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Post by phil on Mar 25, 2021 8:36:11 GMT -5
I'm a fan of Arizona but I confess they tested that support yesterday. I'm sure hard-core supporters of both teams will credit tenacious defense for the low-scoring result, but I actually saw the game so yes, that was some defense, but there was also some uninspiring offense. BYU hit 35% of their field-goal attempts, and Arizona bested them by hitting... 36%. 35 minutes into the game, Arizona had 39 points, barely more than a point a minute. BYU wasn't much better but had 43 points midway through the final quarter. Arizona did pick up the pace scoring 13 points in the next five minutes, not exactly a world beating stat but almost tripling the rate of the early part of the game, while holding BYU to only three points.
BYU can hold her head high. Many people, including Charlie Creme, thought they wouldn't get an invitation, and they not only received an invitation, they made the committee look good by winning their first game in an upset, and coming close to making the Sweet 16.
I hope Arizona can continue, but they've got Texas A&M up next. The optimist will look at TAMU's first two games and note that they were not exactly dominant, managing to scratch out a win after being behind most of the time, while a pessimist will point out that they managed to scratch out a win both times. I think that when Arizona is hitting on all cylinders they have more than enough firepower to beat TAMU if they play like they did in their first two games, but they need to hit on all cylinders.
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