After a slight scare in the Sunshine State and a career-worst performance by its top scorer, top-ranked Arizona returns home for Wednesday night’s Big 12 matchup against Cincinnati in Tucson, Ariz.
The Wildcats (18-0, 5-0) held a 13-point second-half lead against UCF on Saturday before withstanding a strong push to remain one of the nation’s three undefeated teams alongsid Nebraska and Miami (Ohio).
Uncharacteristically, freshman Koa Peat was saddled with early foul trouble and finished with season lows for points (4) and minutes (20). Point guard Jaden Bradley, who averages 14.1 points per game, stepped up with a team-high 23 points and drained 5 of 6 free throws in the final minute to preserve an 84-77 road victory.
“Koa is such a high-character guy,” said Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd, who suggested a few of Peat’s early fouls were borderline. “He understands this is a team game, and he’s going to be great one day, and (it) may not be his day the next, but he’ll bounce back for sure.”
UCF also clamped down on guard Anthony Dell’Orso, who averages 9.1 ppg but went 0-for-6 from the floor and was scoreless in 18 minutes of action.
“‘Delly’ missed some wide-open shots that he hits,” Lloyd said. “He played actually a really good floor game. He just didn’t make any of his shots. … And so to us (absorbing) those two guys not having their normal production on the road says some good stuff about our team.”
Wednesday’s game will be the lone clash between Arizona and coach Wes Miller’s Bearcats (10-8, 2-3), who have won two of three games following Miller’s media outburst aimed at the program’s disappointed fans after two defeats to start conference action.
After a 62-60 loss to West Virginia, Cincinnati played well in a 73-72 defeat on Jan. 11 at then-No. 25 UCF as guard Jalen Celestine, who averages 5.9 ppg and shoots 36.3% from long range, rattled a potential game-winning, buzzer-beating 3-point attempt.
Then came better results: A 77-68 home win over Colorado last Wednesday and a shocker over then-No. 2 Iowa State on Saturday. The 79-70 victory over the Cyclones was Cincinnati’s first against a No. 1 or 2 opponent at home since Jan. 21, 1967, against No. 2 Louisville — and scrappy 6-foot-4 guard Sencire Harris was the key.
Harris did a bit of everything by matching his season high with 12 points to go with four rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block.
“I just do what I do for my team,” said Harris, who averages 7.2 points and 3.1 rebounds. “If I’ve got to do the dirty work, then that’s what I’ve got to do. If I’ve got to scrap on the floor against some people, then that’s what I’ve got to do to help the team win the game. Just keep playing hard; that’s what I do.”
Miller said of Harris: “Every once in while he might make a mistake, but he (makes several great plays) and is a winner and a competitor.”
–Field Level Media
