Tobe Awaka details Arizona basketball’s long-term mindset after Kansas loss

The Arizona basketball season has been nothing short of spectacular. They went 23-0 before losing to Kansas in their first loss of the year, 82-78. The Wildcats traveled to Lawrence, Kansas, in a massive game, and despite Kansas missing Darryn Peterson, the Jayhawks pulled off the upset thanks to their defense, coaching, and the crowd in Allen Fieldhouse. However, Arizona is not concerned.

After appearing on the latest episode of the “AZ12 Podcast,” Tobe Awaka reassured Arizona fans that the team is focused on its long-term goal and is not concerned about Monday’s loss. He made sure to say that Arizona could have gone undefeated and still lost in the first round, which would be a huge failure of a season.

Awaka said, “Not to say the loss didn’t matter, but our view is more long-term. We could have gone undefeated and lost in the first round, and it would have been a waste of a season.”

The Wildcats were outscored by 16 during 10 minutes in the second half and missed 13 of 14 shots at one point. Kansas’s defense proved too much for the Wildcats. Arizona shot 44.4 percent but only 37.1 percent after halftime, its 45.6 percent efficiency on 2-pointers the second-worst of the season.

They also struggled from the free-throw line, with Arizona shooting 8 of 14 compared to Kansas’s 21 of 25. Arizona led 45-42 at the half, only the fourth time Kansas trailed this season after 20 minutes. However, less than three minutes into the second half, it was 55-44 after a Krivas block sprung Burries for a 3-point play.

The keys for the Arizona basketball team in this game were Brayden Burries, who scored 25 points, and Motiejus Krivas, who went for 14 points, 15 rebounds, four assists, and six blocks, while Ivan Kharchenkov had 13 points, six rebounds, and three steals. The issue is that Jaden Bradley and Koa Peat struggled and had their worst games of the season. Each of them scored only six points.

Kansas’s win was their 61st on Big Monday and their 39th straight on Big Monday, and they pulled off the great win without Darryn Peterson, too. It is worth noting that both teams will be big factors in March Madness moving forward.

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