Arizona’s basketball team faced a challenging defeat against Duke, falling 69-55 on Friday night at McKale Center. This marks their second consecutive loss, a rare occurrence under head coach Tommy Lloyd, with the last time the Wildcats suffered back-to-back defeats dating back to the 2020-21 season when Sean Miller was at the helm.
The No. 17 Wildcats struggled to find their rhythm offensively, finishing the game with a shooting percentage of 39.6% from the field and a mere 26.1% from beyond the arc. Their tendency to go more than two minutes without a field goal on multiple occasions hindered their performance. Additionally, they were out-rebounded by 13 and committed 15 turnovers, resulting in 19 points for the No. 12 Blue Devils.
Jaden Bradley led Arizona with 18 points, while KJ Lewis contributed 12. Despite the team’s efforts, Caleb Love had a challenging night, scoring eight points but shooting just 3-of-13, including 1-of-9 from three-point range.
Duke avenged last season’s loss to Arizona, thanks in part to Cooper Flagg, who scored 22 points—14 in the second half—helping the Blue Devils improve to 4-1 on the season. Duke shot 42.6% from the field and limited Arizona to only six offensive rebounds, a stark contrast to the Wildcats’ impressive 50% offensive rebound rate prior to this game.
At halftime, Duke held a 34-27 lead, capping the half by making their last four shots while Arizona struggled to score in the last few minutes. The Wildcats managed to score first in the second half but quickly fell back into a scoring drought that allowed Duke to extend its lead further.
Despite a brief resurgence after a timeout from Lloyd, which sparked a momentary offensive burst, Arizona ultimately could not maintain their momentum. The Wildcats ended the game making only one field goal in the final 5:39.
In the first half, the physical nature of the game seemed to favor Duke. Arizona attempted too many three-point shots early on and suffered a scoring drought, which allowed Duke to build a lead that they maintained throughout the game. Now, with their record at 2-2, Arizona will look to bounce back as they head on the road for three games in three days at the Battle4Atlantis in Nassau, Bahamas, starting with Davidson on Wednesday.
Despite this setback, Arizona has an opportunity for a fresh start to showcase their resilience in the upcoming tournament. With a strong commitment from players like Bradley and Lewis, the Wildcats have the potential to regroup and compete effectively against their future opponents.
In summary, while Arizona experienced their first back-to-back losses under Lloyd, this could serve as an important learning experience as they face a busy upcoming week. It’s essential to remain optimistic and recognize that every challenge can pave the way for growth and improvement.