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Jaden Bradley's buzzer-beater sends Arizona to Big 12 final
Arizona Wildcats guard Jaden Bradley (0) reacts at the end of the game against the Iowa State Cyclones at T-Mobile Center. William Purnell-Imagn Images

Jaden Bradley's buzzer-beater sends Arizona to Big 12 final

Arizona's Anthony Dell'Orso and Iowa State's Milan Momcilovic had a scoring duel down the stretch. But when Arizona truly needed a basket in crunch time, Big 12 Player of the Year Jaden Bradley delivered.

Bradley delivered a game-winning jumper with no time on the clock to give the No. 2 Arizona Wildcats an 82-80 win over the No. 7 Iowa State Cyclones. The Wildcats are headed for The Big 12 tourney final and a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Jaden Bradley is a crunch-time superstar

Bradley is averaging 36 points per 40 minutes in clutch situations this season. He carried the Wildcats to two close wins early in the season, shooting 7-for-8 with no turnovers against UCLA and Florida.

The Wildcats needed him desperately Friday in a game where freshman phenom Brayden Burries scored just three points (he averages 16.2), seemingly bothered by an injury. They got a huge game from Dell'Orso, who shot 6-for-9 from three-point range on his way to 26 points off the bench.

As hot as Dell'Orso had been, Arizona still went to Bradley when things were most important. He made two difficult jumpers in the final minute to finish with 15 points, along with seven assists.

Milan Momcilovic showed he's the best shooter in the country

The Wildcats needed Bradley's heroics because Momcilovic was unstoppable from behind the arc. He hit eight three-pointers on his way to a game-high 28 points, thwarting an Arizona defense that was focused on stopping his long-range bombing, to no avail.

Momcilovic is making 49.2 percent of his threes this season, an incredible number considering he's making 3.6 per game. But Dell'Orso, the Australian senior who went 31 percent behind the arc this year, nearly matched him in a high-level game that could well be a Final Four preview.

Arizona-Iowa State was all about big shots. Jaden Bradley hit the biggest ones, and most importantly, the last one.

Sean Keane

Sean Keane is a sportswriter and a comedian based in Oakland, California, with experience covering the NBA, MLB, NFL and Ice Cube’s three-on-three basketball league, The Big 3. He’s written for Comedy Central’s “Another Period,” ESPN the Magazine, and Audible. com

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