The 2025 Arizona basketball season has been fantastic so far. The Wildcats are 17-0 and ranked as the top team in all of college basketball. The Wildcats have been dominant and have some marquee wins, but they played a sloppy game on Wednesday against Arizona State, even though they held on for an 89-82 victory. Head coach Tommy Lloyd said he thinks the Wildcats learned a lot from the game.
In the postgame press conference following the win, Tommy Lloyd said he learned that his team is made for it and can find ways to win when they need to. Arizona hasn't been tested in a while, so Lloyd said he appreciated how his team responded in a challenging game.
“We don't have hubris,” Lloyd said. “We don't expect these games to come easy; we obviously take all these games seriously. I really appreciate the battle tonight. I appreciate the competition. I probably would have been okay if we had lost. I'm thrilled we won, but keep things moving. I learned that our guys are here for it. You put them in tough situations, they're not afraid to make plays and find a way in a really tough game.”
The Big 12 is the most loaded conference in the country this season, and even the easier games in the conference can be challenging. There is also the added factor of the Wildcats being ranked No. 1 and it being a rivalry game, so they were going to get Arizona State's best shot. The difference for the Wildcats came down to how well Tobe Awaka played after scoring 25 points in 24 minutes.
Arizona State managed to get the game to 85-82, but then Jaden Bradley hit a mid-range jumper with 27 seconds left in the game to seal it. The Wildcats dominated the boards and in the paint, and those ended up being the difference in the game. Arizona outrebounded the Sun Devils 39-28 and had 46 points in the paint compared to 22 for Arizona State.
Tommy Lloyd also stressed the process with this team because it's a long season, and they can't be looking ahead. Next up, the Wildcats head to Orlando to play UCF, a game that could be difficult given the road trip and UCF's recent success.
