5 takeaways from Arizona’s loss to Duke in NCAA Sweet 16 | Michael Lev

We said we’d be here as long as the Arizona men’s basketball team remained alive in the postseason.

The 2024-25 Wildcats took their last shots Thursday night.

One final edition of Five Takeaways is coming your way.

Here are my top five observations from the UA’s 100-93 loss to Duke in the Sweet 16 in Newark, New Jersey:

1. Too little, too late

The fight Arizona showed in the second half was admirable — and a sign that Tommy Lloyd has developed a strong culture during his four seasons in Tucson.

The Wildcats trailed the Blue Devils 70-51 with 13:12 remaining. It had all the earmarks of a blowout.

But Arizona kept battling. The Wildcats reduced the deficit to seven points with 7:47 to play — and got it down to five with 1:56 left.

They could never make it a one-possession game against a top-seeded Duke team that took care of the ball and had the best player in college basketball in Cooper Flagg (more on him later).

Arizona got into that predicament because its defense wasn’t up to the challenge. Early foul trouble limited top perimeter defenders Jaden Bradley and KJ Lewis. From start to finish, the Blue Devils bedeviled the Wildcats with their pick-and-roll actions and dribble penetration.

Duke shot 60% from the floor — the highest mark for any UA opponent this season. The previous high was 55.4% by BYU on Feb. 22. What do those two have in common? They run NBA-style offenses with a ton of pick-and-roll elements. You have to make smart, quick decisions on defense. Arizona struggled in that area in both games.

Of course, the Blue Devils are an elite offensive team. Duke shot 64.4% in the previous round against Baylor. That was also the best anyone shot against the Bears.

Duke ended up with 10 turnovers, but Arizona scored only seven points off those miscues. I would have liked to have seen a sprinkling of full-court pressure, maybe even some zone — anything to get the Blue Devils out of their rhythm.

2. Flagrant fiasco

I’ve never been an officiating conspiracy theorist. I don’t care who the referees are. Most of the time they don’t influence the outcome.

But I won’t blame you for feeling bitter about an inexplicable — and critically important — decision made by the crew Thursday night.

As mentioned, Arizona cut its deficit to seven points with 7:47 remaining. That happened thanks to an old-fashioned 3-point play by Henri Veesaar.

But amidst the chaos of that possession, Bradley got tangled up with Duke’s Kon Knueppel, hooked his arm and dragged him to the floor. Upon further review, the officials correctly ruled a Flagrant 1 against Bradley. Duke got two shots and the ball. The Blue Devils bumped the lead back to 11.

Moments later, Duke’s Patrick Ngongba did the same thing to Veesaar — hooked his arm and pulled him down. But this time, the refs decided it was a common foul.

Ngongba did let go at the last second, but the damage was done — Veesaar was headed to the hardwood, and not of his own volition. The entire CBS announcing crew — including officiating expert Gene Steratore — thought it should have been a Flagrant 1. The only ones who didn’t were the refs.

Instead of two free throws and the ball, Arizona merely got the ball. Flagg blocked Veesaar. Veesaar fouled Ngongba, who went 2 for 2 at the other end. Instead of a five- or even four-point game — via two UA foul shots plus a made field goal or 3-pointer — Duke’s lead crept back up to 11.

For the “Duke always gets the calls” crowd, it was a moment of validation. For desperate UA fans, it was a moment of frustration that won’t be forgotten anytime soon.

3. The last of Love

When Arizona lost in the Sweet 16 last year, most of us thought it was the last time Caleb Love would don a UA uniform.

It was a low point for Love, who shot 5 of 18 from the floor — including 0 of 9 from 3-point range — in Arizona’s upset loss to Clemson.

Circumstances led to Love’s return for a final season of college basketball. After some rocky stretches, Love played his best ball when the Wildcats needed him most.

Love was the best player on the floor not named Cooper Flagg. In yet another stellar performance against Duke, Love scored 35 points on 11-of-21 shooting — 5 of 11 from 3-point range — and played the entire 40 minutes. He scored 21 points in the second half — after scoring 20 in the second half against Oregon on Sunday.

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It was a more dignified exit for Love than last year would have been. It was well deserved for a player who — if you’ll excuse the pun — is beloved by his teammates.

Of course, it wouldn’t be the full Caleb Love Experience if there weren’t some head-scratching moments.

With Arizona trailing 45-42 late in the first half, the Wildcats had a chance to take the last shot. But Love hoisted up a long 3-pointer with about seven seconds left, giving Duke that opportunity. Flagg took advantage by nailing a pull-up 3 at the buzzer.

Just like that, an even first half turned into a six-point deficit at the break.

Then, with Arizona down 89-83 with less than three minutes remaining, Love attempted a long 3-pointer over two Duke defenders — including 7-foot-2 Khaman Maluach, who got a piece of the shot. The Blue Devils ended up making two free throws at the other end.

I hate to pick nits when a guy scores 35 points and leaves it all on the court, but that’s surely a possession Love would like to have back.

4. Flagg factor

Flagg showed why he’ll be the No. 1 pick in this year’s NBA Draft.

Not only did he score a team-high 30 points on 9-of-19 shooting — including 3 of 5 from 3 point-range and 9 of 10 from the foul line — but Flagg had seven assists, six rebounds, three blocks and a steal.

He controlled the game on the offensive end in a manner that reminded me of NBA star Luka Doncic. Flagg repeatedly got into the lane, drew defenders and either got fouled or set up his teammates. How many times did Veesaar have to come off his man to try to stop Flagg, leaving Maluach open for dunks or putbacks?

Arizona usually has the edge in points in the paint. Duke won that battle 42-30 — mainly because the Wildcats couldn’t keep Flagg out of there.

Arizona tried multiple defenders on Flagg, including Lewis, Trey Townsend and Carter Bryant, who’s the best matchup in terms of length. None of them could stop him.

Lewis, Arizona’s best defender, was visibly frustrated after he lost his balance and knocked Flagg down while chasing him late in the second half. It was Lewis’ fifth foul, and it came with Arizona trailing by just five with less than two minutes to play. Flagg made both free throws.

Duke has three projected lottery picks in Flagg, Maluach and Knueppel. It’d be nice to have a trio like that.

There’s a world in which Arizona has one of its own in 2025-26.

5. Best yet to come

Thursday began with great news for the UA program: Arizona secured a verbal commitment from five-star forward Koa Peat, a four-time state champion and three-time Gatorade Player of the Year out of Gilbert Perry High School.

Peat is ranked as the No. 8 recruit in the class of 2025 by 247Sports and Rivals, and No. 9 by ESPN. He is the highest-rated recruit of the Lloyd era.

Meanwhile, Arizona remains in the running for San Bernardino, California, guard Brayden Burries, who’s ranked 11th by 247Sports and ESPN, and 14th by Rivals.

If Burries were to pick Arizona, the Wildcats would have a top-10 class featuring two potential lottery picks — with the possibility of a third if Bryant decides to return for his sophomore season.

Bryant has first-round ability, and most mock drafts put him there if he were to declare. There’s zero doubt that Bryant would impress NBA teams with his measurables and raw talent in any private-workout or scouting-combine setting.

But we also saw Thursday how big the gap is between Bryant and Flagg, whose game is much more advanced and sophisticated as of now. If Bryant recognizes how much more development he needs — and how fun it could be to play with Peat and possibly Burries — he could elect to come back.

It’s foolish to try to predict what any college basketball roster will look like in early spring. But it’s conceivable that Arizona’s could feature Bryant, Peat, Burries, Bradley, Lewis, Veesaar, Tobe Awaka and Motiejus Krivas, among others. That would be Lloyd’s most talented team since his first UA squad, which featured future pros Bennedict Mathurin, Dalen Terry and Christian Koloko.

Is it a pipe dream? Maybe. But after a promising season that ended against the best of the best in college basketball, it’s time to think big.

Arizona has the makings of a Final Four team next year if the pieces come together.

Photos: Arizona can't run down Duke in a 100-93 loss in the Sweet 16