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Arizona Basketball: Wildcats demolish the Mavericks by 50 points

By David Rosen

LAS VEGAS, NV - MARCH 13: Arizona Wildcats mascot Wilbur poses on the court before a semifinal game of the Pac-12 Basketball Tournament against the UCLA Bruins at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on March 13, 2015 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Arizona won 70-64. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NV - MARCH 13: Arizona Wildcats mascot Wilbur poses on the court before a semifinal game of the Pac-12 Basketball Tournament against the UCLA Bruins at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on March 13, 2015 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Arizona won 70-64. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /
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Arizona Basketball bounced back nicely after it’s the first loss of the season with a 50 point win over the Omaha Mavericks.

All Arizona Basketball for 40 minutes. From beginning to end, the Wildcats were in complete control of this one. The Omaha Mavericks were without their leading scoring JT Gibson, which would make it even harder for them to get going on offense. The Wildcats had no problem finding their rhythm and it was nice to see this team play and dominate like a No.15 team in the country.

How would this team respond after losing a tough one against Baylor? After a few tough practices this week, the Wildcats got back to business and played much better basketball on both ends of the court.  Even walk-on Matt Weyand got involved with a corner three at the end of the game. In the end, the Wildcats win and can now focus on the game of the year against No.6 ranked Gonzaga.

The Wildcats were on fire tonight, highlighted by 25 assists, with a 11 of those being from Nico Mannion. The Red Mamba also had 13 points, two rebounds, and only two turnovers. Four other players were in double figures with Josh Green having 15 points, Dylan Smith who was feeling it from three dropped 14, Chase Jeter had 15 and Ira Lee had 12 points.

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Everyone who played except walk-on Kory Jones who did not score. As a team they shot much better than they did against Baylor, shooting 58% from the field and 46% from three. Had the edge on the glass 47-33 and they took really good care of the ball with just nine turnovers.

Yes, this was against a short-handed Omaha team, but this is the type of win this team needed to get ready for Gonzaga on Saturday.

After 20 minutes of play, the Wildcats were ahead 43-23 and poured on another 56 points. That is the type of scoring performance they will need to give themselves the best chance against the Bulldogs. The only thing they need to improve upon is rebounding. Even though they did have 47 total rebounds in this one, they were outrebounded on the offensive glass 14-12 and that can’t happen against Gonzaga.

The defense was solid again tonight, with better close out on threes and on switches. The presence of Christian Koloko down low, who played 13 minutes and had 5 points, 10 rebounds, and one block, made it that much tougher for the Mavericks. Hopefully this Saturday he sees more action and can make a difference.

Must Read. Arizona Basketball: Just one loss for the Wildcats, no need to panic. light

Arizona Basketball improves their record to 10-1 on the season and face Gonzaga this Saturday. The time has come Wildcat fans to Get Up and Bear Down as this team has a chance to make a big-time statement. At Zona Zealots, we have been waiting for this one as Arizona and Gonzaga battle for bragging rights as who is the best team on the West Coast. As always, Bear Down, Arizona!

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