Aided by Bennedict Mathurin's 'clutch gene,' 1-seed Arizona staves off upset bid from No. 9 seed TCU in OT

SAN DIEGO — Even as the game appeared to be falling out of No. 1-seeded Arizona's grasp, coach Tommy Lloyd maintains he never lost faith.

«I know this,» he said, «I believed the whole time.»

His team gave him plenty of opportunities down the stretch of its 85-80 overtime win against No. 9 TCU where it might have seemed logical not to. In the end, Arizona made the necessary plays in the game's biggest moments to secure a trip to the Sweet 16.

With 7:52 remaining in Sunday night's second-round matchup, Arizona (33-3) was in control, leading 67-58 and appearing to have the game locked up. However, the Wildcats went cold from the field and TCU took advantage, going on a 12-0 run over the next 3:39 to swing momentum in its favor.

Perhaps more pivotal than Arizona's poor shooting during that stretch was its defensive rebounding. TCU had 10 of its 20 offensive rebounds in the game's final 7:31. The final one came with 40 seconds left, when Eddie Lampkin brought down a Damion Baugh miss and scored a putback to give TCU a 75-72 lead with 37 seconds left.

«They were back breakers down the end,» Lloyd said «Listen, offensive rebounding is a staple of their program — and it's ours, too. But they're really good at it. Sometimes when you get down, like they did, you get maybe a little desperate and you go harder.»

It was a deficiency that will come even more into focus this week as the Wildcats prepare for No. 5 Houston (31-5), arguably the best offensive rebounding team in the country.

Following Lampkin's bucket, Arizona answered with a deep 3 from Bennedict Mathurin, who finished with 30 points.

«Ben's not afraid of the moment,» Lloyd said. «He's a special player who has an ability to rise it up another level when needed. And he has