In the end, Arizona proved it had what it needed to give itself a chance to get to another Elite Eight. It just didn’t have enough.
And it’s not that Arizona needed this win to validate itself as a program or a team that can – and will – compete at the highest level, but it would have been nice. The Wildcats did anyway, despite the 100-93 loss to Duke in the Sweet 16.
No. 1 vs. No. 4 by seeds. Equal in heart and will.
Arizona proved it had substance. It proved it had talent. It proved it had gumption. And it showed it had love. Lots of it, but more of that later.
“A ton of respect for Tommy Lloyd, his team, Arizona, their program,” Duke coach John Scheyer said. “They were incredible tonight. I thought our guys made some big-time winning plays. They just wouldn’t go away, even with a 19-point lead. No lead really felt safe with them.”
Eventually the lead was too much to overcome late. Arizona finishes 24-13 and in the Sweet 16 for the third time in four years.
On Wednesday, Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd said the season had been “fun” given how the team survived and got through the 4-5 start. How it adjusted to his coaching and embraced the grind.
Deep into the night on Thursday – heck early morning in Newark – he waxed poetic even more.
“Our guys really hung with it this year,” Lloyd said. “The season was obviously an adventure, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I learned so much about myself and these guys learned so much about themselves. Just for us to hang in there and give ourselves a chance to make a run in the NCAA tournament really shows the character of these guys.”
He said the same about his coaching staff.
“We persevered and are better for it,” he continued. “Our program is better for it.”
Thursday night, despite being down by 19 for some of the second half and with little hope in sight, Arizona rallied. And made it possible for everyone in the Wildcat world to gain hope.
It was a case study in toughness. And, once again, it proved to be the difference in this team compared to others in recent years.
It was tough.
Sure, they took a fall, but they didn’t fall apart.
They can thank Caleb Love for all of it, although UA did sprinkle in some good performances.
Love had a performance of a lifetime, finishing with 35 points including 15 straight in the game’s waning moments to keep Arizona within striking distance.
He said he loved his teammates, given how they embraced him when he first arrived at UA. As for Thursday, well …
“The points are good, but the relationships that I’ve built over the course of my career, especially at Arizona, is just — I give all my thanks to them,” he said.
Then his teammates chimed in on their love for Love.
“If anyone wants to say he’s not a good teammate, he’s the best,” said Henri Veesaar of Love. “He’s one of the best persons I’ve ever met.”
How will anyone forget what he pulled off to get Arizona into the Sweet 16? And then raise it even higher in the Sweet 16. Sunday, it was 29 in a win over Oregon and then six more Thursday. And, he did most of it in a 25-minute span, given he didn’t score in the game’s first 10 minutes.
But he found a way to make Arizona relevant in the game.
What a night to be heartbroken but to still be proud given Arizona’s wherewithal.
And that was the case throughout the season. Many gave up on Arizona nine games in. Then the Wildcats rallied when they were tied for first in the Big 12 in early February. Then, they took a hit when it faded in the regular season.
Life wasn’t easy.
So proud of these young men. Never quit.
— DR_Francois (@DRFrancois1) March 28, 2025
Great basketball players.
Even better people.pic.twitter.com/9xZkxlrqvw
Love’s greatest moment, he said, was the “whole season because we went through so much adversity.”
They fought through the 4-5 “and stuck together,” he said.
Veesaar, too, said it was after the UCLA loss – that put them at 4-5 – where the team “came together and we were locked in the rest of the year. That was so special.”
A win over Baylor was when UA got its “mojo back,” Veesaar said.
“We knew it would be brighter on the other side,” Jaden Bradley said.
All the love reminded me of 2001 when Lute went back into the locker room after his press conference to shake the hands of Michael Wright, Richard Jefferson, Loren Woods and Gilbert Arenas – thanking them for their time at Arizona. He knew they had given it their all in defeat, ironically, against Duke in the championship game.
Lloyd seemingly felt the same way to me as he said goodbye to Love on the postgame podium and then – again – waxed poetic about his team in the end.
“We have some core tenets in our program,” he said, “and one of them is, we’re going to be a program rooted in love, not fear. And you guys can see the love for each other. We’re going to play for joy.
“Then one of our other core tenets is, we’re going to enjoy other’s success as much as our own, or more. To me, when you get to help young people in what could be a selfish game and a selfish industry, (you try to) figure out how to combat that with love, acceptance, and just a true, genuine support for each other, It’s pretty special.”
So was Thursday, just that Arizona happened to take the fall.
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