No. 6 Arizona Basketball can’t overcome slow start and sloppy play

KNOXVILLE, TN – Traveling over 1,700 miles to take on No. 19 Tennessee, No. 6 Arizona Basketball (11-1, 1-0), couldn’t overcome a slow start in their 77-73 loss. 

No. 6 Arizona Basketball was outrebounded 40-38, turned the ball over 17 times, and even fell behind by as many as 15, but despite outscoring Tennessee 52-43 in the second half, the Wildcats suffered their first loss in 2021-22, as they fell 77-73.

Winning on the road is never easy in college basketball, and on Wednesday evening in front of a raucous and rowdy crowd in Knoxville, the Wildcats got all they bargained for and then some.

Entering the game undefeated and riding an 11-game winning streak, the Wildcats would have a tough battle on their hands in this one as they faced a talented and athletic Top 25 ranked Tennessee team.

Coming in, Arizona had to overcome significant travel as well as jumping two times zones if they were going to win, but beyond that, they did themselves no favors as they even fell behind 22-7 in the first eight minutes of play.

The Wildcats would respond by cutting the lead down to five at 26-21; however, a sloppy finish would put the Vols back in front 34-21 as they outscored Arizona 8-0 in the last 1:42 of play to end the half.

Despite battling and climbing back into the game, No. 6 Arizona Basketball couldn’t overcome a slow start or sloppy play as they fell to No. 19 Tennessee.

Arizona started the second half hot, beginning the half with a 19-10 run as they cut Tennessee’s lead to just four; however, with every run the Wildcats made, the Vols had an answer, responding with a 16-10 run of their own as they pushed their lead back up to 10 points at 60-50.

Luckily, the Wildcats would make another late push, even tying the game at 62-62. Unfortunately, the Volunteers would have another response, closing out the game by outscoring the Cats 15-12 as they escaped with the 77-73 win.

What’s next for Arizona Basketball?

With the loss, the Wildcats fall to 11-1 (1-0) on the season and will have a short break before returning to action next Thursday as they take on No. 5 UCLA on the road, followed by another tough matchup against No. 8 USC next Sunday.

Listen to the Wildcats following their loss to Tennessee.