CORVALLIS, Ore. —
It was basketball hell, as usual, and Arizona walked smack into the middle of it.
The Wildcats played on Oregon State’s terms, slow and slower, the slowest-pace game since, gulp, the Bahamas. It was so slow it was almost a funeral procession.
Come to think of it, that’s what it looked like when the Wildcats left the Hilton Garden Inn at 4:15 p.m, Thursday, one by one boarding a bus to Gill Coliseum with the solemn nature of a man about to enter a storm.
It was man-overboard time again, this time Allonzo Trier (again), and until Rawle Alkins made two free throws with 14 seconds remaining in regulation, the Wildcats were on the whatever-can-go-wrong-will-go-wrong route to nowhere.
They missed 10 consecutive 3-point shots.
They fouled the Beavers on seven of eight possessions late in the game.
Somehow they won 75-65 in overtime because Alkins, who had missed nine of his first 11 shots, swished two deep 3-pointers when you least expected it.
Alkins called it an “ugly win” but there is no such thing on the road on the Pac-12, and especially when Trier was forced to sit out by the NCAA for having a trace of a banned substance in his bloodstream.
Whatever took place between last week’s victory at Arizona State and Thursday’s game at Gill Coliseum seemed to change Sean Miller, who understands the scope and magnitude of Trier’s absence more than anyone on the planet.
Miller is usually the most insightful and accommodating Pac-12 coach in post-game press sessions, but on Thursday he offered no insight and spoke in a monotone, limiting most of his answers to two and three words.
His message, however, wasn’t complicated: He is not a happy man. The latest off-court imbroglio isn’t just an inconvenience but something that imperils the UA’s postseason.
What is worse than that?
An hour before tipoff Thursday, those who were eligible to play participated in a typical pre-game shooting contest, one group against another, and when it was complete, assistant coach Lorenzo Romar called the team together at the foul line.
Surrounded by 10 or 12 players, Romar shouted “all in!” — except Trier sat on the OSU bench 30 yards away. Noticing his teammate sitting alone, with a grim expression, Dusan Ristic held the group together and yelled to Trier to join them.
Trier jogged to the foul line, huddled with his teammates and again they yelled “all in!” It didn’t have much fire to it, and deservedly so.
Whether the NCAA is targeting Arizona, or Trier, is a question that needs to be answered. You don’t just suspend a high-profile player on one of the nation’s 10 leading college basketball programs unless there is a significant reason to do so.
The NCAA must be consistent in meting out punishment to all of its student-athletes. Can you imagine the potential damage this will do to Trier’s reputation?
Given the last 18 months, do Trier and Arizona have to be so clean — cleaner then the next guy and the next team — that they practically squeak?
Yet somehow, the Wildcats rallied to win, buy themselves a victory that should result in a net-cutting, league championship ceremony March 3 at McKale Center.
Trier averages 11½ shots and six free throws a game, and on Thursday, Alkins became Trier when someone on the UA roster absolutely, positively had to do so in the final moments.
Alkins made two foul shots with 14 seconds left to force overtime. The Beavers tried to freeze him by calling a timeout between the first and second shot.
It wasn’t easy. Alkins knew he was just 4 for 8 from the foul line at that point.
“They were probably the biggest free throws of my life,” he said.
But even bigger were his two 3-pointers in overtime. If the Wildcats indeed cut down the nets next week, Alkins should take two snips with the scissors, one for each of those 3-pointers.
“He has that energy,” said UA center Deandre Ayton. “When he makes big shots like that — he does it in practice — he really comes through. ‘’
Without Trier in the backcourt, Arizona’s guard/wing situation is, well, Oregon State, and maybe not that good. The lack of development and production by the UA’s four backup guards and wing players hasn’t cost them a game this year, but minus Trier, it was a ledge-walk.
If Trier is unable to continue this season, Arizona’s chances of playing deep into March are muted.
It’s not clear how much more Ayton can do. He scored his usual 19 points and grabbed his usual 12 rebounds, and did so with Oregon State sometimes triple-teaming him and daring the UA to shoot from the perimeter.
To his credit, Ayton didn’t try to do too much. He took just 12 shots, and took particular glee when freshman Alex Barcello came off the bench to hit two important baskets.
“I was running down the court screaming,” Ayton said.
In its post-game locker room, understanding the scope of its victory, Arizona did some screaming too. You could hear the celebration through the cinder block walls at old Gill Coliseum and into the press room.
A day that started with bombshell-type news for the Wildcats, ended with Oregon State coach Wayne Tinkle saying “tough one, tough one. … we couldn’t pull it out.”
For at least one night, the news wasn’t all bad.
