The No. 2 Arizona Wildcats sent a strong message across the college basketball world with a resounding 73-57 win over the No. 6 Iowa State Cyclones on Monday.
But what Arizona head coach Tommy Lloyd said after the game at McKale Center in Tucson, Ariz., may have left an even bigger impression.
Addressing the notion he’s heard about the Wildcats being a “soft” team, Lloyd hit back with a passionate response in defense of his squad.
“This team’s built that way. I think the narrative that we were soft is lazy. Look at our stats, look at our analytics. We’ve always been a great rebounding team. We’ve always pounded the paint,” Lloyd told the media in the postgame presser, via Fox College Hoops.
The win over the Cyclones helped Lloyd’s case, as the Wildcats outrebounded Iowa State, 44-33. Arizona’s suffocating defense also held the Cyclones to just 29% shooting from the floor and just 7/30 (23%) from behind the arc. Per KenPom, the Wildcats are third nationally with an adjusted defensive rating of 89.0.
The 51-year-old Lloyd did not stop there.
“So, if you want to just be lazy and not pay attention and say we’re soft because we’re on the West Coast, be lazy. I’d love to play against you, because we know we got dudes, and we love this game, and I’m okay with this time of game, ” Lloyd continued.
Every team has its weaknesses, but Lloyd will not accept any unfair and baseless criticism about his team’s effort and sense of urgency on defense and on the glass.
By beating Iowa State, the Wildcats also won the Big 12 regular-season title outright, as they now prepare for Saturday’s game against the Colorado Buffaloes at CU Events Center in Boulder, Colo.
