5 takeaways from Arizona's quarterfinal win over Stanford in Pac-12 Tournament

LAS VEGAS — The second-seeded Arizona Wildcats outlasted the 10th-seeded Stanford Cardinal 95-84 in the quarterfinal round of the Pac-12 Tournament at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Thursday, avenging their loss earlier this season in Northern California.

Here are five takeaways from Arizona’s victory:

1. Kriisa injures right shoulder

Maybe it’s Stanford. Maybe it’s T-Mobile Arena. Whatever it is, Arizona guard Kerr Kriisa hasn’t had much luck health-wise in back-to-back seasons.

A year after suffering a high ankle sprain against the Cardinal in the Pac-12 Tournament, which sidelined him for three postseason games, Kriisa endured a right shoulder injury in the first half on Thursday.

With just over four minutes until halftime, Stanford forward Brandon Angel attempted to roll to the basket on a give-and-go after handing off the ball to Spencer Jones at the top of the key. Kriisa impeded Angel, but the initiated contact caused Kriisa’s right shoulder to pop.

“I saw someone say I tried to play defense for the first time and my body couldn’t take it,” Kriisa said. “I attacked the roller, and it just kind of dislocated. I put it back, and yeah, that was pretty much it.”

Kriisa was examined in the locker room by head trainer Justin Kokoskie for the final minutes of the first half.

“The first thing I did was remain calm, because last year I had that injury here,” Kriisa said. “Thankfully that was a worse one, but it was against the same team, so I was just trying to stay positive. … No time for negativity. It’s this time of the year, and I can’t complain and whine.”

Kriisa — who finished Friday with one point on 0-for-3 shooting, four assists and one turnover — grimaced after every shot during halftime warmups but taped up his shoulder and played 15 minutes in the second half.

With 1:44 remaining, Kriisa air-balled a free throw. He made the second attempt — left-handed.

“I have a strap on my left hand, but you guys haven’t seen it yet,” Kriisa joked.

Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd said Kriisa will “be better tomorrow than he was today.”

“Who knows, maybe he’s being a little dramatic and just wanted to prove he could shoot left-handed free throws,” Lloyd said. “That was a little crazy. But he’s that kind of kid.”

2. Taking care of the rock

Last year around this time, Arizona freshman point guard Kylan Boswell was preparing for Geico Nationals, a prominent national high school basketball showcase. This year, Boswell is the backup point guard for a Wildcats team vying for a conference — and national — championship.

Boswell has a 52-25 assist-to-turnover ratio this season. Since his three-turnover performance against Cal in February, Boswell has totaled 10 assists and two turnovers.

“My job as a point guard is to facilitate the offense and protect the ball,” Boswell said. “How the flow of the game goes, I try to make the right play every time.” \

Boswell had only one turnover in 14 minutes vs. Stanford.

3. UA faithful floods Vegas (again)

Death, taxes, and the sea of red whenever the Wildcats are in Las Vegas.

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Despite pockets of seats available at T-Mobile Arena, the bulk of the fans watching the Stanford-Arizona game were there to see the Wildcats. There was a contingent of Stanford fans behind the Cardinal bench, but the rest of the roughly 10,000 fans turned T-Mobile Arena into “McKale North” yet again.

“Some (Stanford) players came to me on the court and went, ‘What the hell?’ They came up to me and were surprised,” Arizona forward Azuolas Tubelis said. “It makes them think too. Fans make a huge impact, and they’re like our sixth player on the court.”

4. Tubelis, Ballo feast in the paint

The last time Arizona faced Stanford, Tubelis played arguably his worst game as a Wildcat, recording four points — his only single-digit scoring performance of the season — and four fouls in 17 minutes. Tubelis longed for payback.

“I had a dream that we beat Stanford today,” Tubelis said. “I woke up and was locked in all day.”

The Cardinal also outscored the Wildcats 42-24 in points in the paint during their regular-season matchup

“It was a tough game, and we knew it was going to be a tough game today,” Tubelis said. “Last game, we lost at their place and they match up with us so well. When they switch everything, it’s hard to play against. Our guards need to get open and drive the ball, our bigs need to post up and rebound the ball. We knew it was going to be a tough game, but in the end we made some stops and kills on defense.”

This time around, Arizona held a 54-22 advantage in points in the paint. Tubelis and center Oumar Ballo combined for 44 points on 19-for-25 shooting from the field and 14 rebounds.

“We just played for each other,” Ballo said. “Guards found me and Zu pretty well, and Zu also found me well too to get me the ball. I took some quick shots, and they just fell in.”

Said Tubelis: “We know we’re better than them — and it’s not a question. Me and Oumar talked to each other all game and just said, ‘Keep going.’ “

5. Lloyd makes history

Arizona’s win over Stanford delivered Lloyd his 59th career victory, pushing him past former North Carolina head coach Bill Guthridge for most wins by a head coach in their first two seasons.

“I’m so proud of these players for putting me in this position,” Lloyd said. “And to pass Bill Guthridge, it’s even a little extra special honor for me because I remember, I had settled in; I thought I was never leaving Gonzaga, and I was totally OK with that. And I would tell people jokingly, ‘Hey, I mean, I’ll just be the next Bill Guthridge. … I’ll be Mark Few’s right-hand man and maybe get a few years to be the head coach at the end of my career,’ and I would have been happy with it.

“I think it says something. I think it says something about Coach Guthridge and the loyalty he had and staying with that program and for me to kind of follow that path and have that loyalty to Gonzaga and to my mentor and stay with him all those years.

“I think it’s a great formula to follow for a young coach. You come out of there seasoned. You come out of there maybe more ready than you expect to be because you’re just learning by osmosis from a great coach every day. It’s something that can’t be simulated. So I’m thankful for that.

“I’m thankful for Mark Few. I’m thankful for Gonzaga. But most of all, I’m thankful for these dudes that wear the Arizona uniform that I get to coach every day.”

Photos: Arizona vs. Stanford in 2023 Pac-12 Tournament quarterfinals

Arizona vs. Stanford | 2023 Pac-12 Basketball Tournament quarterfinals

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Arizona vs. Stanford | 2023 Pac-12 Basketball Tournament quarterfinals

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Arizona vs. Stanford | 2023 Pac-12 Basketball Tournament quarterfinals

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Arizona vs. Stanford | 2023 Pac-12 Basketball Tournament quarterfinals

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