What’s better, being good or being clutch? If you’re the Arizona Wildcats, how about both! It wasn’t without some tense and nervous moments, but Tommy Lloyd’s squad went on the road and faced its toughest test of conference play, and arguably one of its toughest tests this season thus far, securing a massive victory as it matches the best start in program history and advances to 21-0 on the season. Here are three takeaways as No. 1 Arizona survived a late push from No. 13 BYU, escaping Provo with an 86-83 win over the Cougars.
1) Jaden Bradley and Brayden Burries are a Final Four caliber backcourt
Since arriving in Tucson three years ago, Jaden Bradley waited his time and paid his dues behind Kylan Boswell and Caleb Love. Last season, he emerged as the Wildcats’ floor general, but this season, “The Closer” arrived. Bradley has been on an All-American tear in the 2025-26 season, remaining calm and collected in the biggest moments, knocking down clutch shots, and leading Arizona on and off the court. Monday night was no exception. In one of the biggest performances of the season, the veteran finished with 26 points, one shy of his season-high in the season-opener upset victory over then-No. 3 Florida. He was an efficient 10-of-15 (66.7%) from the field, including 2-of-3 (66.7%) from the perimeter and 4-of-5 from the stripe, helping give Arizona a 44-31 lead at halftime.
Sometimes though, you can’t appreciate the old without enjoying the new. Enter Brayden Burries, who continues to be sensational for the Wildcats, especially as Big 12 play ramps up. The freshman phenom dazzled with a career-high 29 points, connecting on 7-of-13 (53.8%) from the field, 2-of-3 (66.7%) from deep, and a whopping 13-of-14 from the free throw line. With each game, Burries looks more and more confident in Tommy Lloyd’s system, evidenced by his sixth double figure performance in eight conference games and second straight 20-point outing.
And while the offense from both guards is great, it’s the well-rounded play and dynamic scoring they bring to Arizona that has the Wildcats poised for a deep run in March. Jaden Bradley’s mid-range jumper is nearly automatic, but he also finished with three rebounds, three assists, and two steals. Meanwhile, Brayden Burries is the textbook definition of a three-level scorer, as evidenced by his stat line against the Cougars. But he also came up with the biggest defensive play of the game (more on that below), stopping a potential game-tying shot from BYU with under six seconds to play.
Between Arizona’s tight eight-man rotation, three-headed monster in the frontcourt, and emerging dominance in the backcourt, the play of Jaden Bradley and Brayden Burries will be instrumental as the Wildcats look to bring some hardware back to Tucson in early April.
2) Defense wins championships…or for now holds off end of game collapses
While Bradley and Burries were electric, Arizona likely doesn’t walk out of Provo on Monday with a victory without stellar defensive play, especially in the first half, that gave it the cushion it needed to survive an 11-2 run from BYU in the final minute of the game. The Wildcats held the Cougars to 33.3% from the field in the first half while scoring 13 points off nine turnovers. On the flip side, Arizona connected on 50.0% of its first half field goals and had just two turnovers, which resulted in zero points for the hometown team.
On the night, Motiejus Krivas and Tobe Awaka clawed and scratched their way to 15 of Arizona’s 39 rebounds, with Krivas blocking three shots. Ivan Kharchenkov, who continues to do a little bit of everything for the Wildcats, tacked on another six boards, adding two blocks and a steal of his own.
Arizona also held AJ Dybantsa, the projected No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, the 6-of-24 (25.0%) from the field, including just 1-of-8 from 3-point range.
After leading by 19 midway through the second half, the Wildcats did not score a field goal in the final 3:04 of the game. So when the offense dried up down the stretch, that defensive buffer was the difference in the game. Brayden Burries’ block is an instant highlight reel, but the all-around defensive effort from the No. 3 team in adjusted defensive efficiency per KenPom.com was a big part of the narrow victory.
3) One does not simply coach clutch
The backcourt had a terrific night. The defense was electric in the first half. And yet, Arizona still escaped with just a three-point victory in a vintage Cardiac Cats game. How? The Wildcats have the clutch gene.
Over the past few seasons, Arizona has been on the receiving end of some bad luck; a three-quarter court shot against the school up north, a questionable foul call against BYU a year ago, etc. But this team is different. In the biggest moments, Arizona continues to deliver, not by luck, but through practice and preparation that translates to clutch plays when it matters most.
Usually this season, it’s been “The Closer” Jaden Bradley, who has been unshakeable at the free throw line, or always found just the right spot in the defense to knock down a clutch shot. But tonight was different, as Arizona fans were treated to one of the best defensive plays of the season with Brayden Burries’ game-sealing block.
With five games against ranked opponents in the month of February, could Arizona lose one, two, or even three games. Sure. But with the composure and maturity of this team, it almost feels inevitable that Krivas or Awaka will grab that game-winning rebound, Burries will make another electric stop, or Jaden Bradley will ice the game at the free throw line like he’s done time and time again against top caliber opponents this season.
The Wildcats now have just one game in the next 11 days, albeit against in-state rival ASU in Tempe, as they look to take advantage of the extra rest, get back in the gym, and gear up for another run through a gauntlet of a season.