Just like Wisconsin, this result won’t define the season
So it’s not a matchup of Top 10 teams.
Whatever.
It is still Arizona vs. Duke at McKale Center, with both teams being ranked in the top 20 and seen as Final Four contenders. It’s the kind of matchup we should all be excited to see, no matter who comes away with the win.
The fun part about a game like this is, in the end it probably won’t matter all that much. Short of either team absolutely collapsing in a way no one expects, each will find itself in the NCAA tournament in four months’ time. Both the Blue Devils and Wildcats will compete for their respective conference title and each is likely to have at least a handful of players earn some post-season conference honors.
None of what happens Friday night in Tucson will change any of that. The beauty of early-season nonconference games like this is that while they provide a bit of a measuring stick and opportunities to learn, the teams that take the court will likely be much different come March.
In Arizona’s case, anyway, they are still working Mo Krivas back into the lineup while fielding lineups that have just one player — Caleb Love — reprising his role from last season. The rest are either new to starting or new to Arizona, meaning a bit of a learning curve would not be unexpected.
We may have seen a little of that in the Wisconsin game, where the ghost of Sam Dekker running through the Badgers’ players along with a poor shooting night from the Cats and some very questionable officiating led to defeat.
If Arizona wins, great. If Duke wins, bummer. But in the end the real winners are the fans who get to watch a high-level basketball team between two cross-country rivals whose games never seem to disappoint.
Of course, big nonconference games have been a part of coach Tommy Lloyd’s schedule since he arrived in Arizona. His teams have faced off with the likes of Illinois, Tennessee, Indiana, Creighton, San Diego State, Michigan State, Wisconsin, Purdue, Alabama and Florida Atlantic. Some happened in tournaments, while others were scheduled games.
There’s also Duke. Arizona played Duke last season and this year’s matchup is the second half of the home-and-home agreement.
Of course the Wildcats haven’t won all of these nonconference games, though they did win most of them. Last week’s loss to Wisconsin was the program’s first November defeat under Lloyd, which is a credit to his abilities as he’s either had a new (to him) roster or a roster of new players every season he has been at the helm.
This week Lloyd talked about how that kind of scheduling is not exactly common, but it’s all part of giving his team experience playing in situations that may arise later in the year.
“Maybe the last couple years we won a couple of those early games so everyone thinks you have all the answers, when you don’t,” he said. “And you lose a couple games doesn’t mean you’re going to have a bad year.”
Exactly.
Of course while winning games like this does not mean you are going to make a Final Four, collecting victories over top competition is generally a sign that you yourself are pretty damn good. Going toe-to-toe with the country’s elite puts you in that same group, and given that these teams could conceivably meet again in the postseason something could be learned Friday.
If Arizona shows it can handle a player like Cooper Flagg, that would speak volumes.
If the Cats dominate Duke on the glass with the Blue Devils having size in Flagg and Khaman Maluach, specifically, that would show they can crash the boards regardless of quality and size of the opponent.
If the Cats cut down on fouls and make more of their three-point attempts, that would be evidence that what we watched transpire in Madison was more of a fluke than anything to really worry about.
Then again if Arizona gets torched by the possible No. 1 overall pick in the NBA Draft, can’t corral missed shots and can’t keep their opponent in front of them while missing open looks, it will be a rough night but one that doesn’t end the team’s season or Final Four hopes, so long as the Cats learn from their struggles.
That’s why these kind of games should be treasured. Fans get to enjoy a marquee matchup and coaches get to see their team face off against a team that may very well be one of the game’s best.
“Obviously it’s a great honor to have Duke here,” Lloyd said. “These are the kind of games Arizona basketball should be playing, we’re happy to be playing them.
“And you know what? In order to continue playing in them we have to perform as a program. Plain and simple. And so you don’t want to put the cart ahead of the horse, we know if we perform and we can be one of the better programs in college basketball we’re going to continue to get these opportunities.”