Sometimes, the other team is better, and plays better.
In a nutshell, that's what happened to streaking BYU late Tuesday night at the Marriott Center, as No. 20 Arizona outplayed and outclassed the Cougars to take an 85-74 victory in front of 17,274 fans.
The Cougars were taken out of the game by the Wildcats' superior execution when the crucial Big 12 contest was there for the taking, so BYU's four-game winning streak was snapped and its chance to pick up a crucial Quad 1 win snuffed by a rapidly improving Arizona team that is tied for the Big 12 lead.
The Wildcats (16-6, 10-1) have to be the best six-loss team in the country.
"They are a good team. They beat us," BYU coach Kevin Young said. "… We will move on and try to win the next game, which has been our attitude all year. It has been fun, actually, to help these guys pick themselves up when we come up short."
The loss won't hurt the Cougars' NCAA Tournament chances, but a win would have probably moved them safely off the bubble.
In the first half, BYU (15-7, 6-5) played like a team deserving of going dancing, as the score was tied 41-41 at the break and the Cougars' offense was free-flowing, getting out in transition, and getting easy buckets.
The Cougars made seven 3s in the first half.
But with about 10 minutes remaining in the game, everything dried up for the home team and Arizona kept on making plays to stay tied atop the league standings with Houston.
"These guys, they crushed it. They are playing so much better now than I am coaching, it is not even close," said Wildcats coach Tommy Lloyd. "That's how you know you have a good team."
Offensively, Arizona simply had too many weapons for BYU to handle, and too much size. The Wildcats won the rebounding battle 45-30, a stat Young downplayed but did acknowledge that the Cougars were kept off the offensive glass.
The reality was that the Cougars were out-toughed in this one by a team that was clearly more accustomed to tight, physical, gut-busting finishes, be it at home or in front of a rowdy, loud crowd in Provo.
BYU Cougars forward Mawot Mag (0) takes a shot while guarded by Arizona Wildcats guard Caleb Love (1) during an NCAA men's basketball game held at the Marriott Center in Provo on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
BYU Cougars guard Egor Demin (3) lays the ball up while guarded by Arizona Wildcats forward Trey Townsend (4) during an NCAA men's basketball game held at the Marriott Center in Provo on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
BYU Cougars players huddle around center Fousseyni Traore (45) during an NCAA men's basketball game against the Arizona Wildcats held at the Marriott Center in Provo on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
Arizona Wildcats head coach Tommy Lloyd calls out during an NCAA men's basketball game against the BYU Cougars held at the Marriott Center in Provo on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
BYU Cougars guard Egor Demin (3) guards Arizona Wildcats guard KJ Lewis (5) during an NCAA men's basketball game held at the Marriott Center in Provo on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
The Roar of the Cougars pep band plays during an NCAA men's basketball game between the BYU Cougars and the Arizona Wildcats held at the Marriott Center in Provo on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
BYU Cougars forward Richie Saunders (15) reaches for the ball while guarded by Arizona Wildcats guard Jaden Bradley (0) and guard KJ Lewis (5) during an NCAA men's basketball game held at the Marriott Center in Provo on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
BYU Cougars guard Dallin Hall (30) passes the ball out while guarded by Arizona Wildcats guard Grant Weitman (15) during an NCAA men's basketball game held at the Marriott Center in Provo on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
BYU Cougars guard Dallin Hall (30) goes up for a shot past Arizona Wildcats defenders during an NCAA men's basketball game held at the Marriott Center in Provo on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
The BYU student section cheers during an NCAA men's basketball game against the Arizona Wildcats held at the Marriott Center in Provo on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
BYU Cougars forward Richie Saunders (15) goes up for a shot while guarded by Arizona Wildcats guard Jaden Bradley (0) and forward Carter Bryant (9) during an NCAA men's basketball game held at the Marriott Center in Provo on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
BYU Cougars head coach Kevin Young watches a shot go up beside Ryan Smith, right, during an NCAA men's basketball game against the Arizona Wildcats held at the Marriott Center in Provo on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
BYU Cougars guard Dawson Baker (25) fouls Arizona Wildcats forward Tobe Awaka (30) as he reaches for the ball during an NCAA men's basketball game held at the Marriott Center in Provo on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
BYU Cougars guard Egor Demin (3) celebrates with center Keba Keita (13) after a play against the Arizona Wildcats during an NCAA men's basketball game held at the Marriott Center in Provo on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
BYU Cougars head coach Kevin Young reacts to a referee;s call during an NCAA men's basketball game against the Arizona Wildcats held at the Marriott Center in Provo on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
Arizona Wildcats forward Henri Veesaar (13) dunks the ball while guarded by BYU Cougars center Keba Keita (13) during an NCAA men's basketball game held at the Marriott Center in Provo on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
BYU Cougars guard Dallin Hall (30) drives the ball toward the basket while guarded by Arizona Wildcats guard Caleb Love (1) during an NCAA men's basketball game held at the Marriott Center in Provo on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
BYU Cougars forward Richie Saunders (15) lays the ball up while guarded by Arizona Wildcats guard Caleb Love (1) during an NCAA men's basketball game held at the Marriott Center in Provo on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
BYU Cougars forward Mawot Mag (0) celebrates his basket against the Arizona Wildcats during an NCAA men's basketball game held at the Marriott Center in Provo on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
BYU Cougars forward Richie Saunders (15) celebrates his basket against the Arizona Wildcats during an NCAA men's basketball game held at the Marriott Center in Provo on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
BYU Cougars forward Mawot Mag (0) celebrates his 3-pointer against the Arizona Wildcats during an NCAA men's basketball game held at the Marriott Center in Provo on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
Reigning Big 12 Player of the Year Caleb Love , the odds-on favorite to win Big 12 PoY honors, scored a team-high 18 points on 6 of 16 shooting.
The Cougars would have taken that. What they couldn't afford was having guard Jaden Bradley score all 17 of his points in the second half and taking the game over down the stretch.
He was 8 of 8 from the free-throw line, matching BYU's made total from the stripe.
"Jaden is becoming the consummate point guard," Lloyd said. "He understands winning."
The play of the game was made by Love, who hit a 3-pointer with 10:35 remaining after a Kanon Catchings 3-pointer had given BYU a 61-60 lead.
The crowd was roaring at that point, but Lloyd didn't take a timeout. He let his players silence the crowd.
"To me, what is more powerful than a timeout is a response," said Lloyd, who opened his postgame comments by praising the BYU crowd, which he has coached against since his days at Gonzaga as a 20-year assistant there.
"You always cherish the opportunity to play in a place like this," Lloyd said. "Fortunately, I have been with Gonzaga and Arizona. You come here, the games mean something, and the fans have always been amazing and it has always been something we look forward to."
BYU never regained the lead after Love's fourth 3-pointer in a game that featured 11 lead changes, but the Cougars were seemingly OK after Dallin Hall's 3-pointer and driving layup got them within a point, 67-66, with 7:46 remaining.
But the Cougars went the next 7:46 with just two field goals, and both were made in the last minute (by Richie Saunders) and the last second, a 3-pointer by Egor Demin .
"I thought the difference in the game was around the six-minute mark. They scored three out of four times. We went to a switching scheme, and they hurt us with offensive rebounds," Young said.
"… We were right there. That part of the game really was the difference. They are a good club. They got good players. They are talented. Tommy is obviously a very experienced coach, does a great job. Give them credit, they played well."
So did BYU — until it really mattered. BYU was 3 of 16 from deep in the second half. Layups and 3-pointers that were there in the first 30 minutes went away.
Young said the Cougars were forced to "take the ball out of the net" too many times, as Bradley hit a huge 3-pointer with 6:31 left that qualified as the second-biggest make of the game for the visitors.
"Like, we are a team that thrives in transition, thrives on pace. They shot 14 free throws in the second half, made 13 of them. That slows the game down," Young said. "That wasn't the case in the first half. That was the difference in the game."
The first half was full of well-played, high-level basketball, although neither team shot the ball particularly well. It featured eight ties and eight lead changes, with BYU overcoming an early 20-12 deficit.
Tobe Awaka led Arizona with 12 first-half points on 5 of 6 shooting, while Love was mostly kept in check until late in the half.
Mawot Mag gave BYU an early lift with eight first-half points; Eight Cougars scored in the first 20 minutes, and BYU turned it over just four times before the break.
Demin had a solid first half for the Cougars with seven points, two rebounds and two assists. However, he had two turnovers and missed three straight free throws, free throws that would have given the Cougars the lead at halftime.
"We gotta make free throws. We went 8 of 14 in a tight game," Young said. "We gotta step up and knock free throws down. If you are going to shoot 9 3s, you can't go 0 of 3 from the free throw line (which Demin did).
"Some guys gotta step up and make gimmes."
The BYU student section cheers during an NCAA men's basketball game against the Arizona Wildcats held at the Marriott Center in Provo on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
