What to watch for when Arizona men’s basketball visits No. 3 UConn

Moments after knocking off UCLA on Friday night, Arizona’s second win over a ranked opponent this season, Tommy Lloyd was asked by a sideline reporter how he’d reward his team. His answer: a crosscountry trip to play a team that has won two national titles this decade.

The 4th-ranked Wildcats continued their tough early-season schedule with a visit to No. 3 UConn on Wednesday night. The Huskies (4-0) won championships in 2023 and 2024 before losing to eventual champ Florida in the second round of last year’s NCAA tournament.

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It will be the 7th meeting between the schools, first since 2012 when Arizona won in Hartford.

This will also be the Wildcats’ second Top 3 opponent, following the opener against No. 3 Florida, only the third time in school history they’ve faced multiple Top 3 teams in nonconference play. It’s the first time where both are in the first five games of the season.

The first 10 minutes

Arizona is 4-0 but it has trailed early in every game, including to Utah Tech and NAU. The Wildcats were down 12 to Florida just over seven minutes into the season opener and on Friday were down 10 to UCLA with 13:12 left in the first half.

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The UA ended up going ahead each time before halftime, leading Florida by six and UCLA by three, but it’s a pattern that can’t continue if it expects to stay in the win column. UConn’s four wins have seen it lead by an average of 23.5 points at the half, including by 11 against BYU on Saturday in Boston in a game it trailed in less than five minutes in.

Part of what could be contributing to Arizona’s slow starts is Tommy Lloyd’s choice to go with freshman Dwayne Aristode over Anthony Dell’Orso. Dell’Orso had a game-high 20 off the bench against UCLA, entering for the first time with the Wildcats down 11-5.

The Bruins upped the lead to 15-5 before Dell’Orso scored eight points during a 14-3 run to put Arizona in front.

Lloyd seems intent on sticking with Dell’Orso and Tobe Awaka as reserve…

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Publish date : 2025-11-18 22:30:00

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