Arizona Basketball: 5 Crucial Keys to Arizona's Last-Second Win over Florida

The No. 8 Arizona Wildcats were on the ropes for most of the night, hosting the No. 5 Florida Gators in one of the most fiercely-fought games in this early 2012-13 season.

But with Gators big man Patric Young draped all over him, Mark Lyons hit a driving bank shot with seven seconds left in the game to give the Wildcats a defining victory, 65-64.

Here are five crucial keys to the Wildcats' biggest regular season win in the Sean Miller era.

Note: (Statistics and game details drawn from ESPN's game box score and play-by-play summary.)

Scored 16 Points More Than Florida Has Been Giving Up

Florida entered last night's game as the No. 2 scoring defense team in the nation, allowing less than 49 PPG.

Even though almost every Arizona basket was closely contested, the Wildcats scored 16 more points than the Gators are used to giving up.

Solomon Hill (18 pts), Nick Johnson (15) and Mark Lyons (14) did most of the heavy lifting for the 'Cats, who averaged 79.3 PPG in their first seven games of '12-13.

Reduced Turnovers in the Second Half

Florida's defensive pressure disrupted Arizona's offensive flow for a good share of the game.

The Wildcats seemed unsettled for most of the first half, committing eight turnovers before the break.

But the 'Cats almost eliminated TOs in the second half, only giving it over to the Gators twice in the final 20 minutes.

The last U of A turnover came with 6:56 left in the second half on a Will Yeguete steal.

Every possession matters in a game like this. It is absolutely essential to take care of the ball. And Sean Miller's squad gave itself the chance to win it at the end because of good second-half ball maintenance.

Near-Perfect Free-Throw Shooting

Arizona needed every point to win this game.

The Wildcats hit 18-of-21 (85.7 percent) free throws for the night.

Kevin Parrom hit both of his freebies with 56 seconds to go in the game.

But no free throw was bigger than that of freshman forward Grant Jerrett (pictured), who hit one of his two FTs with 26 seconds on the clock to pull Arizona within one.

Even though U of A is shooting a more than respectable 77.3 percent from the line on the year, it needed to step up in this big game...and it did.

Held Florida Scoreless in the Last 2:44 of the Game

ESPN's Stats and Information reports that the Wildcats made more shots than Florida attempted over the final 9:33 and forced seven of the Gators' 14 turnovers.

Gator guard Scottie Wilbekin scored with 2:44 to go in the game to put Florida up 64-58.

No one knew that would be the Gators' last bucket of the night.

In fact, Kenny Boynton was the only Florida player to attempt a shot for the remainder of the game.

Normally a deadly shooter, Boynton launched two failed three pointers and missed the front end of a one-and-one with 21 seconds left.

Just as important as Boynton's misfires was the fact that Arizona forced Florida into three devastating TOs in the last minute of the game.

Mark Lyons Was Fearless at the End

Mark Lyons wants to have the ball in his hands when the game is on the line. Arizona's head coach Sean Miller wants him to have it as well.

The 6'1" senior got his wish after Florida's Kenny Boynton uncharacteristically missed the front end of a one-and-one with 21 seconds to go in the game.

Lyons' swagger and skills made him the perfect final-seconds candidate.

While he may not ever turn into a true PG for the 'Cats, Mark Lyons adds an element of confidence and strut that this young team needs.