Led by Caleb Love, Arizona is doing all the right things to make Final Four return
After jumping out to a commanding lead, it looked like Arizona could have another March collapse and another early NCAA Tournament exit.
But the Wildcats proved they learned their lesson.
Arizona adjusted to Dayton turning up the pressure defensively and put up its own solid defensive effort to beat the No. 7 seeded Flyers 78-68 and advance to the Sweet 16 – a much better first weekend than last season's first-round exit.
In the first half, Arizona looked like it was going to have another blowout victory when it led by as much as 17 points, and Dayton looked out of sorts. But in the minutes before halftime, the Flyers changed their defensive strategy by pressuring the Wildcats in a full-court press, and it worked exceptionally, forcing turnovers as Dayton ended the first half on a 10-0 run to make it a single-digit ball game.
It had all the makings of Arizona falling victim to another upset. Sloppy second-half play resulted in losses to Southern California and Oregon in the past few weeks, and failure to execute in the second half was a big reason why it lost to No. 15 seed Princeton last season.
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Dayton would make it a three-point game with less than 12 minutes to go, but the Wildcats made adjustments themselves to prevent the Flyers from ever getting close again. They went back to pounding the ball near the basket, and their defense countered with their own intensity. Dayton's offense didn't find another spark the rest of the way.
The wonders adjustments can do.
"That's key," said guard Caleb Love, who transferred to Arizona after three seasons at North Carolina. "Just staying calm in those moments where they kind of making a run, not panicking. We've been doing it all season long, making adjustments. We've been working on it all year and it's been preparing us for this March Madness."
Love said the key to avoiding the upset loss was the team not panicking when Dayton changed it plan, and talking about how to best beat the pressure the Flyers were giving.
"Our guys did a good job of just regrouping at halftime. We kind of changed our plan of attack a little bit and just played with better fundamentals overall and handling their pressure," Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd said.
Caleb Love ignites Arizona offense
Even though Dayton's change of pressure got the Flyers back into the game, Lloyd noted he was relieved it happened so early in the game so his team had more than enough time to respond to it. That big early lead was courtesy of Love, who got out to a blazing start by scoring 13 of Arizona's first 26 points just 12 minutes into the game.
Love would cool off, finishing the game with 19 points as he made only one of his last nine field goal attempts, but there's no doubt about his play sparking the victory.
"It's pretty simple. Obviously he's a great player," Lloyd said of Love. "I knew today he was going to play good. There's just no way he wasn't going to play good on this stage.
"The dude's a baller, and I have complete trust in him."
Love's NCAA Tournament experience has already been paying off for the Wildcats. During North Carolina's 2022 Final Four run, Love averaged 18.8 points and was a major reason why the Tar Heels advanced to the national championship game.
The remarkable tournament play has continued this season. In the first round win over Long Beach State, Love had 18 points with a career-high 11 rebounds and five assists. On Saturday, he had a team-high in points with three rebounds and five assists. His team has made it known the Pac-12 Player of the Year is their best player, and that narrative continued to get pushed after beating Dayton.
"Caleb's a great player. He can get it going at any time," said guard Jaden Bradley.
Love isn't shining away from the spotlight either, admitting he wants to be on the big stage. Good thing for him, the stage will only continue to get bigger with each win this tournament. Arizona got the monkey of its back from the first-round loss last season, but the next thing it has to overcome is getting to the Elite Eight for the first time in Lloyd's tenure and first time since 2015. The goal is much bigger than that, however, with the Wildcats trying to make the Final Four for the first time in more than 20 years and play on the biggest stage in its home state.
If Love continues to lead this team, the Wildcats will be right where they want to be.
"I've dreamed of this as a kid. Watching March Madness, wanting to be on this stage," Love said. "I think I just kind of rise to the occasion."
