There’s been a lot of talk about whether Michigan or Arizona should hold the top spot in the AP Top 25 over the past few weeks. On Friday, No. 2 Michigan defeated No. 24 USC by 30 points, raising some eyebrows about Arizona sitting at No. 1. So naturally, Tommy Lloyd and the Arizona Wildcats (14-0, 1-0) went into Salt Lake City on Saturday and handled business in their Big 12 season opener, defeating Utah (8-6, 0-1) 97-78.
The Wildcats used a balanced, yet lethal scoring attack against the Utes. Five players finished in double-figures, with veterans Jaden Bradley and Tobe Awaka leading the charge with 18 points apiece. Bradley had another balanced game for Arizona, shooting 7-11 from the field while adding four rebounds, five assists, and a steal in 32 minutes. Awaka continued his dominant rebounding tear, connecting on an efficient 6-7 field goals, including 2-2 from beyond the arc, while finishing with 12 rebounds for his third double-double of the season. He also tacked on two blocks and a steal on the defensive end for the Wildcats.
Freshmen Brayden Burries and Koa Peat each finished with 17 points apiece. Burries secured his first double-double of the season with 11 rebounds and also had three assists and two steals, while Peat flashed on both ends, shooting 8-14 from the field, including 1-1 from deep, and tallying three steals. Fellow freshman Ivan Kharchenkov added 13 points, three rebounds, three assists, a block, and three steals as he continues his campaign as the Wildcats’ German Army Knife.
Utah guard Terrence Brown finished with a game-high 26 points, shooting 10-20 from the field and 5-5 from the charity stripe, to lead the Utes.
Arizona shot an efficient 37-69 (53.6%) from the field, trailing Utah for just 14 seconds at the beginning of the game. The Wildcats took advantage on the defensive end of the floor in Salt Lake City, turning 12 turnovers into 18 points, while out-scoring the Utes 15-6 in fast break points.
The UA jumped out to an early lead, using a 14-0 run in the first four minutes of the game to take a 14-2 lead. Arizona then went on a 10-0 run inside of six minutes to play in the first half, as the Wildcats took a 58-39 lead into the locker room.
Tommy Lloyd’s squad led by as many as 24 midway through the second half, but was unable to secure its ninth straight victory by a margin of 20 or more points after a late foul with under a minute to play send Brown to the free throw line, where he knocked down both shots.
Arizona returns home for its Big 12 home opener on Wednesday, January 7, against Kansas State (9-5, 0-1), which fell 83-73 at home against No. 10 BYU in its conference opener on Saturday. Last season, Arizona lost its lone game against the Wildcats from Manhattan, 73-70.
[…] started off 2026 with some fireworks in Salt Lake City. The Wildcats kicked off Big 12 play with a 97-78 win over the Utah Utes as their perfect start to the 2025-26 season continues. See what Arizona head coach Tommy Lloyd, as […]