On 'swaggy' Kerr Kriisa, Pelle Larsson's return and Arizona's efficiency in win over NAU

Even though it may not have looked like it at times, Arizona was actually pretty efficient in its 81-52 win over NAU on Tuesday.

The Wildcats scored those 81 points over 70 possessions, for about 1.15 points per possession.

“We saw some zone, we ended up with some funky lineups in there, and it kind of disrupted the pace and the tempo early,” Lloyd said. “But it was OK. I thought we left a lot of meat on the bone with some missed layups. You make a few of those and your (offensive efficiency) is 1.3, which is amazing.

“So the nitpicky part of me is that we need to be a little bit better. But overall it's not a bad start and I think there's some things for some guys to learn from.”

There were plenty of good statistical signs for the Wildcats. Among them, they had only six turnovers and 25 of their 28 field goals came off assists.

“Obviously, we really value sharing the ball and moving it around and it was great,” Lloyd said. “It’s great when teams play with that type of joy and togetherness. I think it's fun for the fans, it's fun for the coaches, it's fun for the players. You know, 25 out of 28 maybe is a little bit of an anomaly, but all in all, it's definitely a step in the right direction.”

Between UA’s Nov. 1 exhibition against Eastern New Mexico and the NAU opener, sophomore guard Kerr Kriisa has nine assists and no turnovers. And, after hitting just 1 of 8 3-pointers against Eastern, Kriisa hit 4 of 10 this time.

“I thought Kerr was great,” Lloyd said. “I’ve been steadfast in my belief in him andI think he's gonna have a really good year. I think he's gonna be one of the better point guards in college basketball. He really gets us going and on top of all the good things he does on offense… I think he's a really good defender. So I love having him out there and I feel good every second he's out on the floor.”

His play so far also apparently means Kriisa gets to continue wearing a headband. Kriisa said he was initially wearing a pink headband in practice in support of breast cancer awareness, but that coaches encouraged him to keep wearing one because he had been practicing well.

“Kerr has some swag,” Lloyd said. “As long as he's he plays with confidence, he plays with high effort and he plays with intelligence then I'll let him be swaggy, OK? But if he doesn't play with intelligence, he doesn't play with great effort, then he can't wear the headband. So that's the rule.”

Surprisingly, the one key returner who struggled Tuesday was sophomore wing Bennedict Mathurin, who shot only 2 for 13 from the field but had five rebounds and hit all four free throws he took.

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“I think most of Benn's struggles were finishing and finishing is a lot tougher than it looks, especially when you get in there with the physicality and the vertical contesting these refs are allowing," Lloyd said. "I think if he makes a few of those layins, we all feel a little bit different.

“But all in all, he's getting right to where he needs to be. He just has to kind of refine his plan under the lights, in the moment, and make sure he's getting baskets or free throws when we get the ball that close to the rim.”

In just 10 minutes, reserve center Oumar Ballo became the Wildcats’ leading rebounder (nine) and their top free throw shooter (6 for 6).

The 7-footer from Mali with 260 pounds has a unique potential inside but Lloyd said he’s had a “tough journey” getting there, both at Gonzaga and during the preseason this fall.

“I love him for sticking with it and it didn't start easy today,” Lloyd said. “He had a tough scrimmage against Saint Mary's, but kind of battled back. Then we kind of got on him and he really picked it up the next couple weeks in practice. He was getting better, making real progress. You could see his body changing, you could see his production on the court changing.

“Then today, it's funny, the first thing or two didn't go right for him. I think he gave up a free throw blockout right when he got in the game and maybe had another mistake.

"I just told him, `This game challenges you and it doesn't let things come easy, and you’ve got to keep your head up and keep fighting and keep moving forward.' I was really happy to see him kind of respond. Justin (Kier) through him a lob (in the second half) and he went up and caught it then came down and dumped it, which was huge progress for him.”

In his first appearance for a public game or scrimmage since breaking his foot in August, sophomore guard Pelle Larsson had seven points on 3 for 4 shooting along with an assist over 13 minutes played. He also drew offensive fouls from NAU.

“I thought Pelle looked better today than he has in practice, which didn't surprise me, Lloyd said. “Pelle is a really good player and he's kind of been feeling his way in practice a little bit and, and maybe overanalyzing things a little bit I thought.

“I didn't have any hard-minute thing on him tonight. I just kind of wanted to see how he played and I was just hoping he had a good play or two to build off of and I think he did.”