T.J. McConnell had 13 points, six assists and seven rebounds along with Brandon Ashley who also had 13 points, and Nick Johnson and Kaleb Tarczewski added 12 apiece for the Wildcats.
It was McConnell who made crucial plays at the end of the game, where it counts that propelled the Cats to the win. Arizona took the lead for good with 3;10 to play in the game when McConnell buried a jump shot inside the 3 point line.
The Rebels from Las Vegas shot a blistering 64 percent in the first half (16 for 25) while the Wildcats were at 52 percent (17 of 33) resulting in a UNLV 42-39 lead at the half. the 2nd half the wildcats turned up the defense holding UNLV to less than a point a minute.
| Score by periods | 1st | 2nd | Total |
| UNLV | 42 | 16 | 58 |
| Arizona | 39 | 24 | 63 |
The Wildcats demonstrated their strength and talent by overcoming 14 turnovers to win a close game when they may have been distracted knowing that Michigan State had had lost earlier in the day giving them a chance to move to Number 1 in the rankings.