Tommy Lloyd is never one to linger around the arena after a game, but on Tuesday night he was even more eager to leave. Not because Arizona had a rough performance—a second consecutive road win over a ranked Big 12 opponent says otherwise—but because there’s still a long journey to go before the Wildcats are back at home.
“We’ve been on the road for a week, and we really want to get home,” Lloyd said to open his press conference following Tuesday’s 75-56 win at West Virginia. “You guys have a beautiful part of the country, but we love Tucson, and we love warm weather, so we’re ready to get back to shorts and T-shirts.”
Arizona (9-5, 3-0 Big 12) has won five in a row, the last two away from home, and are tied with Houston and Iowa State for first place. The Wildcats are the first Big 12 team to win consecutive road games against ranked opponents since Kansas State in January 2023.
Our game recap can be found here. Below is what Lloyd and guards Jaden Bradley and KJ Lewis said afterward:
Lloyd on the win: “Great effort by our guys. We needed that. Our guys have been getting better ever since the Bahamas. It’s been kind of just figuring it out, for me as a coach, helping them figure it out. I was figuring out what we could do better, and these guys taking it upon themselves to be accountable on the court. I thought we were rock solid.”
On holding off a 2nd half surge from West Virginia: “I thought we controlled the game almost from start to finish. That was what I was really hoping we could put together kind of more of a 40-minute performance. Our last couple of games, we’ve had a 13-point lead, a 14-point lead and a 19-point lead, and every one of them has come back close. We really challenged our guys to keep the gap today.”
On calling timeout when the lead shrunk to 5: “(Sencire Harris) hit those two transition threes, and obviously, he’s not a great shooter overall, but he made two last game, he made two this game, they cut it, and the crowd is going crazy, and from there, our guys were really steady and had a great approach, and taking it possession by possession. Give the team a lot of credit. Really proud of them and can’t wait to get home.”
On the offense: “We worked the offense correctly. We made no bones about it, we’re a team that doesn’t mind scoring in the paint and we’re not trying to shoot 50 threes. We’re a little bit old school, but we moved better this game.”
On West Virginia: “These guys, I mean (West Virginia head coach) Darian (DeVries) is doing such a good job. He’s done an amazing job in his first year and I know they’ve had some crazy injuries, and he’s dealt with it. To be honest with you, their starting lineup was pretty magical. I mean you win some of these close games, you beat an Arizona, you beat a Gonzaga, you beat Kansas. Are you kidding me? If I was that guy’s agent, I would have two more years in that contract right now. So, they’ve got off to an amazing start, and we knew we had to come out and be steady today. We knew they were playing with a lot of confidence, and you know we had a little more time to prepare this time. Last time we played them it was the third day of three games, for both teams. They found a way to come out on top, so we’ll feel good about that.”
On his message to the team during the West Virginia run: “Breathe, relax, we’re up six (points). It’s the old adage. You know if you told me with however much time left in the game, we’re up six and the ball and the timeout, I would probably feel pretty good. Let’s not get emotional, let’s get tactical and figure out what we have got to do. The guys did a great job at that. These guys really managed it on their own for the most part, I didn’t give them a ton of crazy structure down the stretch. JB was kind of calling the plays, KJ ended up being the point guard for a few possessions and these guys, they made great decisions.”
On Bradley and Lewis: “These guys, they played amazing.”
On this game vs. West Virginia compared to the last: “The best thing we did scouting was the guy that made eight 3s against us didn’t play. He’s a heck of a player. They’re obviously a more dangerous team with him in the lineup.
On the defense: “Our defense is there, it’s right there. Against TCU we didn’t have a great stretch. We’re finding when we take care of the ball, and we don’t give up runouts, our defense is pretty good in the halfcourt. And then obviously rebound, we’re no different than any other team. The 3s come. These teams have great shooters.”
On dealing with the snow in Morgantown: “We didn’t leave (the hotel). The snow doesn’t bother me, 22 years at Gonzaga in Spokane. We had a great time hanging out at the hotel bonding. These guys played a bunch of Uno.”
On not being ranked: “We’re at where we’re at. The rankings, I don’t make too much of them, but it is different not being in the Top 25. We feel like we’re a Top 10 program but you know what, here’s the deal: you’ve got to earn it. We lost some close games. We had to play better. Challenge accepted.”
On Caleb Love playing only 10 minutes in 2nd half: “Caleb obviously didn’t have his best day today, and we felt like other guys were playing well. But it’s not diabolical. You put a lineup out there, you give a guy a rest, and if that lineup starts playing really well you play that lineup a little longer. It’s not rocket science. There was no intent to sit Caleb for a long time.”
Bradley on the rematch with West Virginia: “We just knew we had to play different from the Bahamas. That wasn’t working, that wasn’t the formula. I feel like we’re starting to find the pieces to connect.”
Lewis on getting revenge: “Definitely we had that chip on our shoulder. We knew coming in from that past game we played in the Bahamas we knew how gritty they were and how tough a team they were, but we were a different team. We’re just a different team. We know now more about spacing. I think it’s just a stepping stone to our full potential.”
On the previous West Virginia game: “We didn’t play with a gritty mindset down the stretch in the Bahamas, they got some key rebounds. And that was the emphasis going into this game, making sure we boxed out and got big-time rebounds when it mattered. Controlled the paint and controlled the paint, ultimately.”
Lewis on Love being a cheerleader: “Hell of a teammate. He supported us when he was on the bench, and I think that’s the Caleb that people don’t get to see.”