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Not only did the Wildcats have roughly 1,000 or so of their own fans, with the Bearcats’ arena located within an easy drive of many metropolitan areas where UA alums might live, but they also had plenty of their own families at the game.

Power forward Trey Townsend, whose hometown of Oakland, Michigan, is only about 4½ hours away, had 17 friends and family on hand. Point guard Jaden Bradley had about 10, while guard Caleb Love had about seven.

Equipment manager Brian Brigger, a native of the Cincinnati area, also had a boatload of family, while communications manager Nate Wiechers had his parents and aunt and uncle arriving from the Toledo area.

UA player relations director Jason Gardner, a native of nearby Indianapolis, sat pregame next to his son, Jason Gardner Jr., a Division I prospect in the class of 2027. Gardner said his sister and brother-in-law also traveled to the game.

Leading for most of Saturday's game, the Wildcats also managed to keep Fifth Third from turning against them until the Bearcats rallied late in the game.

"I thought for 30 minutes we did an unbelievable job keeping that crowd really quiet," Lloyd said.

Local flavor

With a full day in Cincinnati on Friday before Saturday’s game, the Wildcats practiced at Xavier and held an evening shootaround at Cincinnati’s Fifth Third Arena.

They also had dinner at Cincinnati’s well-regarded Montgomery Inn, sampling its notably sweet Cincinnati-style barbecue.

(Lloyd noted that Brigger encouraged them to eat at a restaurant he believed was "six stars.")

While the Wildcats did not dine pre-game at any of Cincinnati’s chili parlors, which feature uniquely spiced meat sauce, Brigger reportedly escaped for a visit or two.

Mo in town

Arizona center Motiejus Krivas made the trip with the Wildcats despite still being expected to undergo surgery on his injured left ankle next week.

Krivas will sit out the rest of this season and is not likely to make many of the Wildcats’ future Big 12 road trips while he undergoes rehabilitation.

Not Pac-like 

Temperatures didn’t break out of the 20s on Saturday outside Fifth Third Arena, but at least it was sunny.

The Wildcats were scheduled to leave for Morgantown, West Virginia, on Sunday morning just before an expected snow and ice storm that is expected to blanket the Cincinnati region starting Sunday afternoon.

The same storm will likely greet them after their arrival in Morgantown, where they are scheduled to stay from Sunday night through their Tuesday night game against the Mountaineers.

“Welcome to the East during the winter,� UA assistant coach Steve Robinson, a veteran of Big 12 and ACC travel. “It’s all a far cry from going to Los Angeles and playing at this time of year. It is what it is. That's why you play the game indoors, and they have coverings over the building and all of that.�

Stripe-out help

Cincinnati successfully pulled off a “stripe out� on Saturday, with alternating sections of fans wearing black and red as instructed, but the Bearcats may owe Wildcats fans an assist.

Cincinnati gave blocks of tickets to Arizona friends and family that were located in two sections, one upper and one lower, both of which were designated sections for fans to wear red. Naturally, the UA-related spectators also wore red and blended right in.

The big number

20: Henri Veesaar’s plus-minus rating Saturday, when he had eight points and eight rebounds in 25 minutes.

Quotable

“We spend hours and hours and hours talking about schemes and technique and all that kind of stuff. But sometimes it's like just mindset and will.� — Cincinnati coach Wes Miller