The Arizona Wildcats have had their share of bad luck on the court, not to mention ongoing off-court distractions, throughout the 2018-19 season.
Facing more adversity Thursday night -- significant foul trouble and yet another injury to a key player -- the Wildcats persevered in a big way in Corvallis, Oregon with a last-second victory over a tough Oregon State team.
With the game tied in the final seconds, Arizona senior guard Justin Coleman missed a long jumper, making it seem momentarily that we were destined for overtime. But then, freshman guard Devonaire Doutrive grabbed the rebound and released a shot just before the final horn to give Arizona a 74-72 victory.
Devonaire Doutrive SAVES THE DAY with a game-winning putback for @APlayersProgram! pic.twitter.com/5z0BJWuZEi
— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) March 1, 2019
It’s @Devonaire23 for THE WIN! #APlayersProgram pic.twitter.com/dgImBM4WmW
— Arizona Basketball (@APlayersProgram) March 1, 2019
Doutrive's heroics gave Arizona its third straight victory -- a winning streak that comes after the Wildcats lost seven games in a row. Those losses were partially a result of injuries to senior center Chase Jeter and freshman guard Brandon Williams.
Jeter got hurt again Thursday, suffering an apparent knee injury that forced him out of the game for the final minutes. Williams, along with senior forward Ryan Luther, both fouled out late in the game. All of those elements made the Wildcats' win that much more improbable.
Arizona improved to 17-12 overall and 8-8 in the Pac-12 this season, while Oregon State fell to 17-10 overall and 9-6 in the conference.
The Wildcats' only realistic hope of advancing to the NCAA Tournament is to win the Pac-12 Tournament in Las Vegas in two weeks. This year's Wildcat team has little margin for error, so they'll likely need a healthy Jeter in order to have a chance to win that tourney.
