Wildcats ride momentum into Big 12 play after 2nd straight blowout win

Maybe it’s still not yet entirely clear if the Arizona Wildcats will go only where Caleb Love takes them this season, but he’s definitely in the driver’s seat.

Back in a two-game rhythm after a mostly rough early season, Love had 24 points in just 24 minutes Saturday in UA’s 94-41 drumming of Central Michigan at McKale Center while opening doors for those around him every time he shot or drove the ball.

“He's being a lot more aggressive and also playing into our system,” said UA guard KJ Lewis, who added 13 points and five rebounds off the bench. “It really spaces the floor out for drivers like me, Carter (Bryant), Jaden (Bradley) because when he hits a few, it’s hard for teams to help off him … It just opens the whole offense for us.”

Entering the week averaging just 13.3 points and 36.6% shooting, Love had 23 points on 7-for-14 shooting in UA’s 96-64 win over Samford on Wednesday and shot 9 for 15 on Saturday.

Correspondingly, the Wildcats’ offense flowed much more efficiently in both games.

“The trendy term in basketball is gravity,” UA coach Tommy Lloyd said. “He has a lot of gravity. He has a lot of eyes on him, a lot of bodies, a lot of things go towards him, so he can create space for others.”

The Wildcats wound up using assists to set up 28 of their 36 field goals while shooting 54.5% overall and 34.5% from 3-point range against Central Michigan. Love went 3 for 8 from 3, while Anthony Dell’Orso (2 for 7), Bryant (2 for 4), Bradley (1 for 3) and Conrad Martinez (2 for 4) also connected from long range over the Chippewas’ zone defense.

“There’s no secret: Our deal is predicated on ball movement and player movement," Lloyd said. "That’s not always easy to get but there has to be a willingness to do it. I think our guys are getting there and they’re fighting for it. So I was really happy with that, especially against the zone.”

The Wildcats’ offense didn’t flow that well early, but not for long. Arizona led 6-5 at the first timeout while missing six of its first seven 3-point shots. But the Wildcats broke out of a 6-6 tie by scoring nine straight points, capped by three free throws from Love after he was fouled beyond the 3-point line.

The Wildcats later went on an 11-0 spurt to take a 29-12 lead with 7:39 left, after Lewis dunked in a missed shot from Dell’Orso and then, after stealing the ball from CMU’s Anthony Pritchard, drew a foul and hit a pair of free throws.

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UA carried comfortable leads the rest of the half and was ahead 44-23 at halftime, when Love already had 20 points.

The Wildcats kept up the momentum in the second half, outscoring CMU 50-18. They went on an 18-2 run over the middle of the second half to put the game away and give Lloyd a chance to keep experimenting with his lineup.

Having played nine players in the first half and giving nearly 20 to the lightly used Martinez, Lloyd inserted 7-foot freshman Emmanuel Stephen with 10:21 left in the game. Stephen made a layup on UA’s first possession after he came in, then wound up with six points, six rebounds and a block over nine minutes.

“I thought today was the best he's looked ever playing basketball,” Lloyd said of Stephen. “And I've watched him in high school. He looked really good today, so that was encouraging.”

Lloyd said he also was encouraged with Bryant, who has started to play some minutes at power forward with center Motiejus Krivas out with a foot injury. Bryant filled the box score Saturday with eight points on 3-for-5 overall shooting, five assists and two steals.

So there were signs that maybe the Wildcats can compete after all for that top-five finish in the Big 12 they were expected to have. After UA dropped to 4-5 after a 57-54 loss to UCLA on Dec. 14, the Wildcats wrapped up their nonconference season at 6-5.

“I think there's a lot of positive momentum,” Lloyd said. "I think there's been positive momentum all month … losing that 13-point lead to UCLA stings and we haven't forgot about it, but I think the mood is totally different.

“Ultimately, I like where we're at because I feel like I know where we're going. And ultimately, we're going to be judged by how we play in the Big 12. So let’s go.”

Photos: Arizona run through Central Michigan 94-41, NCAA basketball