2. Tyler Davis was the best big man on the floor
In a contest that featured a pair of future lottery picks, it was 6-foot-10 junior Tyler Davis who delivered the most impressive frontcourt performance of the night. Davis, built in the mold of an old school big man, dominated Arizona’s frontline to the tune of 21 points on 9-of-12 shooting from the field.
Although Davis may not have much of an NBA future, his post up game is terrific for college basketball. He uses his size extremely well to create space going over his left shoulder for a hook shot, in particular. Davis provides a Texas A&M offense that can occasionally find itself bogged down an important outlet in the halfcourt. Seeing him do it against a frontcourt of Arizona’s quality should be inspiring for the Aggies.
3. The ending was a disaster
You might be hard pressed to find a more calamitous ending to a college basketball game this season. And all of the disaster fit into the final seven seconds.
Things started with Texas A&M in possession and Arizona leading 64-62. The Aggies found an open Tyler Davis on the baseline with just a few feet between him and the basket. But Davis took steps before putting the ball on the floor, committing a traveling violation and giving possession back to the Wildcats.
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A quick foul sent Arizona freshman Brandon Randolph to the charity stripe with five seconds remaining. He missed the first and made the second, giving the Wildcats a chance to foul up three and essentially seal the game. Well, Ayton didn’t get the memo. Rather than fouling A&M’s Duane Wilson on the floor, Ayton grabbed him as he went up for a 3-point shot. Luckily for Ayton, the shot rimmed out. Still, the Aggies had three free throws to tie it.
Well, until Wilson missed the first one. After making the second, Wilson needed to intentionally miss the third to give the Aggies a chance with two ticks left. Through the net it went.
Let’s pretend this game never happened.