Baylor made only five of their 22 three-point attempts on Monday night. That continued a trend for Arizona over its last three games defending three-point shots at an elite level. Kansas State, Houston and Baylor combined to make 11 of their 58 three-point attempts against Arizona for 19.0 percent.
Kansas State is 130th nationally, making 34.8 percent of its three-point attempts in the most recent update after a 74-69 loss at Utah on Monday night. Entering their game on Tuesday night at Arizona State, Houston is 11th nationally, making 39.1 percent of its three-point attempts.
Baylor is 85th nationally, making 35.9 percent of its three-point attempts after losing 74-67 to Arizona on Monday. Kansas State made one of its 19 three-point attempts versus Arizona and Houston who is projected as a one or two-seed in the NCAA Tournament, made five of its 17 three-point attempts.
Baylor also shot below its average against Arizona in an 81-70 loss in January making six of its 20 three-point attempts. As a below-average three-point shooting team, the defense Arizona is playing against other teams from beyond the arc is critical. Games are often won and lost on three-point shooting.
Arizona is now No. 10 in KenPom's Adjusted Defense metric and No. 8 in @EvanMiya's Defense rankings.
— Shane Dale (@ShaneDaleAZ) February 18, 2025
Is this the best defensive team Tommy Lloyd has had in Tucson?
In Big XII games only, Arizona is third in the conference, holding opponents to 29.7 percent on three-point attempts. That does not count West Virginia making 12 of 34 three-point goals against Arizona at the Battle 4 Atlantis in November in a non-conference game between the Big XII rivals.
In a 75-56 Arizona win at West Virginia in the rematch in January, the Mountaineers made eight of their 29 three-point shots. Colorado had the highest three-point percentage against Arizona this season, making nine of their 19 attempts for 47.4 percent in a 78-63 loss in Tucson.
Arizona allowed six teams to make 12 three-point field goals in a game this season. The Wildcats are 3-3 in those games. The most recent team to make 12 three-point shots against Arizona was Texas Tech on 33 attempts in an 82-73 loss on February 8. Texas Tech preceded the three most recent games.
Arizona is 65th nationally, holding opponents to 31.3 percent on three-point attempts. That number has improved since Big XII play began. With a lot of the focus on the woes of Arizona shooting three-point attempts, their elite three-point defense has been significant to their 12-3 record in the Big XII.