Arizona Basketball: Second Half Surge Not Enough as Wildcats Lose to Utah

Arizona Basketball used a second-half surge to make things interesting.

The first half deficit and lack of guard play were too much to overcome as Utah gets their first win over Arizona since 1998,  70-64. No other way to put it. The first half was terrible. Let’s not try and sugarcoat it. It was the worst half of basketball Arizona has played all year (stop me if you’ve heard this before). Utah shot a blistering 60% from the field, with 28 points coming in the paint. Arizona, on the other hand, shot an ok 40% from the field but left their defense elsewhere.

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The only bright spot in the first half for the Wildcats was Allonzo Trier. He was the only player who looked like he wanted to win this game. His deep ball, driving, and hustle on defense kept the first half from getting completely out of hand. Trier finished the first half with 11 points, 2-3 from behind the arc.

The next leading scorer was Ryan Anderson with seven points. But Anderson, Kaleb Tarczewski, and Dusan Ristic had no effect on the Utah bigs. Even the bench for Utah, which prior the game was considered a liability, put Arizona to work. Not necessarily just in scoring, but they were out hustling, out-rebounding, and playing stronger down low.

Towards the end of the first half, Coach Miller went deep into his bench. Chance Comanche was the first to come out and play for the last three minutes of the half. With just about a minute left, Justin Simon was given a chance after sloppy play by the guards. It seemed as if Miller had seen enough from his go-to guys and their lack of effort. At the half, Arizona was down 40-29. Something had to change at the half.

Coming out for the second half, Miller went ahead and benched Ryan Anderson and gave Chance the start. And boy, whatever Miller said at the half was working. Chance, Zeus, and Trier all came out with a different mindset. Each was playing more physical.

Chance’s length and quickness were causing problems for Utah. He was able to put Jakob Poeltl to work on the baseline with a beautiful post move, leading to a smooth jump hook. Later on, he was able to take Poeltl off the dribble and finish with his left.

Zeus was an entirely different player in the second half. It could have been due to him having two fouls in the first half, therefore forcing him to lay back a bit. But he was simply dominant down low for the Wildcats. He posterized Poeltl.

And it didn’t just stop there. Zeus was making his presence known on the defensive end as well with monster blocks.

The Wildcats were able to go on a 16-3 run to open up the second half. Everything the Wildcats were doing wrong in the first half, they were doing right for most of the second half. The defense was finally able to force four turnovers in the first five minutes of the second half. They were finally getting the needed stops. They even forced Utah to keep the ball out of Poeltl’s hands.

The new core with Chance thrown in to start was a completely different team. Unfortunately, you have to give the guys a break. You could immediately see a drop off in the level of energy. Anderson came in and was doing well, but the Utah forwards were too quick. Parker Jackson-Cartwright, who has not been playing well as of late, was having another off night. Turnovers plagued him, York, and Kadeem Allen all day.

Again, when the team needed a boost, they looked to their play-maker. And his name is Allonzo Trier.

The game was close for the rest of the afternoon. The Wildcats were able to grab a lead, going up by as much as seven, for a total of six minutes. Every time Arizona seemed to gain more momentum, Utah was able to respond. In the second half, Brandon Taylor was the Utes, clutch player. He caused disruption on the defensive end and was able to hit big 3’s down the stretch.

The last lead for Arizona came with 2:51 to play. Ryan Anderson was fouled on a dunk attempt and proceeded to make both of his free throws to put Arizona up 64-63. The Utes were then able to close out the game on a 7-0 run, with a dagger three after Taylor hit the step-back on Gabe, who stumbled on defense and ended up having one of his worst performances.

The Wildcats planted themselves in prime position to close out another Pac-12 regular season conference championship. After the road trip to the mountains, the Wildcats now face an almost impossible climb back up. With Oregon and Utah sitting tied for first, the Wildcats will need an epic collapse from both teams in the remaining regular season games. The Wildcats also will need to win out, with a tough test coming next week against Cal back in Tucson.

The regular season is almost over. Tournament time is on the horizon, with the Pac-12 Tournament only a few weeks away. For a large portion of the second half, we saw the dominating Arizona team that they can be.

The heart, fierceness, and energy will need to be consistent for the Wildcats to have a chance to repeat as Pac-12 Conference Champions. But first, the team needs to focus on the last couple of games. Time to regroup, refocus, and finish strong.

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Game Notes:

• With Utah’s win today, they get their first win over Arizona since the ’98 West Regional Final. Jakob Poetl finished with 14 pts and 10 rebounds. Brandon Taylor led the way for the Utes with 19 pts.
• Allonzo Trier led all scorers Saturday afternoon with 23 pts, going 3/7 from downtown.
• Chance Comanche, although only having 4 points and 2 rebounds, was a very special player in the second half for Arizona. He altered shots, ran the floor, and played soundly. In my opinion, he deserves more time after today’s performance. Also, with the disappointing guard play, aside from Trier, I wouldn’t be surprised to see more of Justin Simon as well.
• Ryan Anderson didn’t have the best game, finishing with 11 pts and 8 rebounds. Zeus finished the second half strong with 9 pts and 10 rebounds.