Arizona coach Sean Miller reacts to a call in the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Utah on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2015, in Salt Lake City. Arizona won 63-57. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

Three times in the final 75 seconds of the Pac-12's game of the year, Utah had the ball with a chance to tie or take the lead.

Seventh-ranked Arizona emerged with an enormous 63-57 road win and clinched at least a share of the Pac-12 title because each time its defense held.

Utah had to settle for an errant Brandon Taylor 3-pointer on its first chance since star Delon Wright gave up the ball early in the possession and was content to be a spectator. Wright did not make the same mistake on the Utes' second chance, but when the All-American candidate shed T.J. McConnell via a ball screen and attacked Kaleb Tarczewski off the dribble, the Arizona center was able to recover quickly enough to contest his potential go-ahead layup at the rim.

The deficit was three with 22 seconds remaining when Utah began its final meaningful possession by trying to run the same high screen-and-roll for Wright that it had attempted only seconds earlier. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson forced a Utah timeout by helping off his man to foil the play. Then Gabe York swatted away Taylor's corner 3-point attempt off the inbound play. Lastly, Arizona benefited from some good fortune as Taylor beat a hard-closing York off the dribble but missed a wide-open layup to seal Utah's fate.

Arizona's victory gives it a two-game lead over the 13th-ranked Utes with two games to play, meaning the Wildcats (26-3, 14-2) can clinch an outright league title with a single win against either Cal or Stanford next week in Tucson. They're already guaranteed the No. 1 seed in next month's Pac-12 tournament by virtue of their season sweep of the Utes (22-6, 12-4).

The possibility of a No. 1 seed that seemed like such a long shot entering play Saturday night suddenly no longer appears impossible with Gonzaga falling at home to BYU. Arizona probably bypasses the Zags in the pecking order with that outcome. The Wildcats could earn the No. 1 seed in the West for the second straight year if they win out and fellow contender Villanova stumbles at least once more down the stretch.

If Arizona were to get that No. 1 seed, its latest victory will be a huge reason.

Utah entered play Saturday night unbeaten at home, having defeated its eight previous Pac-12 opponents in Salt Lake City by an average of 24.6 points per game. Arizona reversed that Saturday night despite sinking only one third of its field goal attempts and getting a nightmarish 3 of 19 shooting performance from leading scorer Stanley Johnson.

Tarczewski had a strong 13-point, six-rebound night and three other Wildcats scored in double figures against Utah's formidable defense, but it was reserve guard Gabe York who made the biggest offensive play of the night for Arizona. When Utah didn't box out the shooter on a free throw attempt in the final two minutes, York got his own miss and scored a layup to give the Wildcats the lead they worked so hard to protect the next three possessions.

Though this is Arizona's best offense under Miller, the Wildcats' inability to score easily against the best defenses they've faced remains a red flag entering the NCAA tournament. That's been a big reason Arizona hasn't been to the Final Four under Miller despite three Sweet 16s and two Elite Eights.

Nonetheless, this year's Arizona team is a Final Four threat for the same reason last year's team came within one basket of getting there. The Wildcats are strong-willed and defensive-oriented enough to win on nights like Saturday when their offense isn't there.

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Jeff Eisenberg is the editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at daggerblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

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