Jordan Hamm
The Arizona Wildcats got a marquee 78-73 win at Cameron Indoor Stadium against the No. 2 Duke Blue Devils on Friday night.
It’s the biggest win of Tommy Lloyd’s tenure in Tucson and one of the biggest wins of program history.
Let’s dive into what went into that win:
This is Kylan Boswell’s team
Despite being the youngest player on the roster and just 18 years old, point guard Kylan Boswell is the steady presence and a leader on this wildly talented team.
At Pac-12 media days, I asked Oumar Ballo who the unsung hero flying under the radar was on this roster. He wouldn’t let me finish the question before he said Boswell.
After opening the season rehabbing an ankle injury his freshman year, Boswell saw his role expand throughout conference play.
This year? There’s no question he’s the point guard of the present and future.
In 33 minutes on Friday, Boswell scored 12 points, was tied for the team lead with eight rebounds and had five assists while committing one turnover.
The moment never looked too big for him on the biggest (regular season) stage, and it’s just the beginning for Boswell.
“Increasing our margin for error”
After very successful regular seasons at Arizona and very early exits in the postseason at Arizona, head coach Tommy Lloyd spoke repeatedly about increasing the team’s margin for error this year.
He brought in a talented recruiting class and notable transfers. The talent is undeniable, but you never know how a team will mesh, especially early on in the season.
We’ll see what happens in the postseason, but the early returns are promising.
San Diego State Keshad Johnson led the team with 14 points. North Carolina transfer Caleb Love had a buzzer-beater to end the first half and four big free throws to keep the lead for the Wildcats down the line. Motiejus Krivas played important minutes and showed different wrinkles.
This is Tommy Lloyd’s deepest team. They’re experienced. They’re talented. They showed what they can do in a massive game on Friday.
Keshad Johnson is a Freak
Speaking of Johnson – there are not many humans walking around the college basketball world that can do what he can do.
He’s 6-foot-7 but plays a heck of a lot bigger. He is known for being a defensive specialist, and he showed that against some of the top players in the country.
But he also led the ‘Cats in scoring with 14 points and had eight rebounds.
He might not be the first player mentioned on this roster, but he has a Mikal Bridges/Shawn Marion-esque impact on this team.
First of Many
So down go the Blue Devils.
Arizona also has Belmont (21 wins) a week from today. Michigan State will take on the ‘Cats in Palm Desert on Thanksgiving. Wisconsin comes to Tucson on December 9. A week later, Arizona heads off to Purdue. Then Alabama comes to Phoenix four days later. No. 10 FAU three days after that.
It’s a gauntlet to get the ‘Cats ready for Pac-12 play, which is a deep slate as well.
It’s a great night for Wildcat fans, and could be the first memory of a really special season.
Let’s see if we can see a rematch of this in Glendale in a few months.
