Arizona Wildcats Basketball

No. 7 Arizona avenged its Jan. 25 loss to No. 3 UCLA, this time emerging with a 76-66 victory at the McKale Center.

Kerr Kriisa led all scorers with 16 points Thursday to help the Wildcats (18-2) earn an important Pac-12 win, improving to 12-0 at home this season.

Defense was on display early for Arizona as the squad built a 42-30 lead at halftime:

Stuffed at the rim 😱 @ArizonaMBB pic.twitter.com/H4Q8f5ZZu9

— ESPN (@espn) February 4, 2022

The home team led by as much as 17 in the first half before the Bruins made it respectable at intermission. 

It was a closer battle in the second half with UCLA quickly getting within single digits. The Wildcats cooled offensively before a 7-0 Bruins run cut the margin to three with under four minutes remaining.

Arizona found a way to stay in front, however, with Kriisa hitting a clutch three to put the game away:

KERR KRIISA

📺 @espn pic.twitter.com/19XkiUoDuH

— Arizona Basketball (@ArizonaMBB) February 4, 2022

It led to the first true road loss of the year for UCLA (16-3) with leading scorer Johnny Juzang held to just 12 points. 

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Notable Performances

Kerr Kriisa, G, ARI: 16 points, 5 assists

Bennedict Mathurin, G, ARI: 11 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals

Dalen Terry, G, ARI: 10 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 turnover

Johnny Juzang, G, UCLA: 12 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists

Jaime Jacquez, F, UCLA: 13 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals

Jules Bernard, G, UCLA: 15 points, 6 rebounds, 2 steals

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Arizona Moves to Top of Pac-12 Standings Behind Balanced Attack

When Bennedict Mathurin was just one of five players in double figures, you know Arizona had a good night offensively.

The best thing Arizona had going for it early was the pace, getting open looks early in the shot clock to run up the score in the first half.

𝗭𝗨 𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗧𝗛𝗥𝗢𝗨𝗚𝗛 💨

He’s got 8 early points for the Wildcats.

📺 @ESPN
📱 https://t.co/xxSp6Hy4et#BearDown | @ArizonaMBB | #Pac12MBB pic.twitter.com/j758dAAzVf

— Pac-12 Conference (@pac12) February 4, 2022

No. 7 @ArizonaMBB is HOT to start the first half against No. 3 UCLA ♨️

📺: ESPN pic.twitter.com/2mgmjWDRgH

— ESPN (@espn) February 4, 2022

RUN WITH US 🔥

Cats by 17 with two minutes to play in the half

📺 @espn pic.twitter.com/z3pAigenu7

— Arizona Basketball (@ArizonaMBB) February 4, 2022

Mathurin had only six points at halftime, but the team scored 42 thanks to the quick movement getting everyone involved.

The pace slowed in the second half, but the team still got production from a lot of different sources. At different times there were several players who were seemingly the difference-maker for Arizona:

Kerr Kriisa was 0-for-12 at UCLA last week and Mick Cronin said there was no way he would play that poorly next time. Sure enough, Kriisa had 11 in the first half of the rematch.

— Pat Forde (@ByPatForde) February 4, 2022

Tubelis already a big problem for UCLA inside.

— Ben Bolch (@latbbolch) February 4, 2022

Dalen Terry has been the best player on the court so far tonight.

— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) February 4, 2022

Dalen Terry was especially impressive, playing solid defense on Johnny Juzang while filling up the stat sheet offensively.

In addition to the five players in double figures, Oumar Ballo and Christian Koloko played important roles in the low post with seven combined blocks. 

It was a complete performance from a team that can beat anyone in the country when it plays at this level.

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Poor Shooting Dooms UCLA

In the first meeting between these teams, Arizona struggled offensively with just a 30.7 shooting percentage and 25 percent mark from three-point range. 

This time, it was UCLA that couldn't get anything to fall. 

The Bruins were just 1-of-9 from three in the first half while facing an early deficit:

UCLA bricking every jumper — exact opposite result from the first matchup.

— Eli Hershkovich (@EliHershkovich) February 4, 2022

Considering that UCLA has shot approximately 4,739 contested, off-balance twos, it's a wonder that Arizona is only up 12 at halftime.

— Jeff Eisenberg (@JeffEisenberg) February 4, 2022

Well hello, Arizona. Defense has UCLA taking impossible shots and offense inside-outside game working beautifully.

— Dana O'Neil (@DanaONeilWriter) February 4, 2022

The squad finished just 3-of-14 from beyond the arc and 38.9 percent from the field.

When the shots were falling, it usually required great individual effort.

Heat check @JohnnyJuzang 🔥

📺 @ESPN
📱 https://t.co/xxSp6Hy4et#GoBruins | @UCLAMBB | #Pac12MBB pic.twitter.com/JyYrlfmk9E

— Pac-12 Conference (@pac12) February 4, 2022

UCLA finished with 12 assists on 28 made field goals, much worse than Arizona's 18 assists on 24 makes.

With the Bruins also struggling at the free-throw line (7-of-12), a key road win was simply out of reach.

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What's Next?

The schedule remains difficult for Arizona, which will host No. 19 USC on Saturday. UCLA will continue its road trip with a game against Arizona State on Saturday.  

Only five undefeated teams remain in NCAA Division I men's basketball after the No. 19 Tennessee Volunteers dispatched the visiting No. 6 Arizona Wildcats 77-73 on Wednesday in Knoxville's Thompson-Boling Arena.

John Fulkerson's 24-point, 10-rebound double-double paced the Vols, who also got 15 points from Santiago Vescovi and 12 more via Josiah-Jordan James.

Fulkerson dominated after the second half's under-four timeout, scoring six straight Vols points en route to seven total.

The super senior hit a short jumper to give Tennessee a 69-67 lead before adding a pair of free throws for a four-point advantage following an Arizona turnover.

Azuolas Tubelis then cut the Tennessee lead to 71-69 with a two-pointer, but Fulkerson responded with a putback layup for a 73-69 edge with 56 seconds remaining.

JOHN FULKERSON pic.twitter.com/RETexijKPO

— CHANNEL TN (@CHANNEL_TN_) December 23, 2021

Tubelis made two more layups in the final minutes, but the Vols iced the game with four made free throws around those shots for the win.

Bennedict Mathurin scored a game-high 28 points alongside eight rebounds and five assists for Arizona, which also got 11 points from Kerr Kriisa.

Tennessee looked like it was going to run away with this game in the first half after opening up a 16-2 first-half lead en route to a 34-21 halftime advantage.

However, Arizona chipped away at the Tennessee lead thanks to 14 second-half points from Mathurin, who finished the game 8-of-16 shooting and 9-of-11 from the free-throw line.

Ultimately, Arizona fell largely because of 17 turnovers and foul trouble that affected the entire starting lineup. 

Mathurin, Kriisa and Christian Koloko all fouled out, while Tubelis and Dalen Terry each had four. Tennessee ended up going 18-of-27 from the line, while Arizona was 12-of-18.

The Wildcats fell to 11-1 with the defeat. Baylor, Iowa State, USC, LSU and Colorado State are left among the unbeaten following Arizona's loss.

Tennessee improved to 9-2.

Ahead of Saturday's road game against Illinois, the Arizona men's basketball team took an unconventional route to Champaign, Illinois.

According to ESPN's Myron Medcalf, poor visibility due to snow, rain and tornadoes across the Midwest forced the team's flight to divert from Savoy, Illinois, to Indianapolis on Friday night.

As a result, the Arizona players and coaches decided to take Uber rides to Champaign rather than waiting for buses to arrive.

Arizona spokesperson Nathan Wiechers confirmed that everyone involved with the team is "OK" and that there were "no issues" getting to Champaign.

Medcalf noted that an Uber ride from Indianapolis to Champaign costs $127, although it may have cost more Friday amid the poor weather.

Saturday's contest is a significant one, as Arizona is off to a red-hot start under first-year head coach Tommy Lloyd, who replaced Sean Miller.

The Wildcats haven't reached the NCAA tournament since the 2017-18 season, but they are 8-0 and ranked No. 11 in the nation despite beginning the season unranked.

Most impressively, Arizona scored an 80-62 win over the Michigan Wolverines last month.

Illinois is not ranked after starting the year ranked 11th, but the Fighting Illini are 7-2 and have won five games in a row.

A win over the Wildcats would likely ensure a return to the Top 25, while beating the Illini would likely help Arizona crack the Top 10.

The University of Washington announced that the men's basketball team's road game against No. 11 Arizona, which was scheduled for Thursday in Tucson, has been postponed because of COVID-19 protocols within the UW program.

The Pac-12 conference will work with Washington and Arizona to find an acceptable makeup date.

Arizona will now open the Pac-12 slate at Oregon State on Sunday evening.

Washington's next scheduled game is home against UCLA on Sunday, though as Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times noted, that game would appear to be in jeopardy with the school needing to postpone a matchup three days prior.

Arizona has begun its season with a 6-0 record. Its most recent game was a 105-59 win over Sacramento State last Saturday.

The 4-4 Huskies last played Saturday, when they lost to Winthrop 82-74 at home.

The Pac-12 had a COVID-19 scheduling concern earlier this year when Cal football was forced to postpone its Nov. 13 game against USC, although that game has now been rescheduled to this Saturday.

In addition, the Arizona women's basketball team's Friday game against UC Riverside was canceled because of concerns within the Highlanders' program.

As for the recently postponed Washington vs. Arizona game, finding a spot may not be too difficult given that the regular season will go on for three-plus months.

For now, it's unclear when Washington will play again. If the UCLA game Sunday is also canceled, the Huskies' next scheduled matchup is Sunday, Dec. 12, versus Gonzaga. 

The Arizona Wildcats upset the No. 4 Michigan Wolverines 80-62 on Sunday to move to 5-0 on the season. Arizona's win marked its first victory against a top-five team since Dec. 30, 2017. 

The Wolverines dropped to 3-2 with the loss. 

It was an incredible night for Arizona's Christian Koloko, who notched 22 points, seven rebounds, two assists and four blocked shots in the win. Bennedict Mathurin was also impressive, finishing with 16 points, five rebounds, one assist and one steal. 

DENIED 🚫@kolokojunior1 doing @kolokojunior1 things

📺 ESPN pic.twitter.com/3mfDyb5AEH

— Arizona Basketball (@ArizonaMBB) November 22, 2021

🔨🔨🔨🔨🔨@BennMathurin to @kolokojunior1

📺 ESPN pic.twitter.com/PsgwS5V64u

— Arizona Basketball (@ArizonaMBB) November 22, 2021

The Wildcats were impressive defensively throughout the night, but once things were tied at 21 with seven minutes remaining in the first half, Arizona took control and pulled away in the second half. 

Arizona began the second half by making its first nine shots to push the lead to 62-45. 

The Wildcats shot 4-of-21 from deep (19 percent), but went 33-of-66 from the field (50 percent). Michigan, meanwhile, was awful from deep on Sunday, with Brandon Johns Jr. making the team's only three pointer on 14 attempts. 

Eli Brooks was the Wolverines best player Sunday, notching 14 points, five rebounds, two assists and one steal. Hunter Dickinson, meanwhile, finished with 11 points, seven rebounds and two steals. 

Outside of Brooks and Dickinson, Michigan failed to get much production from anyone else. The Wolverines also had an unacceptable 10 turnovers in the first half and 15 overall. 

If Michigan has Final Four dreams, it's going to have to get better following a loss to an unranked opponent. Head coach Juwan Howard, who is in his third season, has quite a bit of work to do. Arizona, meanwhile, is looking impressive and could find themselves with Michigan among the nation's top 25 teams next week. 

The Wolverines will next face the Tarleton Texans on Wednesday, while the Wildcats won't face their next opponent, the Sacramento State Hornets, until Saturday. 

Tommy Lloyd will reportedly be the next head coach of the Arizona men's basketball team, according to Stadium's Jeff Goodman. 

The Wildcats had an opening after firing Sean Miller after 12 seasons with the program. The coach had one year remaining on his contract, but the team finished a disappointing 17-9 in 2020-21 and haven't participated in the NCAA tournament since a first-round loss in 2018.

The NCAA also levied five Level 1 charges against the school in March with the team self-imposing a postseason ban this year.

It could create a difficult rebuilding process for the new coach, as he tries to get the program back to elite status.

Arizona always expects to contend in the Pac-12 and has won one national championship with four Final Fours in its history, all under Lute Olson. Miller also guided the team to the Elite Eight three times during his time at the school.

The program has also developed its share of NBA talent, including in recent years with lottery picks Deandre Ayton, Aaron Gordon, Lauri Markkanen and Stanley Johnson coming through the system.

These factors will ensure Arizona remains a top destination for elite recruits, especially on the west coast.

With young talent on the current roster, the tools are in place for a quick return to glory.

The pressure will be on Lloyd, who gets the job after 20 years as an assistant under Mark Few at Gonzaga.

Despite a lack of experience as a head coach, he has been a key part of the Bulldogs' success, including this year's team that won 31 straight games before losing in the national title game. It was the school's second trip to the Final Four in the last four tournaments.

Lloyd has especially been known for bringing international players to Gonzaga, including Domantas Sabonis, Rui Hachimura and Joel Ayayi.

The experience could be enough to help Arizona become a top contender nationally before too long.

You can take Richard Jefferson's name out of the running for the vacant head coaching job at his alma mater.

The former Arizona Wildcats standout and NBA player said in no uncertain terms that he wasn't interested in becoming the men's basketball head coach after Sean Miller was fired last week.

"No, I will not throw my hat into the Arizona coaching search," he said on Instagram Live on Monday (h/t Jeremy Cluff of the Arizona Republic). "That's already a debacle."

Jefferson was supportive of Miller last month, saying he was a "Sean Miller guy" on the Pac-12 Network.

"I think Arizona did the right thing."@Rjeff24 talks @APlayersProgram self-imposed post-season ban.

Watch Pac-12 Gamebreak Show now⤵️
📺: Pac-12 Network
📱: https://t.co/7bHMYBa4SA#Pac12Hoops pic.twitter.com/ebemNCnABU

— Pac-12 Network (@Pac12Network) March 11, 2021

"If you were to put him nationally with other coaches and other programs, he would probably be top five, top seven. Coaches like that don't grow on trees," Jefferson added. "And so I'm a big Sean Miller guy, and I hope that they can turn this around and get going in the future.”

The Wildcats went 17-9 in 2020-21 but were ineligible for the NCAA tournament after self-imposing a postseason ban. The NCAA reportedly hit the program with a notice of allegations after a 2017 federal investigation into fraud and corruption across men's college basketball recruiting, which included former Arizona assistant coach Emanuel "Book" Richardson's guilty plea to a felony count of conspiracy to commit bribery.

Miller went 302-109 in 12 seasons with the Wildcats, leading the team to seven NCAA tournaments, five Pac-12 regular-season championships and three Pac-12 tournament championships.

The Wildcats haven't played in the NCAA tournament since the 2017-18 season, however.

As for the program's next head coach, buzz has centered around Gonzaga assistant Tommy Lloyd. Former Wildcat Gilbert Arenas told Jefferson on Instagram Live he wasn't interested in Lloyd.

"An assistant coach doesn't have credentials," he said. "... I don't even want to say his name because he doesn't deserve it. You're an assistant coach, OK. You assist."

Arenas said former Arizona player Damon Stoudamire was his top choice, followed by another former player in Miles Simon. Stoudamire is the men's basketball head coach for Pacific, while Simon is an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Lakers.

Arenas also dropped Josh Pastner's name but noted he already has a gig. Pastner, another former Arizona player, is the head coach for the Georgia Tech men's basketball team.

Former Arizona men's basketball head coach Sean Miller, who was relieved of his duties on Wednesday, released a statement Thursday noting that "it was an honor" to lead the program, which he did for 12 seasons.

“It was an honor to be the head basketball coach at the University of Arizona.”

A statement from Sean Miller: pic.twitter.com/sgWbDR35Oe

— Arizona Basketball (@ArizonaMBB) April 8, 2021

Miller coached Arizona from 2009-21. The Wildcats made seven NCAA tournaments, reaching the Elite Eight three times.

The program had fallen on hard times over the past four years, however.

Arizona won the Pac-12 regular-season title and tournament in 2018 but fell to No. 13 seed Buffalo in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

The Wildcats then missed March Madness entirely in 2019 following a 17-15 season.

They were likely headed back to the tournament in 2020 before the COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of the remainder of the season during Championship Week.

However, Arizona did not make the 2021 tournament, and that was because the Wildcats gave themselves a self-imposed ban. ESPN's Jeff Borzello explained why on Dec. 29.

"The decision comes as a result of the NCAA investigation stemming from the 2017 federal investigation into corruption in college basketball and college basketball recruiting. ESPN and The Athletic reported in October that Arizona had been hit with nine NCAA violations, including five Level I allegations. The Athletic reported that Arizona was charged with lack of institutional control and failure to monitor, and head coach Sean Miller was charged with lack of head coach control."

Arizona may have had trouble making the tournament even without the decision as it finished just fifth in the Pac-12 with an 11-9 record.

For context, fourth-place UCLA, which lost in the quarterfinals, barely snuck into the tournament field as an at-large team, participating in the First Four before its Final Four run.

The Wildcats did not participate in the conference tournament due to the ban.

Miller's Arizona career ends with him going 302-109 in Tucson with three Pac-12 titles. Before his Arizona stint, he spent the previous five seasons in Xavier, leading the Musketeers to four NCAA tournaments and one Elite Eight appearance.

The Arizona Wildcats are reportedly considering Gonzaga assistant coach Tommy Lloyd to replace Sean Miller at the head of the Pac-12 program, according to Jim Meehan of The Spokesman-Review. 

Arizona fired Miller on Wednesday after 12 years in Tuscon during which he compiled a 302-109 record but failed to advance past the Elite Eight.

Lloyd is currently the head coach-in-waiting at Gonzaga, where he's worked on Few's staff since 2000.

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Meehan noted Lloyd serves as a massive recruiting tool for Few, helping land notable international players like Rui Hachimura, Killian Tillie, Domantas Sabonis, Kevin Pangos, Kelly Olynyk and Ronny Turiaf. Leading recruiting efforts at a West Coast program is certainly a strong qualifier in general. 

Gonzaga athletic director Mike Roth told Meehan that Lloyd had received interest from three other programs this year alone before the latest Arizona rumors. That comes as no surprise to Roth, who believes the coach is destined to run his own team one day.

Said Roth:

We’re committed to Tommy here and he knows that. We’ve made that public. If Gonzaga is committed to Tommy, where our program is and where it’s been built and Tommy has been such an important part of this, why wouldn’t any other school have him on their list, even high on their list.

“We’ll continue to do our best to let him know this is where we want him to be a head coach someday when the time comes and we want him between now and then to help us be one of, if not the best, basketball programs in the country.”

Arizona is the latest high-profile program to feature a head coaching vacancy this offseason after Roy Williams retired at North Carolina, Shaka Smart left Texas for Marquette and Chris Beard left Texas Tech for the Longhorns. 

Jeff Goodman of Stadium reported Damon Stoudamire, Miles Simon and Josh Pastner remain in consideration for the Wildcats job.

Sean Miller's time as the head coach of the Arizona Wildcats men's basketball team is over.

On Wednesday, the school announced Miller would be leaving the program, though his contract would still be honored.

Arizona Vice President and Director of Athletics Dave Heeke addressed the matter in a statement:

"We appreciate Sean's commitment to our basketball program and to the university. After taking the many factors involved into account, we simply believe that we need a fresh start and now is the time. I want to thank Sean, Amy and their sons for their service to the university and wish them the very best in the future."

Jeff Goodman of Stadium previously reported the Pac-12 school parted ways with Miller with one year remaining on his contract. Goodman noted the administration "stuck by" the coach during the federal investigation into corruption in college basketball, but Miller was charged with failing to promote an atmosphere of compliance by the NCAA in March.

Arizona hired Miller prior to the 2009-10 season after he coached five seasons for the Xavier Musketeers.

In 12 years as Arizona's coach, Miller went 302-109 with five Pac-12 regular-season titles, three Pac-12 tournament titles and seven NCAA tournament appearances. The Wildcats advanced to five Sweet 16s and three Elite Eights in that span, although they never got over the hump to reach the Final Four.

However, they missed the Big Dance in 2019 and again this season, although the latter was because of a self-imposed postseason ban in response to the NCAA's notice of allegations.

As part of the FBI's probe into college basketball recruiting and corruption, Emanuel "Book" Richardson, who was previously on the Wildcats' staff, pleaded guilty to accepting bribes as part of a scheme to convince Arizona players to eventually sign with sports agent Christian Dawkins.

Mark Schlabach of ESPN reported in 2018 that the FBI intercepted conversations between Dawkins and Miller that featured discussions about paying $100,000 to make sure Deandre Ayton joined Arizona.

Ayton eventually played for the Wildcats and was the No. 1 overall pick of the 2018 NBA draft.

Miller has denied paying for prospects to join his program.

The program eventually received three Level 1 violations from the NCAA related to the federal investigation, as well as another for the athletics department as a whole for lack of institutional control.

As for the now vacant position, Goodman reported Pacific head coach Damon Stoudamire, Los Angeles Lakers assistant Miles Simon, Georgia Tech head coach Josh Pastner and Gonzaga assistant Tommy Lloyd are potential candidates. Stoudamire, Simon and Pastner are former Arizona players who became Wildcats assistant coaches.

Arizona checks in at No. 23 in the 247Sports' composite rankings for 2021 recruiting classes.