Arizona's 82-78 loss at Kansas might have ended the Wildcats' perfect start, but ESPN analysts Seth Greenberg and Jay Williams said it could wind up helping them the rest of the way this season.
Basically, they indicated, it could help UA coach Tommy Lloyd do his job better.
"As a former player and as guy who watches a lot of basketball, it's good to get a wake up call," Williams said. "Sometimes, when you're riding high and you're playing well, the coach feels like he has your attention, and he does, but when you go through a loss, it just wakes you up a little bit, kind of snaps you back to reality.
"With this team, staying hungry, considering how much they win, is a really critical element to them finishing the deal this season."
During an interview Friday at McKale Center in a break from ESPN's preparations for a "GameDay" show Saturday, Greenberg agreed that "game pressure" can make a coach's instruction really sink in.
ESPN's "College Gameday" bus was spotted on the University of Arizona campus, Friday, Feb. 13, 2026.
"As a coach, it gives you (the ability to make the point that) 'All right, hey, Brayden, you went too early (to the basket),' or 'we didn't make the defense move' or 'maybe we need to reverse the ball. We didn't have to score. We had plenty of time left. We had to just get a good shot, not the first shot.'"
The Wildcats didn't face many close calls during their 23-0 start, and Greenberg noted that it had been a while.
"They've only had about three games where they've had game pressure, and you can't simulate that in your practice," Greenberg said. "Now, they've been great at the end of the games. They've got a great closer in Jaden Bradley.
"I don't think you have to lose those games — you want to win those games — but having those experiences before you get to the tournament, I think, adds value."
Under the radar
Saying he fed off perceived slights as a player, Williams said Arizona players might also benefit from being relatively under the radar individually.
From left, hosts Rece Davis, Jay Williams, Seth Greenberg and Jay Bilas host ESPN College GameDay at McKale Center during the 2015-16 season.
"I think it's fascinating that being No. 1 or No. 2, the best team in the country, that we don't talk about the quality of players at the national level that should be talked about," Williams said. "When we lead conversations, or when you look on channels and conversations about the top freshmen, you hear Cameron Boozer, AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson. You don't hear about Koa Peat. You don't hear about (Brayden) Burries. You don't hear their names mentioned as often as others, right? Or Bradley being the best point guard in the country. You don't hear that quite often.
"I think there's a lot of causes here for a team that's in position to win the whole thing, to still feel as if they have a major chip on their shoulder. I love that position psychologically. I think it's a huge advantage for them."
Staying true
Greenberg said Arizona's strength comes from having "eight starters" and willing role players.
"The guys that come off the bench have totally bought into their roles," Greenberg said. "I think it's their versatility. It's that they can impose their identity on the game. They pound you in the paint, they're going to be in transition, they're going to get to the free-throw line.
"They have any number of guys on any given night that can take over a game, and they're doing it. Probably the most impressive thing is starting three freshmen, which is really hard to do at this level, and yet they're doing it seamlessly."
Asked what it would take to beat the Wildcats, Williams referred to 3-point shooting. The Wildcats take fewer 3s than almost anybody in Division I, and while they hit them at a respectable 35.7%, there could be a game where they will need to be more dependent on them.
"As you play into the tournament, you have to be able to space the floor," Williams said. "I think 3-point shooting will be something that will be interesting to watch, if they're able to make shots from the outside.
"I don't question their ability to get offensive rebounds, to dominate in the paint, the physicality in the defensive end. Their matchups are incredibly hard to prepare for. But to win at a high clip, you've got to make shots from the outside to open up the paint."
Sitting next to Williams on the McKale Center podium, Greenberg grinned.
"We disagree all the time," Williams said. "To me, they lost the other night (at Kansas) because they did not impose their identity on the game. In fact, if anything, their identity got imposed on them.
"If you looked at it, Kansas gets 40 points in the paint. Kansas got to the free throw line. Kansas got out in transition. Arizona, they win games because they get to the offensive glass. They win games because they play in transition. They get to the free throw line. So they become three-point players.
"They're not a volume 3-point shooting team. That's not who they are. They can make enough 3-point shots to keep the defense honest, but their advantage ... is the speed they play with. Their advantage is the ability to get paint touches. Their advantage is to post the ball or get the ball on the glass.
"Everyone can't be everything. You've got to stay true to your identity. And the one thing we don't talk about enough — they are an elite defensive team, a physical, elite, connected defensive team, and that goes right along with part of their identity. They are hard to score against. They're hard to get to the rim, (with Motiejus) Krivas' ability to protect the front of the rim. They guard the 3-point line. It's hard to get a good look against them."
Greenberg then looked back over at Williams, and grinned again.
"But we always argue," Greenberg said. "He's a little brother I never wanted."
