The Arizona Wildcats got cold water doused on their hot streak to start the season. On Thursday, Arizona basketball suffered its first defeat of the season, as the Wildcats were upset by the Utah Utes, 81-66, on the road.
The loss to unranked Utah came on the heels of Arizona basketball winning two games in a row against top-25 teams. The Wildcats arrived at their matchup against Utah following an 89-79 win over the No. 10 Creighton Bluejays last Wednesday. Prior to that, Arizona basketball took down the No. 17 San Diego State Aztecs, 87-70, on Tuesday.
After losing to Utah, Arizona basketball head coach Tommy Lloyd revealed that his team just didn't seem to have enough energy to stave off the Utes, per Justin Spears of the Arizona Daily Star.
“All great teams have a solid, locked-in approach, and we didn't do a good job being the aggressor. … Our energy and enthusiasm weren't on an elite level.”
Article Continues BelowArizona's normally explosive offense fizzled out against the Utes. The Wildcats are sixth in the nation in adjusted offensive efficiency with 116.5 points per 100 possessions and No. 1 with a 62.5 effective field goal percentage, but in the loss to Utah, they only recorded a 38.0 eFG% — easily the worst the team has had in a game, so far this season.
Utah is no pushover, though. While it's not ranked, it is a top-55 team on KenPom heading into that showdown versus the Wildcats.
Arizona should be able to recover right away, as the Wildcats will be facing next the California Golden Bears at home on Sunday. California is a sub-200 KenPom team.