Kansas Outlasts Arizona in a Heavyweight Battle at Allen Fieldhouse
In a game that lived up to its billing, Arizona fell to Kansas 82-78 on Monday night in a clash that had all the intensity, physicality, and drama you'd expect from two top-tier programs. And while the Wildcats came up short on the scoreboard, head coach Tommy Lloyd didn’t sound like a man discouraged-he sounded like one already gearing up for what’s next.
“If a guy is 38-0 on his home court on Big Monday, it is probably pretty hard to win here no matter what our record coming in is,” Lloyd said postgame, referencing Kansas head coach Bill Self’s unbeaten record in that spotlight slot. “We knew it was going to be a tough game.
I'm not mad we lost. I can't wait to get on that plane, get back home, and I feel like our season just started.”
That’s not just coach-speak. This was a March-level game in February, and Lloyd knows it. The atmosphere was electric, the execution was high-level, and the lessons were real.
No Peterson, No Excuses
Arizona was without standout freshman Darryn Peterson, who sat out with flu-like symptoms. But Lloyd wasn’t interested in playing the “what if” game.
“Kansas has a lot of good players and a great coach,” Lloyd said. “Playing them here, we knew it was going to be a dogfight no matter which guys are wearing the Kansas Jayhawk jerseys. I am sure they're better with Peterson, but we felt like they were pretty good without him tonight as well.”
Lloyd made it clear: this game wasn’t about who wasn’t on the floor. It was about who was.
“Kansas has a hell of a team. Let's not make this about Darryn Peterson.
He didn't play because he was sick. They beat the number one team in the country at home tonight.
They did a hell of a job and their coach did a hell of a job. That should be the story.”
Bidunga's Presence Changes the Game
One of the biggest reasons Arizona couldn’t close this one out? Flory Bidunga. The Kansas big man was a force at the rim, altering shots, grabbing loose balls, and making life tough for Arizona’s usually efficient frontcourt.
“He just really impacts the game at the rim,” Lloyd said. “If you start slicing and dicing and picking one or two things, we didn't finish at the rim well enough.
Usually we're really proficient at finishing at the rim and we're getting fouled. It's not very often we get out free-throwed and it's not very often we don't make a higher percentage of our at-rim shots.
Kansas gets credit for that.”
That rim protection was a difference-maker. Arizona, typically dominant around the basket, found themselves second-guessing and settling far more than usual. And when they did go up strong, Bidunga was often there to meet them.
Kansas Closes Strong
Arizona led by as many as 11 in the second half, but Kansas chipped away possession by possession, getting to the line and hitting big shots in key moments.
“I thought they weathered a couple of runs by us and then they kind of put their head down and really drove the ball and got a lot of free-throws,” Lloyd said. “Bidunga threw in a couple of hooks and got a couple loose balls and was able to get to his jump hook and cashed them in.”
Kansas didn’t need to live from the perimeter to get back into the game. They attacked, controlled the tempo late, and executed in crunch time.
“In these games, it is possession by possession,” Lloyd added. “They went on a run at the right time to get a little bit of a lead and did a good job managing it and making their free-throws down the stretch.”
Arizona Looks to Toughen Up
Despite the loss, Lloyd sees this game as a launching pad rather than a setback. Arizona matched Kansas in physicality for most of the night-but not quite enough. And that’s where Lloyd wants the focus to be as the Wildcats head into the back half of the season.
“We're built for it,” he said. “I don't care how the game is officiated, we should be fine.
We're a physical team and we're built for it. I am sure there were some missed calls, but they were probably on both ends.
We just have to move forward and our first mantra is to get tougher.”
That’s the message going forward. In games like this-tight, physical, and postseason-like-it’s not just about X’s and O’s.
It’s about grit. It’s about finishing through contact, playing through adversity, and not waiting for the whistle.
“Sometimes you play in these hard environments in the Big 12 later in the season and it's fine, there's no complaints,” Lloyd said. “But there's going to be a lot that gets to go in the paint.
The refs aren't going to guess probably on both ends of the floor. If you want to win these games, you have to deliver when you get the ball inside, you have to be able to play through physical contact, you have to be able to play through what you think are fouls.
You have to keep it moving.”
Final Word
For Arizona, this was more than just a non-conference test-it was a measuring stick. And while they didn’t walk out of Allen Fieldhouse with a win, they left with something just as valuable: clarity. About who they are, what they need to sharpen, and what it’s going to take to make a deep run when the games really start to matter.
The season’s far from over. In fact, as Lloyd said-it might just be getting started.