Feb 24, 2026; Waco, Texas, USA; Baylor Bears guard Tounde Yessoufou (24) scores a basket against Arizona Wildcats guard Anthony Dell'orso (3) during the second half at Paul and Alejandra Foster Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Chris Jones-Imagn Images Chris Jones-Imagn Images

2 Reasons Arizona’s Defense Is Highly Fixable

Originally posted on Arizona Wildcats on SI
By Michael Canelo | Last updated Feb 26, 2026 9:00 AM ET

The Arizona Wildcats are coming off a hard stretch of games that were not easy, but we see what this team is made of. Arizona showed that it could improve from game to game against some of the best college teams this season. They showed that they are a team that plays its best when they are all getting involved. They did it without their best players on the floor, and they did it without playing their best basketball, but that is something that they could fix.

Arizona's schedule is still tough over the last few weeks of the regular season, so it was important for Arizona to have a great non-conference schedule and have a tough stretch of games in the middle of conference play. They have come out of that just fine, and now it is about getting back to improving, and it is going to start on the defensive side of the ball. The Wildcats have not been the best on the defensive side, but they could get it right at the right time.

Chris Jones-Imagn Images

Tommy Lloyd Defense will be better

"I don't know if we got our defense going, so it's not quite that we got everything going in the second half," Arizona head coach Tommy Lloyd said. "These seasons are long, and these games are tough, and they can be emotional. Sometimes when you get punched like that, and you're on the road, it's easy to say Today is not our day.

"Our guys just don't have that kind of character. The toughness you get from a senior leader like and the toughness you get from a freshman guard like Burries was incredibly special. I thought those two guys were awesome today. I thought Ivan, the game may not have come really easy to him today, but he made some really key plays down the stretch with offensive rebounds and hustle, and that was inspiring to see."

Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

"It's the best insurance policy you can have on offense," Lloyd said. "For one, let's take care of the ball. Two, offensive rebounding goes a long way in helping you with your efficiency. We challenged our guys at halftime. We were behind on the glass and behind in the turnover game. We needed to be a little more committed in those two areas to see if we could get on the uptick. Our guys did a great job coming out in the second half and setting the standard for how we wanted to play in the second half."

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