Cat Tracks: UA routs Huskies despite slow start
Feb 21, 2013, 5:23 AM | Updated: 1:55 pm
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 basketball game. So, we give you ‘Cat Tracks’, providing you with the analysis, quotes and notes from Arizona’s 70-52 win over Washington on February 20.
The Good:
Senior leadership can take a team a long way. And that was certainly the case for the UA Wildcats Wednesday night.
Sean Miller’s squad missed 12 of its first 15 shots against the Huskies and trailed 13-8 at the 8:07 mark of the first half. From there, seniors Mark Lyons and Solomon Hill took over.
The duo scored 22 of the team’s next 25 points, and the Wildcats cruised in the second half en route to an 18-point victory.
Hill and Lyons combined for 33 points on the night, but UA also received notable contributions in the second half from Nick Johnson (12 points), Kaleb Tarczewski (10 points) and Brandon Ashley (10 points).
The Bad:
The first 12 minutes of play were largely forgotten based on how the Wildcats played over the final 28 minutes of the contest. However, a 3-of-15 start won’t get it done against the upper-echelon teams around the country in March.
The Wildcats have illustrated throughout 2012-13 (wins of Miami, Florida and San Diego State) that they have the talent to beat any team in the country. But Wednesday night’s sluggish start was just another example of how Arizona could potentially be exposed come tournament time.
They won big, yes. But the Wildcats still need to come out with better intensity in the first half of games if they have aspirations of a Final Four appearance.
Noted:
• With the win, the Wildcats swept Washington for the first time since the 2006-07 season.
• UA has now played seven games at 9:00 p.m. or later over the past five seasons. Wednesday’s win puts them over .500 (4-3) during that span.
• Kevin Parrom made his second consecutive start but was not a major factor in the blowout win. The senior had zero points and five rebounds.
Coming Up Next:
The Wildcats will face Washington State at the McKale Center on Saturday, February 23. The game is scheduled to tip-off at 9:00 p.m. MST.
