Arizona and Connecticut battled from start to finish, with the Huskies emerging victorious on Saturday afternoon in Anaheim. The final score was 65-63, but Arizona had a great chance to win the game.
During the final possession, Derrick Williams and Jamelle Horne both missed crucial three point attempts, not being able to grasp victory from UConn.
The fact of the matter: Arizona didn't play well enough during the first half. There was no "second half explosion" like the one that occurred against Duke on Thursday in the Sweet 16. Derrick Williams was in foul trouble and couldn't provide an offensive spark until it was too little, too late.
Williams finished with 20 points, matching Kemba Walker's output for the Huskies. Jesse Perry put forth a solid effort for the Wildcats, scoring 14 points and grabbing seven rebounds.
Connecticut deployed a very athletic style of play against Arizona, and led the game 32-25 at the half. While Arizona rallied and even took the lead at one point, the overall edge in talent went to the Huskies. Jim Calhoun and Sean Miller are both excellent coaches, and hugged after the game to symbolize the quality of the competition they faced today.
In the end, Arizona outperformed every expectation during March Madness. Many experts thought Texas would defeat them, and that turned out to be untrue. Not even Arizona fans really expected to destroy Duke in such a convincing fashion; they did.
As an ASU graduate, I was shocked and impressed by Arizona this March. They have all the momentum in the world, and with Sean Miller at the helm, Arizona is on the road to NCAA basketball relevance once again.