There have been a ton of hurdles for Arizona basketball to leap in recent games. Opening up March against one of the Big 12's best teams in Iowa State, the Wildcats fell 84-67, bringing their regular season record to 19-10. Despite the loss, it was a commendable effort from the eyes of Arizona head coach Tommy Lloyd.

Arizona played inspiring basketball in the second half, and it's clear that this won't be the last time these two tough contenders meet up this season. If Arizona shot better than 18.2 percent from three, then a comeback would've been more within the team's grasp.

“You dug yourself a big hole, and I'm really proud of our guys for battling back, Lloyd said. That could have been a 30-piece right there, and out guys hung with it. We've got pride, we're here for it.”

“We've got pride. We're going to fight back. We're not a bunch of bums,” Lloyd continued.

Arizona has a great bounce-back opportunity at home against Arizona State on March 4. It'll be interesting to see if Lloyd turns to freshman forward Carter Bryant once again, after another solid outing off the bench on Saturday.

While any loss is going to sting, especially this close to the NCAA Tournament, the important thing is how the great teams respond. Arizona has the potential to do just that.

Caleb Love is going to have better shooting nights (2-of-15), and the role players are going to pick up the pieces to win. It was evident that the Cyclones singled out Love in the perimeter game plan, as the senior guard had a hand in his face all night. The Wildcats have the talent needed to make a deep run in March. A decisive win against the in-state rival Sun Devils on Tuesday would be a fantastic start.