Arizona is 2-0 after beating Stanford and Iona by double-digits and the Becky Burke signed the No. 10-rated Class of 2027 recruiting class on Wednesday heading into Thursday’s game at former Pac-12 rival UCLA, the defending national champions.
Burke and the Wildcats are hoping the momentum in November will make this game at Pauley Pavilion one to remember. Tipoff is at 8:30 p.m. The game will be televised by the Big Ten Network.
The matchup represents Arizona’s first true road game of the 2026-27 season and its first meeting with the 10th-ranked Bruins since March 2024, when they were part of the Pac-12.
It also provides Burke with an opportunity to see how her revamped roster measures up against a UCLA program that is coming off the most successful season in its history.
Arizona opened the season with an 84-69 victory over Stanford in Las Vegas last week before returning to McKale Center and defeating Iona 74-61 on Sunday.
The Wildcats are averaging 79 points per game, shooting 48.7% from the field and have forced 45 turnovers through their first two contests.
Arizona has yet to trail through 80 minutes of basketball this season.
Burke understands that UCLA will present an entirely different challenge.
“We have to have a better prep for UCLA, and they know that,” Burke said of her team.
Burke also discussed the challenge of facing a team with UCLA’s physicality and defensive intensity during Tuesday’s media availability.
“A lot of people are saying that UCLA is rebuilding. That is not true,” Burke said. “They rebuilt.”
UCLA lost much of its championship roster, but the Bruins immediately replenished their talent through the transfer portal and recruiting.
Burke described the Bruins as a team with seven players who fit the physical, aggressive identity Arizona wants to establish.
“We talk about being ‘dawgs,'” Burke said. “OK, well, UCLA has seven of them. You want to really go see what a dawg is? They’re going to get after you on the defensive end of the floor. They’re going to put pressure on the rim offensively. They’re going to bang in the post.”
For Burke, the game represents an opportunity to evaluate Arizona’s identity against a championship-caliber opponent.
“It’s not about results,” Burke said. “We could feel better leaving UCLA with a loss than we did beating Iona if it means that we improved … and we played to our standard and it was a cleaner game.”
She added: “This is a big measuring-stick game for us. It’s going to be huge in terms of our identity — who we think we are and who we actually are.”
One of Arizona’s biggest early-season developments has been the production of sophomore forward Breanna Williams, a transfer from Maryland.
Williams has led the Wildcats in scoring in both games, averaging 17.5 points and 8.0 rebounds while shooting 65% from the field.
She made an immediate statement in her Arizona debut against Stanford, recording career highs of 23 points and nine rebounds.
Williams followed that performance with 12 points and seven rebounds against Iona.
The 6-foot-2 forward has provided a significant scoring presence off the bench, giving Arizona another offensive option capable of attacking the basket and finishing around the rim.
Her ability to score against UCLA’s bigger frontcourt will be particularly important.
Arizona’s freshman class has already become an important part of Burke’s rotation.
Guard Jasleen Green and forward Makayla Presser-Palmer have started both games. Green is averaging 11.0 points and 2.0 steals per game, providing energy and defensive activity in the backcourt. Presser-Palmer is averaging 8.0 points and shooting 70% from the field.
Another freshman, Arynn “Simba” Finley, has contributed off the bench with 10 rebounds and four steals.
The Wildcats also have senior guard Sumayah Sugapong, their leading returning scorer, and sophomore guard Aliyahna “Puff” Morris, who transferred from California.
Sugapong is averaging 11.5 points through two games, while Morris has provided ballhandling, defensive pressure and playmaking.
Arizona’s depth could be particularly important against UCLA, which has the size and personnel to create matchup problems at multiple positions.
UCLA is coming off a remarkable 2025-26 season in which it finished 37-1, went undefeated in Big Ten play at 18-0 and captured the first NCAA national championship in program history.
Although UCLA lost all five starters from its championship team, Close assembled another talented roster featuring transfers, returning players and international talent.
UCLA defeated Lehigh 73-53 in its season opener before dominating UC Irvine 78-42.
Their defensive performance against UC Irvine was particularly impressive. UCLA held the Anteaters scoreless in the fourth quarter, producing a 14-0 advantage over the final 10 minutes.
“They’ve really been engaged with ‘running it forward’ is what we’re calling it,” UCLA coach Cori Close said in a recent interview with the media. “The standard is the standard, and we’re always talking about that there’s a strength in the standard, and there’s a level of teamwork and work ethic that is going to be required for us to play at the standard of excellence that we all have.”
Close also emphasized that the new group must establish its own identity rather than simply trying to duplicate last season’s championship team.
“We’re not trying to repeat an outcome,” Close said. “We’re trying to repeat a commitment to a set of values and a process. That yields outcomes finding us.”
Sienna Betts, the younger sister of former UCLA standout Lauren Betts, is quickly establishing herself as one of the Bruins’ most important offensive players.
Betts, a 6-foot-4 sophomore forward, leads UCLA with 16.0 points per game.
She delivered a career-high 17 points on 8-of-10 shooting against UC Irvine while adding four rebounds and a blocked shot.
Her emergence is particularly important following the departure of her sister, who was a dominant presence in the middle during UCLA’s championship run.
Burke acknowledged that UCLA will look to establish Sienna early in the game.
“She’s dominant,” Burke said. “They love to go to her. They go to her often. They go to her early in the game. I would, too, if I was them. So it’s up to us to make sure that we do something about it.”
Arizona will need to find a way to limit Betts’ opportunities around the basket without allowing UCLA’s perimeter players to take advantage of defensive rotations.
The Bruins have several experienced players capable of contributing offensively.
- Timea Gardiner: The fifth-year forward scored 12 points against UC Irvine and provides UCLA with another frontcourt scoring option.
- KK Bransford: The fifth-year guard scored 10 points against UC Irvine and contributed four steals.
- Donovyn Hunter: The senior guard is an important perimeter defender and playmaker. She finished the UC Irvine game with six points, five rebounds and five assists without a turnover.
- Addy Brown: The senior forward contributed six points, eight rebounds and five assists against UC Irvine.
- Somto Okafor: The freshman guard provides additional defensive energy and perimeter depth.
One important development heading into Thursday is the absence of Elina Aarnisalo, who is away with Finland’s national team for EuroBasket qualifying. Aarnisalo averaged 11.5 points and 4.5 assists through UCLA’s first two games.
The Bruins will need Hunter and their other guards to help absorb the additional ballhandling responsibilities.
UCLA owns a 66-25 edge in the series and has won the last three meetings.
The last matchup occurred March 2, 2024, when UCLA defeated Arizona 61-41 in Tucson.
Arizona has had success playing at Pauley Pavilion in recent years.
The Wildcats won 74-63 at UCLA in 2022 and earned a 71-66 overtime victory in 2023.
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