No. 1 Arizona has pulled off close wins in large part due to the play of star point guard Jaden Bradley, who has emerged as the closer for the team, averaging 19.7 points per game against ranked opponents before Monday’s game at No. 9 Kansas.
Against the Jayhawks, Bradley struggled, going 2 of 8 from the field and finishing with six points.
Freshman Brayden Burries picked up the slack in the backcourt, scoring 25 points while going 9 of 18 from the field.
Although Bradley was not at his best, with possibly his worst performance of the season, he still should be the leading candidate for Big 12 Player of the Year.
Monday’s game at Phog Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, Kan., would have been difficult for any team in the nation.
Arizona went up against a Kansas program that had been 39-0 under head coach Bill Self in Big Monday games at home.
Despite building up a 55-44 lead with 17:02 left in the game, the Wildcats (23-1, 10-1 Big 12) struggled to find their offensive groove down the stretch. This led to the Jayhawks (19-5, 9-2) pulling off the 82-78 upset win and improving to 40-0 in Big Monday games at home under Self.
The game was supposed to feature potential No. 1 NBA draft pick Darryn Peterson, who has struggled to keep being on the court with nagging injuries all season. Just a little under an hour before the game, news broke that Peterson was going to be out due to flu-like symptoms, causing the Jayhawks to be without one of their top players.
Clearly, that didn’t matter as Kansas pulled off the win and got major contributions from center Flory Bidunga and guard Melvin Council Jr. with the duo combining for 46 points while shooting 39% from the field.
Bradley’s performance does not diminish his overall clout in the Big 12.
At the beginning of the season, Bradley was left off major award watch lists and even the Big 12’s preseason all-conference team.
He has proven that was a mistake.
“He’s having a great year and he seems to be making all the right decisions,” said coach Tommy Lloyd after the game against Oklahoma State. “Today was another game where he put his marks on it when he had to, and then, when he didn’t have to, he kind of gave a lot of space for the other guys to shine. And that just says a lot about him as a player and a person.”
I know there is a lot of talent in the Big 12, and on Arizona’s roster, players are scoring more points, shooting a higher percentage and projected to be higher NBA draft picks.
Right now, Bradley is averaging 13.5 points a game, 4.5 assists per game and 3.5 rebounds per game while shooting 50% from the field.
When talking about the player of the year awards in any conference, it isn’t just about being the “most talented” player on the court. The award is also about the most important player to his team who impacts winning.
When looking at guys like AJ Dybantsa and Peterson, they both have glaring issues.
Dybantsa has been inconsistent in big games and Peterson’s inability to keep healthy and on the court is a major problem that has caused him to only play in 13 games.
Not only has Bradley been able to be on the court, but he has been “Captain Clutch” for the Wildcats in games against ranked opponents scoring 17.2 points per game in those matchups.
“Our guys love JB [Bradley] and they all look up to him as a person and a player,” said Lloyd when asked about Bradley’s dunk against Oklahoma State. “So, when he does that, the unc of the group, you know, so to speak, I think the guys get pretty excited for him and it’s fun to see.”
Other players that are in the running are Houston’s Kingston Flemings and Iowa State’s Tamin Lipsey. Both players have been the driving force in their team’s success and have the Cougars and Cyclones near the top of the conference standings.
Although Bradley might be in great position at this point in time for Big 12 player of the year honors, Arizona does have a gauntlet of a schedule to close out the season with games coming up against No. 13 Texas Tech, No. 16 BYU, No. 8 Houston, Kansas and finally No. 7 Iowa State.
That gives the Wildcats five games against ranked opponents out of the eight remaining matchups on the schedule.
Although it will be tough for Arizona, if the Wildcats come out with a Big 12 title, Bradley will be a major reason why they were able to win the conference.
There is a long way to the end of the season and the Wildcats have a game against Texas Tech on Saturday.
Bradley has the team in prime position to make it a memorable 2025-26 season.
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