Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
- Arizona defeated Utah 83-66, marking Utah's 14th consecutive loss at McKale Center.
- Caleb Love led Arizona with 23 points, capitalizing on Utah's 12 turnovers.
- Despite Utah's Keanu Dawes scoring 18 points, Arizona maintained control throughout the game.
TUCSON, Ariz. — Josh Eilert had an impossible task on his hands Wednesday night.
Just two days after Utah fired head coach Craig Smith, Eilert was tasked with leading the Runnin' Utes into a hostile McKale Center — a place where Utah has lost 13 straight games (dating back to 1986) — against No. 22 Arizona.
His team had the energy and the effort, despite a challenging past couple days, but turnovers proved to be costly in a game that was otherwise evenly matched statistically — at least in the first half
Arizona star guard Caleb Love totaled 17 points on 4-of-7 shooting from behind the perimeter in the first half en route to a team-leading 23-point night for the veteran, and Arizona easily pulled away for a 83-66 win over Utah.
Make that 14 straight.
Arizona (19-9, 13-4 Big 12) finished the night shooting 41% from the field, while outrebounding Utah 45-39. The biggest difference of the game, though, was Arizona's ability to capitalize early on Utah's mistakes. The Wildcats had 19 points off Utah's 12 turnovers — most of which came in the first half.
Utah (15-13, 7-10 Big 12) took care of the ball better in the second half — turning the ball over only three times — but the damage was already done.
Sophomore forward Keanu Dawes made the most of his minutes off the bench Wednesday night, and led the Utes with a career-tying 18 points on 6-of-8 shooting, including a perfect 5-of-5 from the free-throw line, and 10 rebounds.
He was joined by fellow big Ezra Ausar, who supplied an additional 18 points and five rebounds as one of three players on Utah to score in double figures. Gabe Madsen added 10 points, seven assists and three rebounds.
Utah, as a team, shot 34% from the field.
Arizona jumped out to a 16-8 lead in the opening minutes before Miro Little hit a 3-pointer to give Utah some early life. But as turnovers started to pile up for the Utes, the Wildcats continued to take advantage and built up a lead that swelled to as much as 16 points with 48 seconds left in the half.
The Wildcats added to that margin quickly in the first few minutes of the second half, building up a 20-point lead with 17:18 left in the game. But Utah battled back late in the game, with Madsen hitting a 3-pointer with 1:26 left in the game to make it an 11-point game.
This is a great response by Tommy Lloyd on Craig Smith's kids showing up tonight.
— Josh Furlong (@JFurKSL) February 27, 2025
pic.twitter.com/C8u6jnCkR2
Arizona's Henri Veesaar, who finished with 12 points and seven rebounds, silenced the comeback by hitting a 3-pointer on the other end in response. Arizona head coach Tommy Lloyd then went deep into his bench to give his starters a rest in the final minute of the game.
Outside of Love and Veesaar, Arizona had two other players finish in double-digit scoring, with Jaden Bradley and Tobe Awaka each finishing with 12 points apiece.
