Usually, when a zone defense is deployed in McKale Center, it is done by a team that does not have ‘Arizona’ plastered across the front of its jerseys.
Usually, but not always.
Five minutes into the second half of Arizona’s 79-57 win over UC Irvine on Tuesday, the Wildcats strayed from their traditional man-to-man look and lined up in a 2-3 zone.
Arizona had picked up five quick fouls and, as head coach Sean Miller put it, the short-handed Wildcats were clearly ‘wearing down.’
With only seven scholarship players at its disposal, three of Arizona’s starters — Kadeem Allen, Lauri Markkanen, and Dusan Ristic — eclipsed the 16-minute mark in the first half, and that heavy workload translated into heavy legs to begin the second half.