Sometimes the best remedy for what ails you is some rest. Arizona had an extended break having not played a game since Dec. 21 until Saturday night's matchup against in-state rival Arizona State.
The 25th-ranked Wildcats (11-3, 1-0 Pac-12) showed no signs of rust, however, as the team dominated nearly every aspect of the game to finish with a 75-47 victory at McKale Center. UA had four players score in double figures on a night when it scored 50 points in the paint and won the rebounding battle over the Sun Devils 49-35.
Sean Miller has continued to preach defense to his squad and the Wildcats were able to hold ASU (9-5) to just 18 made shots. The Sun Devils had a tough night from the floor and scored just 17 points in the first half.
There were plenty of things that Miller emphasized throughout his team's holiday break, and the Wildcats did a good job of performing well in those areas.
"We've taken these 12 days, 14 days in between and we've worked hard to be better," Miller said. "We've practiced hard. Our team's had a great attitude"
Arizona had a rough stretch to finish nonconference play losing three of the last four games ahead of the break. Miller said since the loss to St. John's before Christmas he has done a better job of defining roles for his players and the group has done a good job of responding.
UA simply needed a win and the fact that it came at the beginning of conference play against the team's in-state rival is a bonus.
"We had to bounce back from St. John's," freshman guard Josh Green said. "We know the mistakes we made. We were able to have close to two weeks of practice. We came determined into that game. ... I think we worked hard for that game, and it shows the work that we put into practice. It comes out in the result, the win."
Green was one of four UA players to score in double figures Saturday night as he had 12 points and seven rebounds. Fellow freshman Nico Mannion had 10 points and seven assists while senior wing Dylan Smith had 10 points in the victory.
Freshman power forward Zeke Nnaji led the way with 17 points and 11 rebounds in another strong performance for the UA big man.
"We've really been doing a lot of different things in practice preparing for those double teams," Nnaji said. "I give credit to my teammates, because they know where to find me with the ball in good spots and I'm able to get it back out to them because they know where to go when I get the ball."
Arizona will next head on the road when it travels to Oregon to face No. 4 Oregon and Oregon State with the first game taking place next Thursday night against the Ducks in Eugene.
