PHOENIX – It’s Saturday morning inside the Desert Financial Arena in Tempe, with under two minutes left in a game against Arizona State men’s basketball and Arizona. The Wildcats have the ball and are up four with two minutes left.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!ASU needed a stop to keep its hopes alive. They forced the initial miss on Wildcats freshman forward Carter Bryant, but as the story of the game would go, the Sun Devils failed to secure the defensive rebound not once but three times during this possession. That ended on a sophomore forward Henri Veesaar layup to ice the game with under 90 seconds left.
Arizona Wildcats forward Tobe Awaka (30) attempts to keep the ball inbound while being guarded by Arizona State Sun Devils forward Jayden Quaintance (21) during a Big 12 men’s basketball game at Desert Financial Arena.
One of Arizona’s strengths this season has been the rebounding battle. The program has consistently won the game on the boards with the second-highest margin in the Big 12 with +7.3 rebounds a game.
Arizona leads the conference with 40.4 rebounds a game, sitting third in offensive rebounding, averaging 12.7 a contest.
The Wildcats showcased that dominance on the glass, outrebounding the Sun Devils 52-38, 18 of those offensive rebounds leading to 14 second-chance points. Arizona had five offensive rebounds in the final five minutes of the game, leading to two huge 3-pointers that essentially iced the game for ASU.
Arizona Wildcats head coach Tommy Lloyd reacts after Arizona State Sun Devils head coach Bobby Hurley instructs his team to go to the locker room before the end of a Big 12 men’s basketball game at Desert Financial Arena on Feb. 1, 2025, in Tempe.
Arizona struggles from beyond the arc, only shooting 32.6% from the perimeter. However, allowing talented guards like fifth-year senior Caleb Love, who had 27 points and 5-9 from 3-point line, multiple opportunities, they’re going to knock those shots.
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Reporter Tanner Tortorella covers general assignment for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on his X account, @TannerTSports
