Tough, clutch shots down the stretch led to the Arizona Wildcats being
in a
very good position to win in their first game against the Colorado
Buffaloes
as a member of the Pac-12. Behind a Kyle Fogg three, a Solomon Hill
tough
and-one finish in the lane, and a Kevin Parrom jumper put them up 63-
61
with just over a minute to play. In the end it was a dagger three by the
Buffs’ Carlon Brown with 1:19 to go that determined the outcome — a
64-
63 Colorado win.

In the end the pressure of one-and-one free throws doomed the
Wildcats
down the stretch. Fogg and Hill both stepped to the line in the game’s
final
three minutes and missed the front end of the one-and-one leaving
points
off the board. Those free throws could have (should have) sealed the
game
in the end, but instead were the difference in the game’s outcome.

This was another great game in college basketball this week and was not
over until the final buzzer sounded. Watching the final play unfold for
the
Wildcats you could see the seconds tick off the clock as they just took
too
long running the play. After Parrom’s three fell into the arms of Josiah
Turner he could have made a final effort to win the game, but the red
light
surrounded the backboard and the game was over.

The steady play of Jesse Perry kept the Wildcats in the game early on.
The
Buffs best player, Andre Roberson, picked up his second foul at the
11:49
mark giving the Wildcats the perfect opportunity to make a run. Behind
Perry’s 20 points, 10 rebounds, and consistent play the team was always
in
this game.

Poor three-point shooting was the Achilles Heel for the Wildcats on the
road in Colorado. The altitude change has always had its effects on
visiting
teams in all sports and the air seemed to have been sucked out of the
deep
ball Saturday. Normally a 37.9% shooting team from three on the season
(tied for 46th in the nation) they went 3-20.

All season the team has leaned on strong shooting on offense and the
ability to force turnovers on defense to win games. When you do neither,
the chances of winning are slim. The Wildcats only forced 6 turnovers
while
giving back 10 of their own.

The ‘Cats have some time to figure out what went from before hosting
the
Washington schools starting first with Washington State on Thursday
January 26th. That win will be needed before inviting ESPN College Game
Day to Tucson for the Washington Huskies on the 28th.

This loss dropped the Wildcats into dangerous territory. The résumés for
March are being looked at and formed now, being 13-7 through 20
games
in a very weak overall conference does them no favors. Arizona drops to
4-
3 in Pac-12 play with 11 games left to go. The pressure is on them now
to
make a move up the conference standings, let’s face it, a .500 record in
the
Pac-12 is not getting you anywhere this season.

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