No. 1 Arizona hopes to come out of Saturday’s game at upstart UCF in Orlando, Fla., unbeaten, avoiding what has happened to No. 2 Iowa State, No. 4 Michigan and No. 10 Vanderbilt in the last week with each of those teams losing for the first time this season.
Only Arizona (17-0, 4-0 Big 12), No. 8 Nebraska and unranked Miami (Ohio) remain undefeated about 2 1/2 months into the season.
The game Saturday at 2 p.m., Tucson time, will be televised on ESPN, with Rich Hollenberg and former Baylor standout King McClure calling the action. Brian Jeffries and Reggie Geary will announce the game on Wildcats Radio 1290-AM.
Arizona weathered a stiff challenge at McKale Center on Wednesday night, topping archrival Arizona State 89-82 behind a career-high 25 points from Tobe Awaka, who averages a double-double — 10.8 points (on 59.5% shooting) and 9.8 rebounds.
“Tremendous … just how much better he’s gotten (since transferring from Tennessee before last season) is really impressive.,” Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd said. “That’s what you get when you have a high character, intelligent, talented player.”
Lloyd raised some eyebrows when he told the media after the win over Arizona State, “I probably would have been okay if we would have lost.”
Don’t get it wrong.
Lloyd is a competitor.
He just believes that his team can learn and improve from each game no matter the result. A lot of games, including Arizona’s toughest portion of the Big 12 schedule, are ahead.
“We don’t have hubris,” Lloyd said. “We don’t expect these games to come easy. … So I really appreciate the battle tonight. I appreciate the competition.
“So, yeah, I learned that our guys are here for it. You put them in tough situations, they’re not afraid to make plays and find a way in a really tough game.”
Koa Peat (15.3 points) leads a group of five Arizona players who average double digits in scoring: Brayden Burries (14.1), Jaden Bradley (13.5), Awaka and Motiejus Krivas (10.6).
UCF (14-2, 3-1) has pulled off some significant upsets at home over the last three seasons.
The Knights topped No. 13 Texas A&M 64-61 in its home opener last season. In 2023-24, UCF shocked No. 3 Kansas 65-60 in its first Big 12 home game in history.
Coach Johnny Dawkins‘ team defeated then-No. 17 Kansas 81-75 at home two weeks ago. The Jayhawks are 3-1 since, including the 84-63 win over Iowa State on Tuesday night, handing the Cyclones their first loss.
Dawkins called Wednesday’s 82-73 victory at Kansas State, a “really good road win.”
UCF was in control from the beginning, leading 42-28 at halftime.
“Ultimately, it comes down to how you defend and rebound on the road,” Dawkins said in a postgame interview on UCF’s radio broadcast. “Our guys stood strong down the stretch and made the plays we needed to win.
“We’ll celebrate this one for about two hours, but then it’s on to Arizona. Quick turnaround, another great opponent, and another opportunity to grow.”
Riley Kugel (14.8 points) had 19 points for his fifth straight outing in double figures. Themus Fulks matched his average of 13 points and had 12 assists for the second straight game. Jamichael Stillwell (12.7) scored 18.
“Every win in this league means something,” said Dawkins, who was 2-13 against Arizona when coaching at former Pac-12 rival Stanford. “You just keep stacking them. We’ve got a long way to go, but I like how this team is coming together.”
NOTES
— The Wildcats’ 17-0 start is its best since starting 21-0 in 2013-14. It is the second-best start in school history.
— The 17 consecutive wins mark the seventh time since the program started in 1904-05 that the Wildcats have had a winning streak of 17 or longer. The school record is 22 from 1914-17.
— In four conference games, Arizona is shooting 51.9% as a team and out-rebounding opponents by 13.8 per game. UA is also holding opponents to 30.3% from the 3-point line.
— Bradley was one of 25 players from across the country named to the Oscar Robertson Trophy Midseason Watch List.
— Peat and Burries were both included on the 15-person midseason watch list for the Wayman Tisdale Award given to the top freshman. Arizona is the only school with two players on the list.
— As a team, the Wildcats rank among the nation’s best in rebound margin (second), scoring margin (sixth), field goal percentage (seventh), fastbreak points (10th), assists per game (12th), points per game (12th), free throws attempted per game (19th), and free throws made per game (20th).
— Arizona’s 31 road wins since the start of the 2021-22 season are third-most in the country among major conference teams, traling Duke (35) and UConn (32).
— The Wildcats have made 332 free throws this season while opponents have attempted 311.
— Arizona has shot 50% or better from the field in 20 of 34 halves this season.
— Arizona ranks second in the country in points in the paint per game (46.9), according to CBBAnalytics.
— The Wildcats have had seven different players lead the team in scoring in a game this season.
— After Awaka’s 25-point effort vs Arizona State, seven different Wildcats have scored 20 points in a game this year.
— The six straight weeks at No. 1 in the AP poll is the longest streak for UA since 2013-14 season (eight weeks).
— Peat posted his first career 20 & 10 game with 24 points and 10 rebounds against Arizona State. It was his fourth double-double of the season and third in the last five games.
— Awaka’s career-high 25 points came in only 24 minutes off the bench against Arizona State.
— The Wooden Award Midseason Top 25 list for the top player in the country came out in early January and Arizona had two players on it — Bradley and Peat.
— Bradley is 9 of 13 from the floor in clutch time this season, according to CBBAnalytics, including a key jumper in the final minute against Arizona State. He has more steals (131) than turnovers (130) in his Arizona career.
— Freshman wing Ivan Kharchenkov leads the team in steals (31) but also has 41 assists to 20 turnovers. Since Dec. 1 (a span of 10 games), he is shooting 52% from the floor, 37.9% from 3-point range and is averaging 10.8 points.
— Krivas has 31 blocked shots this season. He had 25 blocked shots in his first two seasons. He also has three double-doubles this year after having none his first two seasons.
— The matchup against Arizona marks the fifth time UCF has ever faced a No. 1 team, and the second time UCF has ever hosted the top-ranked team. UCF is seeking its first win against an AP No. 1 team. The Knights lost their last game against No. 1 Houston on March 6, 2024 by a score of 67-59.
— UCF will play No. 2 Iowa State after facing Arizona. It marks the first time in UCF history that the Knights have faced the No. 1 and No. 2 in the AP poll in back-to-back games.
— UCF snapped an eight game Big 12 road losing streak in its first win at Kansas State.
— Fulks recorded his fifth 10-plus assist performance of the season with his 12 against the Wildcats and holds the program record for most 10-plus assist games in a single season by an individual player.
— Kugel led in scoring for the fourth straight game, finishing with 19.
— UCF faced Arizona for the first time in program history last January at McKale Center, with the Wildcats beating the Knights 88-80.
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