On Monday night, No. 1 Arizona took on Bethune-Cookman, looking to get closer to the end of the non-conference season and keep the winning streak alive. Arizona would do so with a convincing 107-71 win at McKale Center thanks to a strong end to the first half.
Arizona (12-0) is off to the best start of the Tommy Lloyd era.
It also earned its seventh straight victory by at least 20 points, the longest such streak in the nation. It is also the longest streak in program history since the 1928-29 team won eight straight games by 20 points or more.
So far this season, Arizona hasn’t had many games where the team looked disinterested with the opponent and has really played hard every night. However, Monday was a little different as things seemed sluggish even though Arizona never trailed.
ARIZONA’S 12-0 STARTS
| Season | Start | Final | Coach | Finish |
| 2025–26 | 12–0 (Current) | TBD | Tommy Lloyd | TBD |
| 2014-15 | 12-0 | 34-4 | Sean Miller | Elite Eight |
| 2013–14 | 21–0 | 33–5 | Sean Miller | Elite Eight |
| 2012–13 | 14–0 | 27–8 | Sean Miller | Sweet 16 |
| 1987–88 | 12–0 | 35–3 | Lute Olson | Final Four |
| 1931–32 | 16–0 | 18–2 | Fred Enke | Border Conf. Champs |
The fact the holiday break is right around the corner contributed to what was a low energy start to the game.
Bethune-Cookman (3-9) appeared battle tested after road losses to Auburn, Missouri, Saint Louis, Miami (Fla.) and Indiana.
“I knew it was gonna be tough, and I knew Bethune-Cookman was gonna come out and battle today,” Lloyd said. “They have talented guys. What those programs are asked to do, man, it’s tough. The number of road games they have to play.
“And it’s kind of like a mercenary run for them these first couple of months of the season. And listen, I’m tired from playing in Phoenix a couple nights ago. So these teams have been traveling around the country, playing in these types of games, and they turned up and they competed today. So tip my hat to them.”
It was a strange first half with the slow start and a 7-point swing for Bethune-Cookman, which resulted from an ejection of big man Mabil Mawut for stepping to the baseline and yelling in the ear of an opponent while that player was attempting a 3-pointer.
“After they called the first technical, he must have said something else. I never really asked. I just trusted the officials on that one,” Lloyd said. “I didn’t want to go make a scene and jump Mabil, because he’s a great kid. We’ll deal with it.
“I just think it goes to show that lots of things impact winning, and lots of things impact the culture. And even if you’re not playing, you still can have an impact on the game. So let’s learn that lesson, and let’s make sure it doesn’t happen again, ever again, but especially in maybe a closer game down the stretch. So I’m going to chalk it up to a great teaching opportunity.“
Still, Arizona managed to take a 49-35 lead at the half. From that point on, it was all Arizona as it shot 57% from the field and managed to hold Bethune-Cookman to 48% shooting while also committing 22 turnovers.
Against San Diego State on Saturday night, multiple Wildcats scored in double-digits and the game ended with Jaden Bradley and Koa Peat leading the team with 11 points each.
Monday was similar to the game on Saturday night with seven Wildcats scoring in double figures. Each of the eight regular rotation players had at least nine points.
“Yeah, That’s a good thing. Yeah, I’m happy when that happens, but it’s not like something we game plan for,” Lloyd said. “We don’t tell guys, ‘Okay, you score 12 points, start letting your teammates score.’ It’s just kind of how the game ends up sometimes.
“We have lots of good players and we’ve kind of really settled in on that eight-man rotation. I think those guys are getting comfortable finding their spots and so if we can have six or seven guys in double figures on any given night, that’s a good thing.”
Dwayne Aristode had 12 points off the bench on 4-of-5 shooting from 3-point range.
“I think we’re just blessed,” Aristode said of everyone knowing their role. “There’s not a lot of teams that just accept each other like that. We want each others’ success, and that’s the only way you can win. We’re really lucky to have that in the team.”
Ivan Kharchenkov finished with 14 points, five rebounds and five steals.
“We spend so much time together on flights, in practice, even in class, study hall,” Kharchenkov mentioned about team chemistry. “I know that class over (for winter break), but we still spend so much time together, also in our apartments.
“I feel like, just in this short time, you may say, we still spend so much time together that it just helped out. I feel like we’re all good guys, all understand each other. I think that helps for a lot.”
Freshman guard Brayden Burries was able to lead the way with a game-high 20 points while going 6 of 10 from the field.
This marks the four 20-plus point performance by Burries this season and his third in the last four games.
Over the last four games, Burries is averaging 19.5 points and is shooting 58% from the field. Although he had somewhat of a slow start to the season, he seems to have found his groove and is scoring driving the ball, making 3-pointers and converting free throws.
“Brayden is in a good way right now,” Lloyd said. “I think he’s getting more confidence. You can see today kind of once we got in the game, and they got a little bit heated and competitive you can see him rise to that moment.
“He’s a competitor. He’s a good player. It takes a certain amount of confidence to do that, and he showed that today.”
It was a game for the guards as not only was Burries a major factor for Arizona but so Bradley, who recorded 11 points while going 4 of 6 from the field. He stuffed the stat sheet with five assists, five rebounds and four steals.
Now, the Wildcats will have a seven-day break and will be back in action Monday in the final non-conference game against South Dakota State. The game at McKale Center will tip off at 7 p.m. and will be streamed on ESPN+.
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