With 9.5 seconds left on the clock, UCLA's Shabazz Muhammad stepped to the line for a 1 and 1 with all the hopes and nerves of the student body weighing on his shoulders. And much like he'll be expected to when he reaches the NBA as a likely lottery pick, he iced it, then added another to all but seal UCLA's 74-69 upset over No.11 Arizona.
Though the final score will reflect a game that came down to the wire, thanks to a pair of Grant Jarrett threes who went 4-5 from beyond the arc, to have watched its entirety would reveal something different. It was a sloppy, ugly game that neither side had any business winning and neither coach will feel good about.
After 24 combined turnovers, 16 by Arizona, it was the kind of game that you knew was going to end the way it did.
Arizona, led by PG Mark Lyons' 14 points, managed to keep it close at the end of the half, trailing just 36-40, but in the waning minutes with his squad down by eight, Sean Miller decided to bench his floor general for his head-scratching poor decisions and turnovers (5).
The only thing that got Arizona even sniffing around a win was poor ball-handling and clock management by UCLA's Larry Drew II. Despite turning in a solid performance for most of the game, the last few minutes saw bad passes, reckless drives, and poor defense.
After a deflection off a referee and a turnover from miscommunication in the backcourt, Arizona had a chance to tie the game with 24.7 left on the clock. Opting not to take the three, Lyons drove to the key and took an ill-fated turn around jumper, eventually winding up in the hands of Muhammad, and the rest is history.
The Wildcats move to 11-6 in the Pac 12 while the Bruins jump ahead to 12-4.