If Tommy Lloyd said it once he said it three or four times in the last month: Anthony Dell’Orso will show up in a big way when Arizona needs it most.
Wednesday night was that night. Was it a one off? We will see, but for one glorious night – when Arizona needed it so desperately – Delly was special and the guy who came in as advertised as a sharpshooter.
The man from down under was above it all.
“I kept telling you guys, no panic,” Lloyd said after Wednesday night’s 75-68 win over Brigham Young to snap a two-game skid. “I think Delly is going to be ready to deliver when we need it most.
(There the message was again)
“Obviously, I couldn’t have predicted that two or three weeks ago, but today there was a significant need, and he stepped up.”
And everything was right in the world of Arizona basketball again as it moved to 24-2 overall and 11-2 in the Big 12 Conference. Just when Arizona looked to take a fall – it showed it wouldn’t fall apart.
Saturday against No. 2 Houston could very well look different, but Wednesday, wasn’t it fun – even with DeWayne Aristode out with a untold illness and Koa Peat out with a lower leg injury?
Delly proved to be contagious as he hit 4 of 8 3s, while the rest of the team hit 5 of 13. Who said this team couldn’t hit 3s? He finished with an Arizona career-high 22 points.
Lloyd said he thought his team needed to shoot a few, maybe to keep the Cougars at bay near the basket. (More later).
“I know you guys think I’m anti-3, and that’s fine,” he said. “I’ll wear that. But I feel like we got some good looks, especially in the first half. I thought the second half, we should have taken a few more. It’s hard for me when I look at that number, and I see more 3-point attempts than free throw attempts. But that’s what the game called for, and luckily we knocked down nine of them, and that went a long way to helping us win.”
Long way – given it turned how Arizona scores on its edge. Typically, Arizona goes inside to find success outside – or at least tries to. That wasn’t the case on Wednesday. UA went outside inside – and found success.
In fact, BYU had more points in the paint (30) than Arizona (26). So, Arizona did very well away from the basket. In the last meeting, BYU coach Kevin Young said Jaden Bradley and Jayden Burries killed his team on the perimeter. He didn’t want that to repeat, so they tried to stop that and crowd the paint more. The paint worked, the perimeter didn’t – although Burries (who played with some sort of bug) had 11 points and Bradley had 12 points.
“We said they were going to have to make 3s to beat us and they did,” Young said. “You have to give Dell’Orso credit, he hasn’t had a great year statistically, (but) he shot he heck out of the ball.
“But was I surprised by it? Yes, I was but that’s life , shots go in. You gotta keep competing.”
Young said he credits Tommy and his staff for putting “the team together than hurt you in a lot of different ways; that’s a sign of a good team.”
Of course, it helps when your sharpshooter shoots sharp. Dell’Orso resurfaced from the abyss, but did he feel he had to step up with the others out?
“It’s not extra motivation, I feel like I’m going into every game with a good mindset, knowing that can happen anytime,” he said. “And then some games it just doesn’t go your way, other guys step up and the game presents different things. I go (into) every game like I can do it every game.”
And Wednesday was that game.
“I’m proud of him, he stuck with it,” Bradley said. “He had a couple tough games, but we all have confidence in him to get hot. He’s one of the best shooters in the Big 12 and the nation, and he showed that tonight.”
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