A raid on No. 1 for Arizona? Wildcats beat Colgate 82-55 as possible top ranking awaits

The Arizona Wildcats put themselves in position to become the nation’s No. 1-ranked team on Saturday, and there were a few signs that maybe they’re ready.

For one thing, the second-ranked Wildcats teased, tossed around and then nearly blew away another respectable mid-major opponent at McKale Center, beating Colgate 82-55 after going on an 18-2 run right after halftime. They outrebounded the Raiders 45-26 and turned 18 Colgate turnovers into 22 mostly emphatic points.

For another, they’ve been accustomed to high rankings pretty much ever since third-year coach Tommy Lloyd found quick success during the early months of the 2021-22 season, fully aware of the attention it brings. Pressure, sure, but also respect and attention.

“I think it’s great,” Lloyd said. “It’s what we want in this program, and we’ve got to get comfortable being in this position.”

Then there was this sign: Oumar Ballo let his hair out. Literally, and figuratively.

Playing with hair that was braided previously this season, Ballo let his hair go with only the constraints of a headband…. then went out and collected 13 points and 10 rebounds, flashing the sort of dominance and abandon that made him an all-Pac-12 first-team pick a season ago.

Asked if he changed his look for superstitious reasons or to shake things up, Ballo cracked a wide grin.

“Hey, I guess it was,” he said. “I let it out and I got a double-double. … I guess it was a good thing.”

Relatively speaking, at least, it had been a rough start for Ballo so far this season. While the big man from Mali has still shot with the same efficiency inside that he did last season, when his 64.7% mark ranked eighth nationally, his rebounding average had dropped from 8.6 last season to 5.2 entering Saturday’s game.

He also has struggled at the free-throw line, hitting just 37.5% this season after going 1 for 5 on Saturday.

But Ballo echoed Lloyd’s comments earlier this week that getting to the free throw line in the first place at least means opposing big guys are getting in foul trouble and that “I just need to stay on that thing and let it rip.”

Besides, the Wildcats are constructed differently this season. Instead of routinely pounding the ball inside to Ballo or power forward Azuolas Tubelis, they literally score at every position, be it Ballo, springy hybrid forward Keshad Johnson, wings Caleb Love and Pelle Larsson or point guard Kylan Boswell.

Saturday was typical: Love had 14 points, Larsson and Johnson had 10, while Boswell had eight to go with his six assists.

That sort of balance, Ballo said, takes the pressure off.

“This year team is way better than last year, and last year I had so much to carry,” Ballo said. “This year, thankfully, I don’t. … I just have to be a good leader for the team, be there for the team. I don’t need to score 25 points every night for the team to win.”

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Lloyd expressed even less concern. Asked how he felt Ballo has held up so far this season through his ups and downs, he all but dismissed the question.

“I think you guys have it all under a microscope,” Lloyd said. “I don’t know. I think when you’re a really good player like Oumar is, you’re not going to be constantly trending upward. There’s going to be ups and downs because you’re already pretty good.

“I think Oumar is right where we need him to be. He’s establishing himself and I think he’ll probably have some stretches over this season where he’s extremely dominant.”

On Saturday, Ballo was that guy throughout a first half in which Arizona otherwise struggled. He made 6 of 8 shots for 12 points while collecting five rebounds before halftime.

Ballo’s production helped Arizona take leads of up to 12 in the first half, though Colgate guard Braedon Smith hit three 3-pointers within two minutes toward the end of the half to cut UA’s lead down to five, and the Wildcats led just 35-30 at halftime. At that point, the Raiders had made 50% of their shots from the field.

But the Wildcats cut that tension quickly after halftime. Guard Caleb Love picked off a pass from Colgate’s Nicolas Louis-Jaques 65 seconds into the second half, raced in for a dunk, and the Wildcats were off.

“We wanted to be aggressive, get the ball moving a little bit,” Lloyd said of UA’s second half. “I would say they’re kind of a compact defense. They’re really not putting a heavy emphasis on pressuring the ball. It takes a little time to get used to that.

“Our guys just had to get comfortable hanging with possessions, moving the ball, getting to the next action. Eventually, if you move the pieces enough, you’re going to find the creases in the defense, the little pockets to either penetrate or make passes.”

The Wildcats improved on the other end of the court, too. Even as Lloyd went deep into his bench toward the end of the second half, Arizona wound up holding Colgate to just 34.5% shooting after halftime and didn’t allow the Raiders a single offensive rebound until three seconds remained.

By then, with Northwestern having knocked off No. 1 Purdue on Friday night to swing the door open for the top spot, UA’s student fans began chanting, “Number 1! Number 1! Number 1!”

That’s a place Arizona hasn’t been since it held the top spot for eight weeks in the middle of the 2013-14 season. Almost an entire decade.

Until, maybe, now.

Photos: Arizona Wildcats stay unbeaten with 82-55 win over Colgate, college basketball