There are many ways for a ranked team, like No. 19 Arizona, to lose to a non-ranked team, like BYU. The Wildcats experienced one of the worst ones on Saturday.
A back-and-forth Big 12 game in which neither team ever led by double digits ended in controversy in Tucson when the Cougars got an absolute gift of a foul in crunch time.
With less than five seconds remaining and down 95-94, BYU forward Richie Saunders drove into the paint then ended up with his back to the basket. He tried to spin out of the reach of Arizona’s Trey Townsend and ended up on the ground, missing a severely off-balance shot.
It was basically perfect by Townsend, but a foul in the official’s eyes. Two free throws for BYU, even though it appeared Townsend never touched Saunders as he lunged for the shot.
Saunders, a 76.5% free throw shooter entering Saturday, made both to win the game. BYU celebrated it like another upset win on the road, while Arizona’s McKale Center rained down boos.
Plays like that are why the NBA has a challenge system.
Saunders finished the game with a team-high 23 points on 8-of-10 shooting from the field and, ahem, 4-of-5 shooting from the charity stripe, while Arizona’s Caleb Love led all scorers with 27 points. BYU’s 96 points are the most by any opponent in the McKale Center since a 99-96 BYU win in 2009. Jimmer Fredette had 49 of those points.
The loss is Arizona’s third in its past four games, while BYU is now on a four-game winning streak.
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