Arizona knocks off Duke, wins NIT Season Tip-Off

Arizona Wildcats Basketball


Five players scored in double figures and the fourth-ranked Arizona Wildcats beat Duke 72-66 at Madison Square Gardens tonight and walked away with the NIT Season Tip-Off Championship.

Arizona (7-0) received an outstanding performance from guard Nick Johnson who tossed in 15 points, scoring 13 of those points in the second half and had plenty of help from his teammates as Brandon Ashley chipped in 13 points, while Aaron Gordon, T.J. McConnell and Kaleb Tarczewski added 10 apiece. Tarczewski hauled down nine rebounds and Gordon pulled down seven boards, while McConnell did his job from the point guard position with eight assists.

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Gabe York completed the Wildcats scoring with seven points apiece as Arizona trailed by three at the half, 36-33, but put together a 24-8 run midway through the second half and held on to beat the Blue Devils, handing them their second loss of the year.

Way to go, Wildcats.

Arizona beats Oregon in football, Duke in basketball and will go for the Trifecta tomorrow night in Tempe when they tangle with the Arizona State Sun Devils in the final regular-season football game of the year.