March Madness is here! Throughout the Arizona men’s basketball team’s run through the postseason, we’ll break down every game the Wildcats play. Here are five takeaways from the UA’s 70-49 victory over USC in the quarterfinals of the Pac-12 Tournament on Thursday in Las Vegas:
Michael Lev is a senior writer/columnist for the Arizona Daily Star, Tucson.com and The Wildcaster.
1. Winning ugly
The biggest question facing the nation’s third-highest-scoring team entering the postseason was this: What would happen when Arizona ran into a team that slowed down and mucked up the game?
It took all of one contest to find out.
As Pac-12 Networks analyst Matt Muehlebach aptly described it during the first half, the Arizona-USC matchup was a “street fight.”
The Wildcats won anyway.
Arizona scored just 28 points in the first half and 70 overall — tied for its second-lowest output of the season. The lowest? The regular-season finale vs. the long, athletic Trojans.
The Wildcats won anyway.
Arizona forward Keshad Johnson, left, and USC guard Kobe Johnson (0) scramble for the ball during the first half of their game in the quarterfinal round of the Pac-12 Tournament Thursday, March 14, 2024, in Las Vegas.
Starting perimeter players Caleb Love (4 for 13), Pelle Larsson (4 for 10) and Kylan Boswell (1 for 8) combined to make only 29% of their shots (9 of 31).
The Wildcats won anyway.
Arizona had nine turnovers in the first half, a pace that would have matched its 18 turnovers vs. USC on Saturday, which was the UA’s second-highest total of the season.
The Wildcats won anyway.
Struggling to score is never a good thing. But it’s a good sign when you can win going away despite not being able to play at your usual pace.
This game should prove to the Wildcats that they can win a "street fight."
2. Ballo the blocker
It helps when you defend as if your postseason fate depends on it.
Thursday marked the first time Arizona had held an opponent under 50 points since Nov. 16, 2021, vs. North Dakota State. USC’s 35.7% shooting from the floor was the fourth-lowest mark for a UA opponent this season.
Arizona center Oumar Ballo (11) attempts a shot over USC forward DJ Rodman (10) during the first half of their game in the quarterfinal round of the Pac-12 Tournament Thursday, March 14, 2024, in Las Vegas.
The leader of that defensive effort: senior center Oumar Ballo, who tied his season high with three blocked shots, all in the first half, when USC scored a scant 16 points.
Ballo was the only Wildcat to make the Pac-12 All-Defensive Team this season. He isn’t an elite shot blocker, averaging just 1.0 per game entering Thursday.
But Ballo is a constant presence in the lane and is one of the league’s best defensive rebounders. He entered Thursday averaging 6.4 defensive boards per game, third most in the Pac-12, despite averaging only 25.6 minutes — the fewest among the top 20 defensive rebounders in the conference.
Ten of Ballo’s game-high 13 rebounds Thursday were on the defensive end. Two of his three blocks led directly to points on the other end. In the second half, he had a steal and save that led to a KJ Lewis 3-point play.
Ballo finished with five “stocks” (steals plus blocks), matching his highest output of the season (Dec. 9 vs. Wisconsin).
Arizona guard KJ Lewis (5) passes against USC during the first half of their game in the quarterfinal round of the Pac-12 Tournament Thursday, March 14, 2024, in Las Vegas.
3. Sixth men
Arizona’s leading scorers were reserve guards Lewis and Jaden Bradley. They totaled 15 and 12 points, respectively.
Lewis and Bradley led a bench brigade that outscored USC’s backups 32-3. The Trojans’ only bench points came on a Bronny James 3-pointer with 1:56 remaining.
Lewis played critical minutes in the second half when Larsson picked up his third foul just 1:35 into the period. By the time Larsson checked back in at 13:14, Arizona’s lead had grown from 13 to 19 points.
Lewis showed why he’s already on NBA scouts’ radar, using his strong upper body to muscle in shots (6 of 10 from the field, all inside the arc) and his leaping ability to snare offensive rebounds (half of his six total boards).
Bradley is a deluxe athlete who can get to the basket at will. He didn’t have any assists Thursday — but he also didn’t miss a single shot he took. Bradley was 4 of 4 from the field and from the foul line. Like Lewis, Bradley didn’t attempt a 3-pointer.
Pac-12 Networks’ Casey Jacobsen made a great point just before Lewis and Bradley sat down for their postgame interview: The two of them, in tandem, were the true Pac-12 Sixth Player of the Year. The actual award winner, Washington’s Koren Johnson, scored more points; the Lewis-Bradley combo made a much bigger impact.
4. Boswell blah but …
Boswell had one of those games Thursday. He made only one field goal and scored only two points.
Usually when that happens, Arizona loses.
Boswell had scored six or fewer points nine times this season before Thursday. The Wildcats were 3-6 in those games.
What was different about this one? Boswell contributed in other ways.
Boswell’s three assists matched Love for team-high honors. Boswell’s three steals led the squad. His plus-minus of plus-18 was the highest of any player who took the floor.
Boswell also was part of the perimeter defense that held USC leading scorer Boogie Ellis to six points on 2-of-11 shooting. Ellis dropped 25 points on Washington just 24 hours earlier.
Arizona forward Keshad Johnson, left, and USC guard Boogie Ellis (5) scramble for the ball during the first half of their game in the quarterfinal round of the Pac-12 Tournament Thursday, March 14, 2024, in Las Vegas.
All too often this season, Boswell has allowed his shooting — good or bad — to affect his mood and play. He needs to l earn that he doesn’t have to score to be effective. Thursday’s game should provide some proof of concept.
5. Worrisome or a lot?
Arizona won by 21 points and led by double digits for the duration of the second half.
That doesn’t mean it was an easy win.
What, if anything, is cause for concern heading into Friday’s Pac-12 semifinals and beyond?
Love had another off night from the field, shooting just 30.8%, including a blown layup and a missed floater. But he’s a streaky shooter who’s just as apt to get hot as he is to stay cold. Since the first three games of the season, Love hasn’t gone more than two in a row shooting under 40%.
Freshman Motiejus Krivas did not score in 13 minutes. He missed all three shots he took. On one sequence in the second half, he received a pass in the paint about five feet from the basket. Not only did Krivas not go up strong, he didn’t go up at all, instead passing the ball out to the perimeter.
Arizona guard Caleb Love (2) and USC guard Bronny James (6) vie for the ball during the first half of their game in the quarterfinal round of the Pac-12 Tournament Thursday, March 14, 2024, in Las Vegas.
Krivas has size and skills that can’t be taught. But even at this late point in the season, he looks like a freshman more often than not. He needs another offseason in Tommy Lloyd’s lab to build up confidence. Or a breakthrough postseason performance to kick-start that process.
Ballo’s free-throw shooting is an ongoing concern. He was just 4 for 10 Thursday and didn’t look sure of himself at the stripe. Opposing coaches are well aware of this, and they’ll no doubt employ a hack-a-Ballo strategy at some point. Can he knock them down? Or will Lloyd be forced to go small, losing all that Ballo brings?
