One or two plays could have easily kept Arizona from a semifinal everybody expected it to reach in a walk, but the 11th-ranked Wildcats avoided a dose of deja vu and will continue their bid for an early-season championship.
Arizona has a quick turnaround after a close call in the DirecTV Wooden Legacy when it meets Providence in Friday night's semis on the campus of Cal State-Fullerton.
The Wildcats (5-0) struggled against winless Santa Clara in Thursday's opening round, which may sound familiar since Steve Nash's Broncos were just the second No. 15 seed to beat a No.