No. 11 Arizona is back in national spotlight at 9-0, including big win at Illinois
It's been quite a ride for the Arizona men's basketball team so far this season, and this weekend was no exception.
The No. 11 Wildcats had an adventure just getting to Champaign for their Saturday showdown against Illinois, as their charter plane was diverted to Indianapolis on Friday night due to poor visibility. Facing a long wait for buses to arrive, the team opted to take the two-hour drive via Ubers instead.
"Everyone is OK," an Arizona spokesperson told ESPN. "No issues at all. The weather in Champaign forced the diversion."
Despite the inconvenience of getting to Champaign, the Wildcats took charge once they hit the court.
Arizona looked a little discombobulated early on, but battled back from a double-digit first-half deficit to beat the Fighting Illini on their own court, 83-79.
The Wildcats were led by a trio of sophomores who have formed the backbone of their team this season — Bennedict Mathurin dropped a game-high 30 points, guard Kerr Kriisa scored 19, and forward Azuolas Tubelis added 16.
For Mathurin, it was already the fourth time this season he has scored at least 24 points. He only had two such games in 22 appearances as a freshman.
Though they are ranked No. 11 in the current AP Poll, the Wildcats have made a strong case for No. 1 when the new rankings come out on Monday.
Arizona is now 9-0 under first-year head coach Tommy Lloyd, who was hired away from Gonzaga to replace Sean Miller.
And according to Mark Titus and Tate Frazier of "Titus & Tate," the Wildcats could be trending toward becoming the dominant force they were under Lute Olson.
"They are beating the snot out of everybody," Titus said before Saturday's game.
"They look like the blue-blood Arizona," Tate added. "They're looking like the Arizona we know."
Frazier praised Lloyd for Arizona's early success.
"We're talking about a real program-builder, a guy who gets it, obviously," he said. "Tommy Lloyd is passing the test with flying colors so far, and he's doing it under the radar."
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Mark Titus and Tate Frazier are impressed by Tommy Lloyd’s Arizona Wildcats and their international roster.
Lloyd and Arizona might not be under the radar much longer.
Entering Saturday's matchup with Illinois, Arizona led the country in scoring with 91 points per game, and the Wildcats managed to drop 83 on the road against an Illini team that had only been allowing 65.9 PPG.
This was also Arizona's second win over a Big Ten opponent, as the 'Cats ran through Michigan in Las Vegas earlier this season, 80-62.
Arizona has certainly staked its claim as a legitimate Final Four contender in the early part of this season, which could spell good news for the Pac-12.
With No. 4 UCLA already claiming space in the spotlight, Arizona's inclusion could give the conference a second team in the national championship conversation and help revive the Pac-12's reputation as a basketball conference.
That could spell good news for the West Coast and bad news for the rest of the country if Arizona is truly back.