UA coach Tommy Lloyd said he found sometimes the Aggies threw out a softer press and sometimes a harder one, with early traps.

Basically, it was desperation, kitchen sink sort of thing. And it was working.

“It got us back on our heels a little bit,” Lloyd said of the Aggies’ defense. “They kind of amped up the heat on their press a little bit. I don’t think our spacing was great. I think our initial thrust wasn’t great. And that’s something that is not easy to do. Everyone on the periphery thinks it should be easy to do. It’s not.

“And when you have a desperate team amping up the pressure, and the jump ball’s in their favor, and they’re aggressive, it’s hard. It’s hard.”

Arizona forward Koa Peat (10) and Utah State forward Zach Keller (32) battle for a rebound during the first half in the second round of the NCAA Tournament Sunday, March 22, 2026, in San Diego. 

Mark J. Terrill, Associated Press

UA held just a 63-59 lead heading into the final five minutes, but outscored Utah State 10-5 over the next three minutes, getting a jumper and a free throw from Jaden Bradley, four free throws from Krivas and Burries’ smooth top-of-the-key 3-pointer with 2:18 left.

It was a reversion to his usual form on a somewhat frustrating evening for Burries, who had 16 points on 5-for-7 shooting but only played 26 minutes after sitting out much of the first half because he had two early fouls.

“I’ve just been getting in a lot of reps shooting, and it’s just being confident and taking the shot, and it went in. I’m thankful,” Burries said. “I’m not gonna sit here and lie and say I knew (it would go in), but I’m saying it felt good, though.”

Earlier in the second half, it didn’t appear the Wildcats would need such a bailout. UA went on a 9-0 run to take a 51-33 lead with 14:43 left, getting layups from Burries, forward Koa Peat and Bradley while Burries also sank a 3.

But the Wildcats went without a field goal over a seven-minute span in the middle of the second half, turning the ball over four times in three minutes, while Utah State crept back into the game. The Aggies shrank an 18-point UA lead to just four, 58-54, when Drake Allen hit a 3-pointer with 6:34 left.