Arizona continues its late game woes in a 70-54 loss at Texas Tech on Saturday. Texas Tech finished the final 5:16 of the game on Saturday with a 13-0 run to blow open a close game. Arizona played poorly down the stretch for the fourth time in its last five games.
In wins over Cincinnati, Central Florida and Baylor, Arizona build big enough leads to withstand late game runs by their opponents. The loss to Texas Tech ended a seven-game Arizona win streak, five of which were over Big XII opponents. Arizona played its most complete game this season in a 75-56 win at West Virginia earlier this month.
After opening Big XII play with an 80-71 win versus TCU at home, Arizona lost a 19-point lead in the second half at Cincinnati before holding on to win 72-67. After leading 39-26 at halftime, Arizona outscored Cincinnati 8-2 to open the second half and push the lead to 47-28 with 17:22 remaining in the game.
The lead remained at 19 at 52-33 with 13:39 remaining in the second half. Cincinnati scored nine straight points to cut the deficit to 58-52 with 7:24 remaining. Arizona still lead 64-57 with 4:12 remaining before Cincinnati scored the next seven points to tie the game with 58 seconds remaining.
Texas Tech beats Arizona on the back of a game-clinching "Kill Shot" late.
— Evan Miyakawa (@EvanMiya) January 18, 2025
A 12-0 nothing run gives the Red Raiders a huge win at home, handing Arizona its first conference loss.
It's only the 3rd 10-0 run Arizona has allowed all season!
Arizona answered with a Jaden Bradley drive to put Arizona in front to stay with 43 seconds remaining. Following the drive by Bradley, Arizona made all six of its free throws in the final minute to secure its first-ever Big XII road win. The layup by Bradley was the only Arizona field goal in the last four minutes.
Arizona led 39-28 at halftime at West Virginia. After West Virginia cut the deficit to 53-47, Arizona went on an 11-0 run to put the game away. The lead was at least 12 points for the rest of the game and Arizona closed out an impressive road trip with consecutive wins over top 25 teams.
Arizona twice blew big leads against Central Florida before holding on late. Central Florida outscored Arizona 23-12 in the final 8:14 of the first half to cut their deficit to 45-42 at halftime. Arizona was never seriously threatened in the second half of an 88-80 win over Central Florida, but four turnovers in the last 1:32 was concerning.
Texas Tech is a good team and losing to them on the road isn’t bad.
— Shane Dale (@ShaneDaleAZ) January 18, 2025
My larger concern is Arizona’s performance/decision making late in games. It’s been a problem all season.
Right now my confidence in UA to win a tied/one-possession game with 3-4 minutes left is next to zero.
Arizona led Baylor 42-19 at halftime and extended the lead to 46-19 early in the second half. The Arizona lead remained substantial throughout most of the second half. Baylor made a run and cut the deficit to eight with 40 seconds left. K.J. Lewis and Caleb Love made free throws to assure Arizona's win.
After holding Baylor to 25.9 percent from the field and one for nine on three-point attempts in the first half, the Bears shot 69.0 percent and made five of 11 three-point field goals in the second half. Arizona was outstanding defensively during its seven game winning streak but needs to remain consistent throughout games.
Going scoring for the final 5:16 caught up with Arizona. The Big XII is going to challenge Arizona far more than the Pac-12 did. Winning on the road is difficult. Starting 5-1 in the Big XII with two road wins is commendable. If Arizona cleans up its late game performances, they will remain a contender in the Big XII.,