Ballo dominates inside, No. 5 Arizona overpowers rival Arizona State 105-60

Updated Feb. 18, 2024 12:37 a.m. ET

Associated Press

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — Arizona State coach Bobby Hurley watched film of No. 5 Arizona and feared the worst.

The Wildcats made the nightmare come true, turning the rivals' final Pac-12 game at McKale Center into a blowout.

Jaden Bradley scored 21 points, Oumar Ballo dominated inside and Arizona overpowered Arizona State 105-60 on Saturday night a year after suffering heartbreak at home against the Sun Devils.

“They have size, they've got shooting, guys that can pass, guys who can attack the paint off the dribble,” Hurley said. “It's hard to come up with a clear weakness that they have.”

The Wildcats (20-5, 11-3 Pac-12) had their free-flowing offense clicking all night and tightened up their defense late in the first half to turn the rivalry game into a blowout before the teams head to the Big 12 next season.

Arizona shot 57% from the floor and had a 52-16 advantage in the paint to give Tommy Lloyd his 81st win, most in major-conference history by a coach in his first three seasons at a school. Ballo finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds.

“It's just one of those days where things went our way,” Lloyd said. “I'm sure in 10 days they'll be ready for a bit of redemption.”

Arizona State (13-13, 7-8) pulled off a miracle in its last trip to Tucson, winning 89-88 on Desmond Cambridge Jr.'s half-court heave at the buzzer.

The Sun Devils were no match for Arizona inside on this trip south — particularly Ballo.

Arizona established the 7-foot, 260-pound center in the paint early, creating easy shots while racking up fouls against Arizona State. Adam Miller had 16 points to lead the Sun Devils, who shot 36% and 6 of 24 from 3-point range after a torrid start.

The NCAA selection committee revealed its potential top 16 seeds on Saturday and Arizona was on the No. 1 line with Purdue, reigning national champion UConn and Houston.

Arizona State certainly wasn't intimidated by the Wildcats' stature nor playing in McKale Center, trading shot for shot midway through the first half.

Arizona kept hitting. The Sun Devils didn't.

The Wildcats made seven straight shots to lead 41-29, and went on a 13-2 run. Arizona shot 21 of 31 from the floor to lead 49-31 at halftime.

Arizona State went six minutes without hitting a shot and missed eight of its last nine as the fouls started piling up.

“I would say my biggest criticism of us was how we finished the half — we could have maybe had it within nine or 10,” Hurley said. “Particularly the last minute, it was embarrassing that we gave up layups, we gave them multiple opportunities, and they were able to stretch the lead to 18 points.”

It didn't get any better in the second half.

Arizona kept scoring and went up 21 on a long 3 by Caleb Love (15 points) that prompted Hurley to call timeout. The Wildcats stretched the lead to 27 midway through the second half.

BRADLEY'S IMPACT

Bradley took some time to adjust to play at Arizona and for Lloyd after transferring from Alabama.

The 6-foot-3 guard has started to find his offensive rhythm the past few weeks, playing more aggressively and hitting more shots. Bradley made 8 of 11 shots against Arizona State after scoring 14 points against Colorado last week.

“I've just been accepting my role, coming off the bench with high energy,” he said. “My team has given me the ultimate confidence and I just try to go out and play the right way.”

THE TAKEAWAY

Arizona State: The Sun Devils managed to hang with Arizona early by hitting shots, but wore down against Arizona's size to end any hopes of a repeat win at McKale Center.

Arizona: The Wildcats have been on a roll lately, winning five straight while proving to be deserving of a No. 1 seed — at least in mid-February.

UP NEXT

Arizona State: Plays at Washington on Thursday.

Arizona: Plays at Washington State on Thursday night.

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AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball