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“Our fans are amazing,� Miller said this time. “Really.�

But on Saturday, after the Wildcats dumped 20th-ranked Colorado 75-54, he didn’t even need to say it.

Body language was enough.

You could feel and see the energy rubbing off in both directions:

• A vocal, near-capacity crowd of 14,279 … and an inspired UA effort that kept Colorado to just 36.7% shooting, limited Colorado standout Tyler Bey to just four shots and clobbered the Buffs on the glass with a 39-25 rebounding edge.
• A newly revived marksman in Max Hazzard triggering collective held breaths every time he goes up to shoot … and Hazzard nailing 3 of 6 3-pointers, usually from well beyond the 3-point line.
• A demonstrative Ira Lee responding to a season-high 26 minutes by collecting an emphatic six points and seven rebounds … and fans chanting his name.

“Love it, man,� Lee said. “I’ve been here for three years, I’ve worked hard and my teammates, my coaches always believed in me. So it’s just beautiful to hear that.�

For the Wildcats, moving to 13-5 overall (3-2 Pac-12) and recording their biggest win of the season so far, there were good feelings all around, really. Lee and Hazzard sparked them off the bench, while Nico Mannion drew loud cheers when he exited for good after collecting 12 points, seven rebounds and five assists.

And, of course, there was also a double-double from Zeke Nnaji, with Nnaji getting 12 points and 12 rebounds despite going 4 for 10 from the field, missing a few close-in shots he normally makes.

In all, the Wildcats had the kind of balanced offense and focused effort elsewhere on the court that may define how they can be at their best this season. A blueprint for success, in a sense.

It came just after a weekend in which they were at their worst, losing 82-65 at Oregon State following a tough overtime loss at Oregon.

“I think we were just super focused, super locked in,� Mannion said. “It’s hard playing two games in four days on the road — that stuff kind of gets to you. We have a lot of young guys, and that was our first real road trip. So that may have been part of it, but I don’t think we were completely locked in as a group on that trip in the second game.

“That’s a big thing for us, being locked in.�

While the Wildcats didn’t score for the first three minutes Saturday, their focus was obvious from the start.

UA went on a 24-5 run over the middle of the first half that turned a 10-5 deficit into a 29-15 lead. They held Colorado to just 32% shooting in the first half, and took a 34-23 halftime lead after getting five points from Dylan Smith in the final 52 seconds: Smith hit a 3-pointer then grabbed the ball from Colorado’s Shane Gatling and dunked on the other end.

While Colorado’s McKinley Wright banked in a 3-pointer just before the halftime buzzer, you could argue the Wildcats still held the momentum.

“Dylan’s role — with his age and experience, when he doesn’t play well or really has that off night, I think it affects our team,� Miller said.

“When he’s solid, from a chemistry perspective and just kind of how the game feels, I think we all feel better.�

Smith had eight of his 13 points in the first half, finishing 3 for 7 from 3-point range and picking up three assists and a steal.

In the second half, ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ went ahead 45-29 when Smith hit a 3-pointer on the break with 14 minutes left. Colorado pulled within 45-35 when D’Shawn Schwartz made a 3-pointer and Lucas Siewert received a foul and a goaltend on his layup attempt, then hit the free throw.

But the Buffaloes came no closer.

Hazzard fired in his third 3-pointer to put UA ahead 48-35 and the Wildcats expanded their lead to 20 when Lee dunked to put UA ahead 62-42 with 6:30 left.

The Wildcats went on to lead by up to 22 points in the second half, going ahead 70-48 after Lee scored inside with 4:19 left and then stole a pass from Wright, leading to 1 of 2 free throws made by Nnaji.

The Wildcats were locked in, just six days after they were unlocked at Oregon State.

Tied with the Beavers at halftime last Sunday, UA was outscored 51-34 in the second half and lost by 17.

“There’s no shame in losing to Oregon State. … They’re very good and they’re old, they’re veterans,� Miller said. “So it was nothing like, ‘What did you do wrong because you lost a road game at Oregon State?’

“But about the nine-minute mark of the second half, we just quietly went away. When you see that, that really strikes fear in you as a coach because if that happens, it can happen again and, by the way, it’s not an easy thing to fix.�

By the time the Wildcats flew home from Oregon late Sunday night, they had lost five of their previous seven games. The next morning, they fell out of the AP Top 25 for the first time this season.

That slide could have easily continued against a young, aggressive Utah team that had beaten Kentucky and against a Colorado team that has a similar, veteran, talented look as Oregon State.

Except they were returning home to McKale Center, where their only loss was by just four points to top-ranked Gonzaga, and where group hugs of 14,000-plus are not uncommon.

They beat both Utah and Colorado decisively.

They felt good. Their fans felt good.

And their coach felt good.

“You know, it’s one of those really fun afternoons here in McKale,� Miller said, “Coming off our Oregon trip, it’s just great to see everybody behind this team. Having the pageantry and that goose bump-type of feeling at the beginning of both games — really, really appreciate it, as do our players.

“They feed off that energy.�