No. 13 Arizona basketball (17-7, 11-2) shockingly lost the battle of the Wildcats at Kansas State (12-11, 7-6), 73-70.
Arizona basketball played its worst basketball game of the inaugural season tonight against Kansas State. K State has grown into a phenomenal team since the beginning of its season but Arizona did not play Arizona basketball.
Key players showed up on both teams but neither team was a team until K-State came together to push pass Arizona. Dug McDaniel was outstanding for K State. KJ Lewis carried Arizona.
The Battle of the Wildcats was not good basketball for either program and the scoreline shows. Both teams were struggling from beyond the arc and both teams turned over the ball an excruciating amount of times.
Takeaway #1: Turnover central
Arizona has consistently played down to the opponent rather than consistently playing their best basketball, this is why they are a second half team. The team seems to use the first half to get their groove and then explode out of the gates in the second half.
The first half against Kansas State tonight was chaotic, messy, and absolutely not the Arizona Wildcats basketball we have been watching in the last 6 games.
In the first half alone Arizona went 1-11 from beyond the arc with 8 turnovers. The offense was struggling against a fast and physical Kansas State defense but Kansas State was struggling against an incredible Arizona team too. Neither of the Wildcats teams could get inside the paint and there was a lack of success from beyond the arc.
Kansas State went into the half at 1-10 from beyond the arc but just 4 turnovers.
In the first five minutes of the second half, both teams continued the turnover trend. Arizona had 10 turnovers while K State had 6. Maybe it’s just a Wildcats thing.
The turnovers never got better and was the reason Arizona came out on the bottom. Arizona finished with 17 turnovers compared to K State’s 9.
Turn over the ball, lose games.
Takeaway #2: Both teams performed well in the paint
Not only was it a bad day in turnovers for both Wildcat programs, but it was also a bad day for 3-point attempts. Arizona went 2-21, while K State went 1-19.
Kansas State recently won huge games to get heads turning, including a ranked Kansas team. Arizona is on a stunning win streak but neither of the teams played the basketball we saw them play in those high-pressure games.
Both teams found success inside the paint but both teams continued to attempt from beyond the arc. Lewis led Arizona with 15 points, inside the paint. He made one of the team’s two three-point makes.
McDaniel maneuvered through the Arizona defense with speed the entire night, getting inside the paint and putting up 22 points for the K State Wildcats. He broke down the Arizona defense single-handedly.
Takeaway #3: This is Big 12 basketball
The Big 12 conference is special and this is why.
No.13 Arizona should not have let this game be so close against an unranked Kansas State team but this is Big 12 basketball.
Kansas State had an extremely slow start to its season but they have recently turned it around. They came into this game on a five-game winning streak and they got to play at home, two huge advantages in a conference like this one. K State fought and had the momentum for a good majority of this game but Arizona was gritty and was not going to go down easy, or at all.
The Big 12 Conference is competitive, fiery matchups as we have seen in this second half of Arizona’s season.
Next up for Arizona basketball (17-7, 11-2): Houston (20-4, 12-1) – Feb. 15 at 12 p.m. MST
Next up for Kansas State basketball (12-11, 7-6) vs. BYU (16-8, 7-6) – Feb. 15 at 7 p.m. MST