Arizona reaches second Sweet 16 under HC Tommy Lloyd with win over Dayton
The Arizona Wildcats are living the sweet life.
On Saturday, the West Region's 2nd-seed defeated the 7th-seeded Dayton Flyers, 78-68, to advance to its second Sweet 16 in three seasons under head coach Tommy Lloyd.
Lloyd, who took over for Sean Miller in the 2021-22 season, previously reached the Sweet 16 in his first season as head coach.
Last year, the Wildcats lost as the 2nd-seed against 15th-seeded Princeton in the opening round.
Arizona showed why it's a legitimate title contender with the win. The Wildcats are known for their offense, which ranks third in the country in points per game (87.9), but their defensive acumen largely went unnoticed.
Not anymore.
Arizona entered the day 17th in defensive rating (96.3) but 185th in points allowed per game (72), mostly due to its pace. Per KenPom, the Wildcats are 16th in the country in adjusted tempo.
Dayton entered Saturday's game averaging 74.4 points per game and with the country's third-best three-point shooting percentage (40.2). The Flyers were only 7-of-24 (29.2 percent) from deep against the Wildcats.
Guard KJ Lewis showed excellent effort when blocking Dayton guard Kobe Elvis' three-point attempt from behind in the second half.
Guard Jaden Bradley also had an outstanding defensive play, ripping the ball from potential NBA first-round pick DaRon Holmes II in the paint.
Transfer guard Caleb Love was brilliant throughout, sticking to Elvis like glue on this first-quarter block.
He scored a layup through traffic after an early steal and also drained three threes in the first half.
The last time Arizona reached the Sweet 16, it lost as a No. 1-seed to 5th-seeded Houston. This year, it will play either 3rd-seeded Baylor or 6th-seeded Clemson.
If the Wildcats' defensive intensity continues to match their high offensive IQ, their season could go from sweet to elite.
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