In a Big 12 Tournament semifinal on Friday evening in the second week of March, Arizona edged Iowa State on a final-possession basket by Jaden Bradley to reach the conference title game. Bradley — the Big 12 Player of the Year — drilled the decisive shot without a timeout after navigating Iowa State’s late trapping defense. Head coach Tommy Lloyd and key contributors such as Anthony Dell’Orso described a game that tested Arizona for a full 40 minutes and credited adjustments to the playing surface and ball handling for improved shooting. Arizona now awaits the winner of Houston and Kansas in Saturday’s championship game.
Key takeaways
- Jaden Bradley hit the game-winning basket on the final possession, sending Arizona to the Big 12 championship game scheduled for Saturday.
- Bradley is the Big 12 Conference Player of the Year and executed the final play without a timeout, citing in-game reads and teammates’ movement.
- Tommy Lloyd said Arizona had to “dig deep” for 40 minutes against a very effective Iowa State unit that played tougher than in their earlier meeting.
- Arizona credited a return to a more familiar court surface and properly inflated Wilson game balls for helping shooters find rhythm in the late stages.
- Anthony Dell’Orso, coming off the bench, supplied timely three-point shooting and energy; Lloyd highlighted his comfort with the Wilson ball and his role off the bench.
- The Wildcats will face the Houston–Kansas winner, with Lloyd stressing quick emotional reset and preparation for another high-stakes matchup at essentially a neutral site.
Background
Arizona and Iowa State met earlier in the season and again roughly 10 days before this semifinal; Lloyd noted that the Cyclones arrived in a stronger shooting form tonight. The Big 12 Tournament assembles the conference’s 14 teams for a week of elimination games that determine the league champion and can affect NCAA Tournament seeding. For Arizona, a win here preserves a chance at the conference crown and bolsters momentum heading into March Madness.
Game conditions became a talking point when organizers adjusted the court surface and addressed concerns about ball inflation after warmup observations earlier in the event. Coaches across the league have increasingly emphasized how equipment and court feel can subtly influence perimeter shooting and player comfort, especially under intense tournament pressure. Those adjustments were cited by Arizona staff and players as a factor in improved late-game execution.
Main event
The semifinal unfolded as a tight, back-and-forth contest that required sustained effort from both teams across 40 minutes. Iowa State deployed aggressive traps late and forced multiple difficult reads; Arizona countered with situational improvisation that Lloyd said the team rehearses with a “figure it out” approach. In the decisive sequence, Bradley drove and orchestrated teammate movement rather than calling for a timeout, created separation, and released the winning shot as the clock wound down.
Bradley’s postgame description emphasized flow and reaction: he said he “went with the flow” on the final play and acknowledged Iowa State’s defensive toughness, noting that a timeout might have allowed the Cyclones to set their trap even more effectively. Lloyd affirmed that the look was familiar: “It’s a shot we’ve seen him hit a lot this year,” he said, underscoring trust in Bradley’s late-clock decision-making.
Dell’Orso provided a spark off the bench, hitting multiple threes and energizing the Arizona bench and crowd. He and other role players combined with interior rebounders to create a balanced offensive effort; Lloyd singled out the roster’s ability to handle a messy, high-pressure game plan and make incremental runs that kept Arizona within striking distance until the final possession.
Analysis & implications
Arizona’s victory carries immediate tournament implications: a championship-game berth gives the Wildcats another shot at a conference title and a high-visibility win that can influence NCAA seeding. The manner of the win — a late, improvised game-winner rather than a set play after a timeout — highlights Arizona’s emphasis on player decision-making in pressure moments, a strategic choice Lloyd said the staff practices frequently.
On a tactical level, Iowa State’s trapping scheme tested Arizona’s ball-handling and spacing; the Wildcats’ ability to “figure it out” under pressure suggests improved composure among younger rotation players. That adaptability could be decisive in the NCAA Tournament, where teams often face unfamiliar defensive looks and must rely on on-court reads rather than coach-to-player instructions during late possessions.
Equipment and environment factors matter more than they sometimes receive credit for. Lloyd singled out a return to a natural-feel court surface and correctly inflated Wilson balls as contributors to better shooting touch. While such details won’t determine every outcome, their cumulative effect can be meaningful in tight games decided by a handful of shots.
Comparison & data
| Aspect | Arizona | Iowa State |
|---|---|---|
| Decisive play | Final-possession jumper by Jaden Bradley | Late trapping defense |
| Bench impact | Anthony Dell’Orso — multiple 3s | Role players contributed scoring runs |
| Game length | 40 minutes — full regulation | 40 minutes — full regulation |
The table highlights how both teams contributed across personnel groups and that regulation minutes were required to decide the semifinal. Statistical box scores (see sources) provide play-by-play and per-player numbers for readers seeking deeper numeric breakdowns.
Reactions & quotes
“It was a crazy shot…I just went with the flow,”
Jaden Bradley, Arizona guard
Bradley attributed the final sequence to instincts and teammates’ movement, noting that calling a timeout could have allowed Iowa State to fully set its defensive trap.
“Guys, it was a great game, an epic battle…they really made us dig deep literally 40 minutes,”
Tommy Lloyd, Arizona head coach
Lloyd praised Iowa State’s performance and emphasized the team’s rehearsed approach to in-game problem solving, referencing an internal mantra of “figure it out” for improvisational scenarios.
“I felt I was open all the time, and I was able to knock them down tonight,”
Anthony Dell’Orso, Arizona guard
Dell’Orso described how confidence and teammate looks fueled his hot shooting off the bench and noted the emotional lift his plays provided the Arizona roster.
Unconfirmed
- Exact PSI values for the Wilson game balls used earlier in the event remain unreported; Lloyd said he did not know the specific numbers.
- Whether the court-surface and ball adjustments materially changed the final outcome cannot be proven from on-court results alone and remains a contributing factor rather than a definitive cause.
Bottom line
Arizona advanced to the Big 12 Tournament final on a last-possession heroics by Jaden Bradley after a contest that tested both teams for the full 40 minutes. The win validates Arizona’s emphasis on in-game decision-making and bench contributions, and it sets up a championship matchup with the winner of Houston and Kansas that will require a fast mental reset and detailed preparation.
For Arizona, the takeaway is twofold: trust the players to make late-clock reads they’ve practiced, and pay attention to equipment and environment details that affect execution. Fans and analysts should watch how the Wildcats translate this late-game resilience into performance under NCAA Tournament pressure.