If there was one factor you may depend on with Arizona, beneath Tommy Lloyd, was that it all the time adopted up a troublesome loss with a strong win. However nothing lasts endlessly.
No. 17 Arizona fell 69-55 to No. 12 Duke on Friday night time at McKale Middle, its second consecutive loss to mark the primary time beneath Lloyd it has misplaced back-to-back video games. The Wildcats hadn’t dropped two in a row because the 2020-21 season, when Sean Miller was coach.
Arizona (2-2) was by no means in a position to get its potent offense into any type of circulate, capturing 39.6 % from the sphere and 26.1 from 3-point vary and going two-plus minutes with no subject purpose on at the least 4 events. The Wildcats had been outrebounded by 13 and in addition turned it over 15 occasions, resulting in 19 factors for Duke.
Jaden Bradley led the UA with 18 factors, with KJ Lewis including 12. Caleb Love had eight on 3-of-13 capturing, together with 1 of 9 from 3.
The Blue Devils (4-1) avenged final yr’s house loss to Arizona because of 22 factors from freshman phenom Cooper Flagg, with 14 coming within the second half. Duke shot 42.6 %, making 9 of 25 3s, and restricted Arizona to 6 offensive rebounds after it had 65 over the primary three video games.
The Wildcats, who got here in with a ridiculous 50 % offensive rebound fee, went nearly 12 minutes into the sport earlier than getting an offensive board, ending with eight second-chance factors.
Duke led 34-27 at halftime, making its final 4 photographs within the first half whereas preserving Arizona scoreless the ultimate 2:55. The 27 factors had been Arizona’s fewest at halftime since having 26 in opposition to UCLA in a 58-52 house win in January 2023.
The UA scored the primary 4 after the half and had an opportunity to get nearer however then had one other scoring drought, enabling Duke to go on an 8-0 run to steer 42-31 with 15:33 left. It was one other minute earlier than the Wildcats would rating, on a transition layup by Bradley, however he needed to briefly come out after grabbing the again of his proper calf.
A driving dunk by Flagg put Duke up 46-33 with 12:27 left, forcing Lloyd to name timeout. And no matter he mentioned sparked one thing in Arizona’s offensive method, because it scored on 4 of the subsequent six possessions to get inside 50-43 on a KJ Lewis drive with 8:48.
Lewis was known as for a technical after the basket, although, and whereas Tyrese Proctor missed each foul photographs Flagg hit a 3 on the following possession to get it again to a 10-point Duke lead.
Bradley’s scoop obtained the Wildcats inside 54-48 solely to see Duke’s Kon Knueppel drain a pair of 3s to get the margin again to 61-49 with 3:49 left.
Arizona would make just one subject purpose over the ultimate 5:39.
The refs had been letting them play early, with just one foul known as earlier than the under-16 media timeout … which got here with 12:57 left within the first half and Duke up 13-12. The sport’s first free throw didn’t come till 9:06 left earlier than halftime, with Arizona not attending to the road till 6:20 remained within the first half.
The bodily play benefitted Duke early, because it led 24-18 by scoring inside and outside whereas Arizona was settling for too many 3s and lacking 9 straight after Bradley hit a pair within the first three minutes. The Wildcats had a scoring drought of greater than 5 minutes however then hit six of 9 photographs to get inside 28-27 with 2:55 left on a Carter Bryant 3.
Arizona hits the street subsequent week, enjoying three video games in three days on the Battle4Atlantis in Nassau, Bahamas. The Wildcats open Wednesday in opposition to Davidson.