Arizona basketball recovers, ends 6-game losing streak at Oregon

No matter how many hours Kylan Boswell and his Arizona Wildcats teammate spend in the gym, sometimes it’s time spent elsewhere that matters the most.

Already having managed some team bonding during a 24-hour travel delay after a loss at Washington State earlier this month, then sweeping USC and UCLA the following weekend, the Wildcats spent the night Thursday in a Corvallis hotel after their embarrassing loss at Oregon State.

No charter plane or bus would take them far away from the scene. But by the time they had made the 45-minute drive to Eugene on Friday and had dinner together at a BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse that night, Boswell said they were having a good time.

“We all felt like we didn't play bad (at OSU), but we definitely know we can play at a better elite level as a team,” Boswell said after No. 9-ranked Arizona responded with an 87-78 win at Oregon on Saturday “We kind of got over it quickly.”

It probably helped that some of them also attended a meeting earlier in the day that Boswell wasn’t invited to.

UA coach Tommy Lloyd said he pulled aside his four veteran starters — Oumar Ballo, Keshad Johnson, Pelle Larsson and Caleb Love — to speak to them earlier Friday about the slump their sophomore teammate had been going through.

As the Wildcats’ point guard, Boswell sets the tone on virtually every possession, and it hasn’t always gone well when UA loses. Boswell has averaged just 4.6 points and shot only 20.5% from the field in UA’s five losses, and he was scoreless with a combined 0-for-8 shooting in Arizona’s most recent two losses, at Washington State and at Oregon State.

In a 26-minute appearance Thursday at OSU, Boswell missed all three field goals and both free throws he took, with two turnovers matching his two assists.

This was same guy who was arguably the Wildcats’ most valuable player in their Nov. 10 win at then-No. 2 Duke, hitting 4 of 7 shots, collecting eight rebounds and dishing five assists to one turnover in the famously frenzied atmosphere of Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Also the same guy who is listed on NBA mock drafts as highly as any current Arizona player.

Where did he go? Lloyd called in his four other starters to discuss.

“I talked to the four vets and we had a good meeting (Friday)," Lloyd said, "and I just told them, 'Hey, Kylan's a really good player. You guys know it. In that Duke game there was a stretches when he was the best player on the floor. So we know what his ceiling is. Now we just have to help him. Help him along the journey. Help him hit it.' ”

So they did. Especially Love, who scored a career-high and Matthew Knight Arena record-tying 36 points, crediting Boswell for some help along the way.

“I just played within the offense, with my teammates and I let them create the shots for me,” Love said. “We got our PG (Boswell) here and he runs the show. We play off him and so when he plays good, we all play good.”

Boswell dished two of his assists just after Oregon cut UA's lead to just four points late in the first half, one to guard KJ Lewis for a dunk and the other to Love for a 3-pointer. Then he scored nine of his 14 points in the second half, when UA took leads of up to 16 points en route to moving back into a tie for the Pac-12 lead.

After the game, standing next to Love in an arena corridor, Boswell was quick to return Love's compliment. After all, shooters can get set up but they still have to get the ball in the basket, and Love was 12 for 18 overall form the field, including 5 of 8 from 3-point range.

“Playing alongside him when you realize he's hot, you’ve got to keep feeding him for sure,” Boswell said. “I always put my trust into how much work he puts in. It's nice to see him on the court reaping the benefits.”

While Love never plays like he lacks confidence — in fact, Love said he could have scored more than the 36 points he did Saturday — Boswell carries a more understated version of it. His slump has drawn plenty of criticism and concern, but on the inside, Boswell said he trusts himself because of the work he puts in.

“I’m not going to worry if I have a bad game,” Boswell said. “It’ll happen throughout my career.”

Same goes for Lloyd, apparently. He’s consistently defended Boswell since last season, when Boswell joined the Wildcats at age 17 without a preseason to speak of thanks to an offseason foot injury. Then Lloyd praised him Saturday.

“Kylan's a better player now than he was at the start of the year because of what he's gone through,” Lloyd said. “And you know what? He’s probably gonna have some more ups and downs. That comes with being a young player.

"But Kylan's really high character, he cares a lot and so it's hard. It's hard going through the struggle, the first real struggle of your career, so I'm really proud of how he responded. He’s been nails. He's been super engaged with us coaches. He's doing everything you would want from one of your players.”

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona basketball recovers, ends 6-game losing streak at Oregon