Struggling Against the Purdue, Can the No. 1 Ranked Arizona Survive Knockouts?

The No. 1 ranked Arizona Wildcats were trumped by the Purdue Boilermakers by a 84-92 margin at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse which has raised several questions on their position in the AP polls. The bigger question looming over them is if they will recover from here on and how far can they go in the NCAA tournament.

Their consistency will be tested especially during the knockouts since they will be battling against more top teams and fans are afraid that they will get the same result as they got against the Purdue.

How has Tommy Llyod shaped this team?

The Arizona Wildcats coach Tommy Llyod has proved his ability to stick to her plans and still deliver tremendous performances on the court. He has been extremely instrumental in making a winning team and helping them push their boundaries. 

Coming to their roster, their power forward Keshad Johnson is not only a defensive player but has also worked on his weight management. He looks slimmer and is more agile to get between players to mark men. This has also grown his confidence. He is fortunate to be a part of a team where the coach Llyod has given so much freedom to their players.

Johnson has a respectable points average of 13.9 points per game grabbing 7 rebounds per contest. He has a spectacular free throw percentage of 80% and a field goal percentage of 56.8%. Though he has been more of a defensive player that hasn’t stopped him from having a success rate of 34.6% three-pointers.

Johnson has been instrumental in bringing toughness and athleticism to his team. The best part about the Wildcats is that they play as a team and do not rely majorly on just one athlete. Their players are open to scoring and always juggling between the opposition defenders. This makes them stand out when compared to previous Wildcats’ rosters.

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Though they lost the game against the Purdue, the no. 1 ranked team came too close in their last contest. They were too close to leveling them if not beating their rivals. They got trailed by 11 points in the first half and outclassed the Purdue in the second by three points. Hence, credit goes to the Arizona for trying their best and stepping up when the moment arose especially in the second half.

Can Love help them conquer?

The Wildcats guard Caleb Love besotted a game-high of 29 points with 6 rebounds and 3 assists. This performance becomes more special when fans take cognizance of the fact that the Boilermakers have one of the best scorers in their center Zach Edey this season. Love eclipsed him which showed his passion and intensity to win the match and help his team retain the No. 1 rank in the AP polls.

Love has smoked the team’s highest point average with 15.8 points per match and has followed that up with 5.1 rebounds per contest and 4.3 assists per game. He also stands tall in his steals quota, seizing the roster’s highest 1.7 steals per outing. 

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If the Arizona continue their on-song performances, they will definitely go farther than the first round of the NCAA championship. Though, they have lost their game against the tier 1 Purdue, it might give them more motivation to perform better, and outfox their opponents during the knockouts.