Arizona’s senior day is still months away, but Friday night it was the seniors who took center stage, especially Jaden Bradley, who continues to prove head coach Tommy Lloyd right: he’s among the best point guards in the country despite not being recognized as one at the beginning of the season.
Proof came in the INTUIT Dome in Inglewood, California where Bradley who willed the Wildcats to victory in the game’s final five minutes vs. UCLA.
“I’m glad we handled business today,” Bradley said on the Peacock post-game interview.
Bradley, who finished with 20 points, scored 11 points in the final five minutes to get Arizona the 69-65 win.
“He’s Mr. Reliable,” Lloyd said in the postgame interview with Peacock. “He’s one of the best point guards in the country … hands down. We’re proud he’s ours.”
The Wildcat faithful feel strongly about that, just as they feel strongly about their team that has now moved to 4-0 as it head to Connecticut in a few days.
Until then, they will celebrate – maybe for a day – the win in what was yet another classic between the two biggest college basketball rivals in the West.
“They came out and punched us in the mouth, and we were able to respond,” said Jack Murphy, UA’s associate head coach. “… If anyone has a worry if this is still a rivalry, I think games like tonight, like last year, answers that.”
In a game that paid tribute to UCLA great and Arizona admirer the late, great Bill Walton, it had everything he would have loved: tough defense, 3-point excellence and enough good and bad plays to wax poetic about the game.
“He would have loved to call a game like that,” Murphy said.
He clearly would have raved on Bradley, who looked like Jason Terry in the 1999 season when he took over games.
In speaking of Bradley, Murphy said “it almost reminded me of what happened to us on the other end when Deron Williams years ago in the Illinois game where he wasn’t having a good game, looks down at the stat sheet (and in no time) you lose the game.\
“JB had that impact on the last five, eight minutes of the game.”
He wasn’t the lone senior who shined, of course, as Anthony Dell’Orso had a huge impact in the first half, hitting three 3s in the first half and a huge 3 late in the second half. Then added another two free throws in the final 17 seconds.
“He’s the one who took a shovel out and dug us out from the trench that we were in,” Murphy said. “He spread out the defense, made big-time plays both offensively and defensively.”
Murphy added that Dell’Orso has answered a lot of questions, with his strength.
“The work he’s put in from last April until today is unbelievable,” Murphy said. “For him to be able to show it on a stage like this is fantastic.”
And don’t forget Tobe Awaka, who had eight points and 10 rebounds.
