The history of Arizona basketball is rich and filled with elite players and teams that have had a lasting impact dating back to the Fred Snowden era that have helped establish the program as one of the best in college basketball.
Now, coach Tommy Lloyd has a team that could leave its own legacy and mark on the program as No. 1 Arizona (21-0, 8- Big 12) has tied a school-record with the longest winning streak to open up a season following a thrilling 86-83 win over No. 13 BYU at Provo, Utah.
During the 2013-14 season, Arizona under former head coach Sean Miller started the year 21-0 before falling 60-58 to Cal on the road.
On Monday night, the Wildcats were up by as many as 19 points on BYU (17-3, 5-2) but saw the Cougars storm back and make it a 1-point game in the final 15 seconds. However, guard Brayden Burries was able to make a game-saving block and seal the victory for Arizona.
Although Arizona finished the game on a rocky rollercoaster, the Wildcats once again found a way to win and have collected another Quad 1 win, giving them nine on the season.
Now that the game is in the books, we at All Sports Tucson have come up with our three takeaways from Arizona’s narrow win over BYU.
Defensive Effort
At the end of the day, giving up 83 points to any team doesn’t look great when talking about the defensive side of the court. However, the 83-point mark for BYU is a little deceiving at the surface level.
When you take a deep dive into the game, you’ll see that Arizona held the Cougars to 40% shooting from the field, which is nine percentage points lower than their season average. Plus, the Wildcats scored 15 points off 13 turnovers.
Furthermore, Arizona went up against one of the best players in the country in freshman AJ Dybantsa, who had been averaging 23.6 points per game and was coming off a 43-point performance against Utah.
Against Arizona, Dybantsa managed to score 24 points but went 6 of 24 from the field and turned the ball over three times. He managed to get 11 of his 24 points from the free throw line.
Elite Backcourt
Good win on the road. Got another one Saturday at that school up north! pic.twitter.com/IuETpPmvlA
— Arizona Basketball (@ArizonaMBB) January 27, 2026
When looking across the country, you would be hard pressed to find a team with a better backcourt than this Arizona team.
Arizona gets a lot of praise for its frontcourt, but the dynamic-duo of point guard Jaden Bradley and Burries has proven to be a lethal combination. The two players totaled 55 points and managed to hit clutch shot after clutch shot to lift the team to victory.
This season, Buries has recorded seven games with 20-plus points and on Monday shot 54% against BYU.
Meanwhile, Bradley has been the closer for the Wildcats and is averaging 19.7 points per game against ranked opponents. Against BYU, he went an impressive 10 of 15 from the field while knocking down two 3-point shots.
When the calendar turns to March and the NCAA Tournament is rolling, the teams to have the most success have elite-level guard play. Guards win in the big dance and the Wildcats might have the top duo in the country.
Free Throw Shooting
One weakness that this Arizona team has is free throw shooting with the Wildcats shooting 73% from the line, which puts them 122nd nationally. However, Arizona ranks No. 13 in the country at free throw attempts by taking an average of 26.8 shots per game.
Although Arizona has had its issues from the line this season, the Wildcats were able to have an impressive night from the foul line against BYU on Monday by going 26 of 32, which proved to be a difference maker for UA.
Not only is guard play highly important in the big dance but so is free throw shooting. If Arizona is able to raise its percentage and improve at the line like the Wildcats did against BYU, then the team will be in great shape for a potential historic run.
Arizona will be back in action on Saturday against in-state rival Arizona State (11-9, 2-5) and looking for the regular season sweep of the Sun Devils. The game will tip off at noon and will be televised on TNT.
Recommended for you
