On Wednesday evening in Tucson, Arizona, two Big 12 teams clashed in a game that quickly became a blowout.
Tommy Lloyd and the Arizona Wildcats welcomed recently appointed interim head coach Josh Eilert and the Utah Utes to the McKale Center for the 17th game of the Big 12 regular season. The Arizona Wildcats started out hot and continued their stretch wire-to-wire with a commanding win over the Utes.
With that, here are the top three takeaways from Arizona’s 83-66 win over the Utes.
The Caleb Love Experience
The Caleb Love experience took place again on Wednesday evening, breaking a shooting slump with an explosive performance. He posted 23 points, seven assists, and four rebounds against the Utes, and was the best player on the court.
While his lows have been pretty low in his career, his highs give Arizona a shot to win a National Title in 2024-25. The Wildcats were listed as a four-seed in the latest bracketology update from ESPN’s Joe Lunardi, and with a few games remaining, their spot in the Big Dance could continue to climb.
Eilert-Era
Well, the first game of the Josh Eilert era in Salt Lake City is out of the way with a blowout loss to the Arizona Wildcats.
In the matchup, the Utes shot brutal splits from the field, including 34.4 from the field, 26.9 from three, and 77.3% from the free throw stripe. Still, Ezra Ausar and Keanu Dawes shined combining for 36 points and 16 rebounds.
While it’s still early, Eilert is going to be one of a handful of coaches with a shot at earning the full-time gig in Utah, and this wasn’t exactly a great start to his head coaching debut with the Utes.
Was Firing Craig Smith Right?
It’s still very early, and the end goal of Utah’s athletic department has still yet to be announced when it comes to hiring a new coach, but it’s not the craziest question to ask.
The Utes went 2-1 in their previous three games leading up to Craig Smith’s firing and now drop a road game against the Wildcats. Though Arizona was listed as a heavy favorite, the team lacked effort and energy, which led to the Utes getting run out of the gym.
Until the full picture comes into play, the question remains for Utah Athletic Director Mark Harlan.
