5 takeaways from Arizona’s 87-83 win over Oregon to reach Sweet 16 | Michael Lev

If it’s March, it’s time for high-stakes college basketball — and Five Takeaways. We’ll be here as long as the Arizona men’s basketball team remains alive in the postseason, analyzing every game.

Here are my top five takeaways from the UA’s 87-83 win over Oregon in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday night in Seattle, sending the Wildcats to their third Sweet 16 appearance in four years under Tommy Lloyd:

1. Tough enough

It became a popular narrative when Arizona moved to the Big 12: That brutally difficult conference schedule would toughen up the Wildcats come March.

Sunday night delivered proof of concept.

Arizona got off to a dreadful start, doing just about everything wrong in falling behind Oregon 19-4 a little over five minutes into the game. The Ducks were not only outexecuting the Wildcats but flat out taking it to them. Oregon was stronger on the ball and more aggressive in the paint. It was concerning to say the least.

But Arizona kept its poise at a time when mental toughness was paramount. The Wildcats started chipping away. They knocked down a couple of 3-pointers. They started taking the ball away instead of giving it away. Defense turned into offense. By halftime, Arizona had the lead.

Entering the NCAA Tournament, the Wildcats had played the fourth-toughest schedule in the nation, according to KenPom. By the end of the second round, Arizona’s SOS had dropped to seventh. Still, it was nowhere near Pac-12 levels. Arizona’s SOS was 33rd last year, 44th the year before that.

The Arizona-Oregon matchup was billed as a Pac-12 throwback pitting two longtime league rivals in the conference’s one-time footprint. It was and it wasn’t.

Yes, Sunday night felt a lot like a Pac-12 Tournament Championship Game. It also felt like a heavyweight fight between a Big 12 team and a Big Ten team, both bruised and battered from the regular season but undeniably better for it.

2. Tobe vs. Henri

No one played a bigger role in Arizona’s first-half comeback than power forward Tobe Awaka.

Awaka dominated on the glass, hauling in 11 rebounds, including five offensive boards. He finished the first half with a plus/minus of plus-10. Only KJ Lewis was better at plus-11.

Awaka provided the ballast the Wildcats needed in the paint, cleaning up Oregon’s misses and providing second-chance opportunities for the UA. Even after Awaka picked up his second foul with 3:43 left in the half, Lloyd stuck with him for another 2:06, sensing how valuable his presence was.

Strangely, after Awaka got whistled for his fourth foul with 8:40 left in regulation, Lloyd didn’t go back to him until 44 second remained. Furious fans were lighting up social media because Oregon center Nate Bittle was having his way with Henri Veesaar.

Veesaar has been a revelation this season. One could argue that his emergence was the biggest factor in Arizona turning its season around.

Bittle wasn’t having it. He abused Veesaar in the post, muscling him, backing him down and dropping hook shots over his outstretched arms.

If ever there was an argument for Veesaar to not go pro after this season, this was it. He needs to get in the weight room. He needs to get stronger — a lot stronger.

It wasn’t Veesaar’s night, but Arizona is all about the team concept under Lloyd. I doubt Veesaar minded ceding the spotlight to Awaka, who finished with 12 points and 14 rebounds to Veesaar’s three and two. The Wildcats got the dub. That’s all that matters.

3. ADO is A-OK

Anthony Dell’Orso rarely gets any love. Let’s give him some.

The transfer guard from Campbell was the unsung hero of Sunday’s game. He scored nine of his 12 points in the second half. He sank four free throws in the final 9.8 seconds, and Arizona needed every single one of them.

The other five came in a scoring burst early in the half. Dell’Orso dribbled along the baseline, made it seem like he was going to pull the ball back out, then spun to the basket for a layup.

Oregon then left Dell’Orso open — twice — for 3-point attempts. He missed the first before nailing the second, nudging Arizona’s lead to 54-43.

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It’s no secret that Dell’Orso is a liability on the defensive end. Oregon coach Dana Altman was well aware of Dell’Orso’s limitations and regularly attacked him with targeted pick-and-rolls.

Dell’Orso just doesn’t have the strength to check burly guards like Oregon’s TJ Bamba, whose torn jersey symbolized the physical nature of the game. But Dell’Orso has a role, and Lloyd understands what that role is. He smartly reinserted Dell’Orso during the final moments when Arizona needed an extra ball-handler/reliable foul shooter.

Will Dell’Orso have a role in Thursday’s Sweet 16 matchup against Duke? That remains to be seen. He looked overwhelmed in the first matchup and played a season-low four minutes. I doubt Lloyd will change his starting lineup. But he won’t hesitate to go to the bench if Dell’Orso is struggling.

His performance was far from perfect against the Ducks. But the Wildcats wouldn’t have won without him.

4. The stopper

Arizona also wouldn’t have won without Lewis, the one player on the team who can miss the majority of his shots but still have a positive net impact.

Lewis made only 4 of his 12 field goal attempts, and a couple of misplays at the rim nearly cost the Wildcats. But Lewis blocked three shots, tying his career best, and he helped slow down Oregon guard Jackson Shelstad, who torched Arizona in the opening minutes.

You could make a case that Lewis’ block from behind on Keeshawn Barthelemy’s drive to the hoop was the biggest defensive play of the game. Arizona led 68-65 at the time with less than seven minutes to play.

Lewis then sprinted downcourt for a layup on a pass from Veesaar.

Soon after, Lewis ripped the ball away from Kwame Evans Jr. and fed it ahead to Caleb Love, who got fouled attempting a dunk. He made both free throws.

Finally, after Jaden Bradley turned the ball over in the backcourt with 45 seconds left, Lewis contested a shot by Bamba, his fellow No. 5. Lewis cut off Bamba’s drive, forcing him into a difficult jump hook that missed wide right. Had he made it, the game would’ve been tied.

Lewis had a somewhat disappointing regular season in the sense that his offensive game didn’t blossom as hoped. That was then. This is now.

In five postseason games, Lewis has averaged 13.4 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 3.0 “stocks” (steals plus blocks). Only one other Wildcat has scored in double figures in all five postseason games ...

5. The closer

We finish with the player who closed out the game like vintage Trevor Hoffman.

Love had a game-high 29 points, with 20 of those coming in the second half. Starting with those aforementioned foul shots, he scored 10 UA points in a row from the 5:41 mark till 2:01 remained.

Love then made the final two free throws after hauling down Shelstad’s intentional miss from the stripe with 2.2 seconds left. Love was credited with a season-high nine rebounds, two off his career best. He also had four assists and made 10 of 18 shots, including 5 of 7 from 3-point range.

Love had some shaky moments earlier, especially with his handle; he had three of Arizona’s nine turnovers.

But for the majority of the game — and especially when the Wildcats needed him most — Love played like a fifth-year vet with extensive NCAA Tournament experience.

And now, Love gets one last shot at Duke, whom he’s faced nine times — including the national semifinals on April 2, 2022.

Playing for North Carolina, Love lit up the Blue Devils for 28 points on 11-of-20 shooting. UNC defeated Duke to advance to the title game, where it lost to Kansas.

Love went 5 for 24 that night. He has those games sometimes. You’ve seen it firsthand.

I think we’ll see Love at his best against the Blue Devils because his confidence is all the way back — and because he’s currently the best version of himself.

Will it be enough to knock off a 1-seed? We’ll find out Thursday night.

Photos: Arizona squeak by Oregon 87-83, round of 32 NCAA Tournament