Arizona held Cincinnati to 32.1 percent from the floor, two out of 10 on three-point attempts and forced seven turnovers in the first half to take a 39-26 lead at halftime. Cincinnati missed its first six shots and committed two turnovers as Arizona outscored the Bearcats 8-2 to begin the second half.
Arizona eventually stretched the lead to 52-33 in the second half before Cincinnati would come all the way back to tie it. Setting the foundation with the big lead on the road led to the Arizona win. Cincinnati was better offensively in the second half. The Bearcats shot 44.4 percent in the second half but made just 3-15 three-point shots.
Arizona was only able to force four Cincinnati turnovers in the second half. The Wildcats entered the game 42nd nationally holding opponents to 39.7 percent from the floor, but 232nd with a 33.8 opponent shooting percent on three-point attempts while ranking 281st forcing 14.1 turnovers per game.
Arizona was ahead of pace in all of those stats in the first half. The old adage in sports is that defense travels. For the first 26:21 of the game on Saturday at Cincinnati that held true. Cincinnati finally came alive after Arizona took the 19-point lead. The Bearcats rallied with a 23-15 rebounding edge and 24-16 points in the paint advantage in the second half.
Cincinnati also had a 12-4 offensive rebounding advantage and 12-4 in second-chance points in the second half. Rebounding is one of the most critical aspects of defense and Arizona has to do a better job in the second on the defensive glass. Arizona outrebounded Cincinnati 15-11 in the first half and had a 5-2 edge in second-chance points.
The Big XII is an extremely physical league. After starting 4-5, Arizona has won four consecutive games. That includes a 2-0 start in the Big XII. A win on Tuesday at West Virginia would be significant for Arizona. West Virginia made 12-34 three-point attempts in their 83-76 win over Arizona in the Battle 4 Atlantis.
Arizona has to tighten up defensively at West Virginia on Tuesday night. Seven teams have made double-figure three-point shots versus Arizona this season. Head coach Tommy Lloyd can show Arizona on video in the next two days the success they can have as a team when they play defense at a high level.