Tommy Lloyd doesn’t just have Arizona playing well. He has the Wildcats in March form–and it’s only December. On Saturday, that was on full display as No. 1 Arizona (9-0) rolled the No. 12 Alabama Crimson Tide 96-75 in Birmingham, Alabama.
After a relatively slow start to his collegiate career, Brayden Burries finally arrived for Tommy Lloyd and Co. The true freshman scored a season and career-high 28 points, shooting 11-19 from the field and 5-10 from 3-point range. He also added seven rebounds, two assists, and a steal in a team-high 34 minutes. Four other Wildcats scored in double-figures, including a 14-point, 14-rebound double-double for Motiejus Krivas, the first of his career. Jaden Bradley (13), Anthony Dell’Orso (13), and Ivan Kharchenkov (10) also finished with double-digit points for the UA.
In a clash of offensive styles, both teams finished with similar shooting percentages. Arizona shot 36-84 (42.9%), including 10-26 from beyond the arc, while Alabama connected on 25-56 (44.6%) shooting, including 12-32 from the perimeter. The Wildcats dominated the paint, out-rebounding the Crimson Tide 52-32, with 22 offensive rebounds and 44 points in the paint, compared to Alabama’s 20 paint points.
Defensively, Arizona forced 15 turnovers, leading to 22 points, while only turning the ball over four times. Alabama did record 15 blocks, but the Wildcats countered that with 10 steals.
The game was relatively back and forth in the first half. Nate Oats’ squad led by seven points with 7:01 to play in the first half, but Arizona used a 9-4 run over the final 5:57 of the first to trail 41-39 heading into the locker room.
Coming out of halftime, it was all Arizona. Tommy Lloyd’s crew outscored Alabama 24-8 through the first nine minutes of the second half to jump out to a an 18-point lead. That run included a rim-rocking alley-oop dunk by Tobe Awaka off an assist from Brayden Burries. Burries finished the second with 20 points on 8-9 shooting, including 4-4 from 3-point range.
Up next, Arizona returns home for a game against Abilene Christian on Tuesday, December 16, at 7:00 PM MST on ESPN+.