When you look across the country and the national landscape of college basketball, No. 2 Arizona has had one of the toughest non-conference schedules and has racked up wins over then-No. 3 Florida, then-No. 15 UCLA and then-No. 3 UConn, which makes up one of the top early-season resumes.
Over the last 10-plus years, both Arizona and No. 20 Auburn have been some of the better programs in the country. However, the two have little history in head-to-head matchups with the Tigers leading 2-0 over the Wildcats.
The last meeting came during the 2018-19 season with Auburn hammering Arizona 73-57 in the Maui Invitational.
Arizona was able to record its first win over Auburn on Saturday night with a dominating 97-68 win over the Tigers, which adds another Top 25 victory to the Wildcats’ NCAA Tournament resume.
It seems that whenever the Wildcats (8-0) go up against a high-level opponent, point guard Jaden Bradley answers the call time-and-time again. Bradley, yet again delivered for Arizona with 16 points while going 6 of 11 from the field.
If you look at the four ranked games Arizona has played, Bradley has managed the averaged 19.7 points and is shooting 56 percent from the field.
Tommy Lloyd after Arizona’s rout of Auburn: “We weren’t perfect … but overall really happy.” pic.twitter.com/3adX3SjCJ0
— Hutch on Arizona (@HutchOnUA) December 7, 2025
Not only did Bradley lead the team in scoring, he managed to collect four rebounds and four assists, helping get the offense in rhythm and set the tone for the night.
Coming into the game, Bradley had been averaging 14.3 points and shooting 56 percent from the field. He clearly takes his game to another level when Arizona needs it the most.
As a team, Arizona shot 61 percent from the field while knocking down six 3-point shots. The Wildcats saw four players record a 3-point bucket in the game.
Although the offense was clicking for Arizona, it was the defense that was the difference in the game. The Wildcats smothered the Tigers by holding them to 33 percent shooting from the field and forced them into 15 turnovers.
The 15 turnovers by Auburn led to 21 fastbreak points for the Wildcats. Arizona was stellar in the open court and the elite-level guard play came through for the team.
However, Arizona’s bread is buttered in the paint and the Tigers had no answer for the Wildcats, who won 60-24 in the low-post.
Tommy Lloyd on Arizona likely being ranked No. 1 come Monday: “It’s nothing to shy away from … but we have bigger things on our mind.” pic.twitter.com/r2hjmbYKzX
— Hutch on Arizona (@HutchOnUA) December 7, 2025
Before the game, No. 1 Purdue fell 81-58 against No. 10 Iowa State meaning that there will be a new top-ranked team in the latest AP Poll and Arizona has made a case to capture that top spot with the 29-point win over the Tigers.
Arizona will face off against No. 12 Alabama (6-2) on Dec. 13 in Birmingham with a 7:30 p.m. (MST) tip-off on ESPN.
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