Cat Tracks: Wildcats win going away in first road game
Dec 2, 2012, 2:24 AM | Updated: 3:11 am
Sure, you could read the box score and know who won, but we all know that won’t tell you everything that happened in a football game. So, we give you ‘Cat Tracks’, providing you with the analysis, quotes and notes from Arizona’s December 1 win over Texas Tech. Final score: Arizona 85, Texas Tech 57.
The Good:
The best way to quiet a home crowd is to get off to a fast start. That’s exactly what Sean Miller’s squad did Saturday night in Lubbock.
Playing in their first road game of the season, UA used a 24-10 run to close the first half and led 45-28 at halftime. Texas Tech never got within 10 in the second half, as the Wildcats cruised to their fifth win on the season.
There was a lot of good on the night, but three-point shooting and free throw shooting have to be near the top. UA hit 8-of-23 from downtown and 17-of-21 from the charity stripe against the Red Raiders.
The usual suspects — Solomon Hill (14 points), Nick Johnson (21 points) and Mark Lyons (11 points) — all had very nice evenings, but it was the play of freshman Grant Jarrett off the bench that deserves some attention. Jarrett scored a career-high 11 points.
The Bad:
The Wildcats are 5-0 and ranked in top 10 for the first since January 2007, so it’s hard to be too critical.
However, turnovers kept this game competitive for much longer than it should have been. That’s not saying a whole lot about a game that quickly turned into a blowout, but UA turned the ball over 16 times against Texas Tech. Against a team like Florida, who is still on the Wildcats’ non-conference schedule this season, that won’t get it done.
Noted:
• The Wildcats’ 45 first half points were the most on the season.
• Freshman Kaleb Tarczweksi came into Saturday’s game with 21 rebounds on the season. He finished with 13 boards against the Red Raiders.
• Since coming to UA, Sean Miller is now 18-5 in November games.
Coming Up Next:
Arizona won’t have to get too use to the road. The Wildcats return home to face the undefeated Southern Methodist Eagles out of Conference USA Tuesday night at 6:30 p.m.
