Not long after Sean Miller finished a short and somewhat deflated postgame media address, Tra Holder hit a runner with 1.9 seconds left to give ASU an 80-72 win over USC.
That, combined with Washington's 65-40 loss at Oregon, meant the Wildcats still held sole possession of first place in the Pac-12, which⦠was probably of no consolation to the UA coach.
Miller said of being tied with USC (at the time) that βit doesnβt feel that wayβ because of the Wildcatsβ defense and the fact that the game was probably the easiest a visitor has had in seven or eight years.
βIt didnβt feel the same,β Miller said. βWe had won 80 of 82 games. Youβre not used to losing, especially like that.β
Oregon actually beat the Wildcats by the same margin two seasons ago, but Miller's memory is mostly correct. You have to go back five or six years, not quite seven or eight, to see other UA home losses that did not go down to the wire.
UCLA soundly beat UA 84-73 in 2012-13, and Bucknell shocked the Wildcats with a 65-54 win in the first round of the 2012 NIT. But all other UA losses under Miller at McKale have been by eight points or less β except the infamous "Jimmer Game" of 2009.
With three wins in Tucson against Miller, UCLA has given the Wildcats the most trouble at McKale. Hereβs the list of UA losses at McKale under Miller:
2017-18
UCLA 82-74
2016-17
UCLA 77-72
2015-16
Oregon 83-75
2012-13
UCLA 84-73
Cal 69-77
2011-12
San Diego State 61-57
Washington 69-67
Oregon 59-57
Bucknell 65-54
2009-10
UNLV 74-72 (OT)
BYU 99-69
WSU 78-76
OSU 63-55
ASU 73-69
The ASU win in 2009-10 marked the last time anybody has beaten Arizona at McKale in consecutive seasons; the Sun Devils actually did it three straight seasons, against Kevin OβNeill in 2007-08, against Russ Pennell in 2008-09 and against Miller in 2009-10.
Miller said earlier this week that trying a zone wouldnβt necessarily help because the underlying issues would still be there defensively, but he threw some out anyway β and then came to the same conclusion.
βWe tried different things and anytime you try to go out of your comfort zone it may work for a short stint,β Miller said. βBut theyβll eventually pick that apart because your guys arenβt as good, even with something new.
βI was in search of answers between switching ball screens across the board, to playing a 2-3 zone, to mixing in a press. Anything to maybe spark a comeback but we didnβt have it.β
In his last two games, Rawle Alkins is 4 for 20 from the field and has made just 1 of 8 3-pointers, but Miller indicated that has a lot to do with his continued recovery from foot soreness. Alkins has played three straight games since returning from his latest absence, and had 16 points in 16 minutes at Washington State in his first game of the three.
βIn fairness to Rawle, itβs really a hard situation,β Miller said. βHe missed 11 weeksβ¦ started to pick up momentum in practice every day and then he felt some soreness. If I track the amount of time heβs missed and sat out, itβs just very hard to be successful.
"And Iβm sure thatβs a big part of our struggles. But I believe in Rawle. Rawle will snap out of it. He didnβt play well tonight but there were a lot of different players on our team who didnβt."
Miller then immediately transitioned into the topic of the night.
βBut that has nothing to do with defense," he said. "Our defense is really the thing that concerns me the most.
When Kenpom's defensive efficiency ratings were updated Thursday night, the Wildcats dropped from the No. 106 to the No. 111 best in the country, having allowed an average of 101.2 points per 100 possessions. That's a lower ranking than any of Miller's UA teams, even the 2009-10 Wildcats, who were 108.
Our full game coverage is attached to this post, along with the box score and updated stats.
