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‘Keshad is a canine’: Arizona’s win arrange by tone-setting tremendous slam

The highlight was on Arizona guard Jaden Bradley’s masterful efficiency off the bench, but it surely was stolen by an athletic high-flying act.

Misplaced within the shuffle of the Wildcats’ 78-68 victory over Dayton Saturday was a breakaway windmill dunk by ahead Keshad Johnson that drew some oohs and ahhs from the sold-out Delta Middle, particularly these wearing Arizona purple.

With 3.5 minutes gone within the first half, Johnson deflected a go from Dayton’s Enoch Cheeks into the backcourt. Johnson took two dribbles, gathered, and unleashed his proper arm right into a full windmill to offer the Wildcats an early 11-8 lead.

“I instructed Caleb Love I hadn’t executed something loopy on a fastbreak shortly,” Johnson stated, laughing. “We had been stating their tendencies on movie; I received a possibility and determined to indicate off my expertise for them.”

It wasn’t the primary dunk he defied gravity for — Johnson later got here round on a reverse dunk and put Dayton’s Petras Padegimas on a poster when the Flyers had lower the result in 45-42 early within the second half.

“That is regular for him to do,” guard Kylan Boswell stated. “We see him do some loopy stuff in apply on a regular basis.”

KESHAD JOHNSON BREAKS OUT THE WINDMILL 😳#MarchMadnesspic.twitter.com/hX9DKLjCXY

— NCAA March Insanity (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 23, 2024

Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd, nevertheless, referred to as Johnson’s dunk a “tone-setter”. It actually was, because the Wildcats turned up the depth following the slam each offensively and defensively, exploding out to a 17-point lead late within the first half.

Sadly, the dunk got here with some baggage: Johnson had missed a one-handed try earlier, a lot to the chagrin of guard Pelle Larsson.

“I used to be like, ‘Do not miss that (expletive), man’,” Larsson stated, laughing. “I used to be simply fascinated by getting the 2 factors.”

— Alex Tumalip, KSL.com