No. 1 Arizona Grinds Out 78-66 Win Over Utah State to Reach Sweet 16

[WILD]

No. 1 Arizona Grinds Out 78-66 Win Over Utah State to Reach Sweet 16

The Arizona Wildcats took care of business in the NCAA Tournament's West Region second round on Sunday, grinding out a 78-66 victory over the Utah State Aggies at Viejas Arena in San Diego. No. 1 seed Arizona never trailed after the opening minutes and built a comfortable 33-24 halftime lead despite some early offensive rust. The Aggies, a dangerous No. 9 seed coming off a Mountain West title and first-round upset of Villanova, made things interesting in the second half with a couple of runs that trimmed the deficit to as close as four points. But the Wildcats responded with timely stops and an 8-0 spurt late to seal the deal and punch their ticket to the Sweet 16 for the third straight season.

Jaden Bradley led the way with 18 points, including 12 after halftime, while Brayden Burries added 16 points on efficient shooting and grabbed nine rebounds. Koa Peat chipped in 14 points and 10 boards, and Motiejus Krivas dominated the paint with 11 points, a game-high 14 rebounds, and three blocks. Arizona's free-throw shooting proved decisive—they went 27-for-39 from the line compared to Utah State's 8-for-11—helping them overcome 11 turnovers. Utah State's leading scorers were bench player Great Osobor Clark with 13 points and Mason Falslev with 11, but the Aggies simply couldn't match Arizona's size and physicality on the glass all night.

Up next for the 34-2 Wildcats is a Sweet 16 showdown against Arkansas, with tip-off set for Thursday 645pm. The Razorbacks advanced earlier by surviving their own thriller, setting up what should be a fascinating matchup between two physical, experienced teams looking to keep their Final Four dreams alive in the West Region bracket.

[KansasCityCats]

This was an extremely underrated Utah State team. Arizona shut down their dangerous offense and found a way to Lloyd's 4th Sweet 16 in his 5th season.

The frontcourt was hesitant but that will change against Arkansas, who doesn't care to play defense.

Off to San Jose!

[mvpreed2]

Pros
This crowd is definitely pro-Arizona! I heard them from the opening tip! (+)

This team is playing like a Final Four + National Championship contender! (++)

A 15-5 rebounding advantage on the OFFENSIVE boards? Damn! (++)

Cons
This team is allowing Utah State to play as if they have a shot to win this game. They better step up before they blow this game because Utah State has the momentum right now! (-)

Comments
Second game in a row the opposing coach calls an early timeout. LIU was 12-2. Now it was 10-2.

I don't believe Utah State can protect the rim. Arizona needs to apply maximum pressure on the rim, even if that means passing up an open jumper.

Krivas is going to be the reason that Arizona wins this game. He has done way too much on BOTH ends of the floor.

Why is it that Bradley has to wait until the game gets tight before he steps up and makes his presence felt?

Conclusion
Arizona was too lax in this game. They allowed Utah State to dictate pace and force multiple TOs to stay in the game. Not too much to say when I expected Arizona to win from the opening tip.

Next Up: Arkansas (Sweet 16)
#BearDown