What we saw from the Wildcats after their win over Utah State.
No. 1 seeded Arizona has advanced to the Sweet 16 after winning a gritty game against the No. 9 seeded Utah State Aggies by a score of 78-66. What awaits them now, is a huge game against No. 4 Arkansas in San Jose this upcoming Thursday.
The Aggies kept the game close early on in the first half, but a 7-0 run midway through gave Arizona a 10 point lead. Utah State did a solid job at not letting that lead grow and themade all the necessary adjustments coming out of the locker room and made a 10-2 run at the start to pull away, but the Aggies precise shooting kept it close until the end. Here are three observations that were noticed through two halves of play.Mar 22, 2026; San Diego, CA, USA; Arizona Wildcats guard Brayden Burries shoots against Utah State Aggies guard Mason Falslev and forward Karson Templin in the first half during a second round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Viejas Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images The Wildcats had a rough shooting half, going 9-for-31 from the field and 4-for-10 from beyond 3-point range a far cry from their 6-for-10 day against LIU. What made the Wildcats go into halftime with the lead was the amount of shots they took and getting to the free throw line, making 11-of-17 shots from there. The Wildcats tightened things up in the second half, going 13-for-25 from the field and 3-for-7 from 3-point range in a cloisely contested game. Arizona's grit and resilience in close games is what pushed it through against a highly determined Utah State team.Mar 22, 2026; San Diego, CA, USA; Arizona Wildcats guard Jaden Bradley shoots against Utah State Aggies guard Mason Falslev in the first half during a second round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Viejas Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images A huge reason why Arizona was able to push passed the Aggies in a messy game was the elite level play and leadership of Jaden Bradley, who has come up clutch in a lot of the close games the Wildcats have played this season. The Big 12 Player of the Year scored 12 of his team high 18 points in the second half, showing huge improvements from his 1-for-9 shooting effort in the first. It seems that in almost every big game, Bradley has shown up to close things out for Arizona en route to a win.Mar 22, 2026; San Diego, CA, USA; Utah State Aggies guard Elijah Perryman shoots against Arizona Wildcats center Motiejus Krivas in the second half during a second round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Viejas Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Motiejus Krivas, one of the veterans of the team, was an absolute force and made all the tough defensive plays while also snagging offensive rebounds to keep the Wildcats' scoring efforts alive. While it wasn't pretty, Krivas ended the night with 11 points and 14 rebounds, nine of those coming from the offensive side of the floor. His three blocked shots on defense was a hiuge reason why Arizona was able to come away with the 12 point win and move on to San Jose.The Wildcats will need Krivas' big play ability as they attempt to make a deeper push into the NCAA Tournament.Nathaniel Martinez and a set of shoulder pads at 7 years old. He later graduated from Pima Community College in 2023, where he began writing for the Pima Post. He is working to achieve a Bachelor’s in Mass Communication and Media Studies.
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