Arizona (13-5, 3-2 Pac-12) came out and quickly set the game on a fast pace at McKale Center Saturday afternoon against No. 20 Colorado.
With quick passes and allowing everyone to touch the ball, eight players were able to score for Arizona with four of them finishing in double figures.
During the first half, UA went on a 19-3 run over a seven-minute stretch that the Buffaloes (14-4, 3-2 Pac-12) were never able to recover from resulting in a 75-54 victory for the Wildcats in an important conference matchup.
“We were super focused and super locked in," point guard Nico Mannion said. "... I think that's a big thing for us, being locked in, and when we're locked in, we play like we did today."
Dylan Smith and Max Hazzard kept their momentum going from their last game against Utah combining for 22 points between the two in Saturday's game. Both seniors had three 3-pointers in the win over the Buffaloes.
Hazzard scored 33 points in the games against Colorado and Utah resulting in his best week with the Wildcats since arriving to Tucson.
“New coach. New team. Different place. I feel like he’s really starting to settle in and he was great this weekend,” Miller said about Hazzard. “Against Utah, I didn't realize he only played 17 minutes. You don't score 24 points in 17 minutes very often.”
Smith has been inconsistent this season and has struggled in some of Arizona's biggest games this season. He was held to just two points last weekend against Oregon State, but bounced back with a strong week against the Mountain schools including making five of his 11 3-point attempts.
“Dylan’s role and who he is and his age and his experience, when he doesn't play well and has an off night, I think it really effects our team," Miller said. "When he’s solid, from a chemistry perspective and how the game feels, I think we all just feel better.”
Rebounding has been a big emphasis for Arizona this season and Miller was happy that his team responded against one of the better rebounding teams in the conference Saturday afternoon.
“To see our guys rebound they way they did today 39-25," Miller said. "As you know I’ve been harping on that, it's been an achilles heel of ours, and it's great to see us get that right.”
Freshman Zeke Nnaji had a team-high 12 rebounds to go with 12 points for his seventh double double of the season. Smith and Josh Green led the team with 13 points in the win while point guard Nico Mannion had 12 points, seven rebounds and five assists.
Ira Lee played a season-high 26 minutes in Saturday's victory and scored six points that included two big dunks that ignited the crowd resulting in the fans chanting his name.
“Love it man,” Lee said about the response he got from fans. “I’ve been here for three years, I’ve worked hard, work hard with my teammates, coaches always believed in me, its beautiful to hear that and it’s beautiful to have that win too.”
The Wildcats remain undefeated against Colorado in McKale Center since the Buffalos joined the Pac-12 in 2011.
This was the first ranked team Arizona has beaten this season and could help the Wildcats get back into the Associated Press Top 25 poll after dropping out for the first time this season earlier in the week.
The Wildcats will now hit the road for the rest of the month as they take on Arizona State next week in Tempe followed by a trip to to the Pacific Northwest to face Washington and Washington State.
