After coming into the 2025-26 season ranked 13th in the Associated Press preseason men’s basketball poll, the Arizona Wildcats are off to a red-hot start behind a pair of freshman stars who hope to help the team reach loftier heights.
But it was Arizona’s seniors that made the difference as the Wildcats squeaked by the No. 15 UCLA Bruins, 69-65, at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles Friday in the Experian Hall of Fame Series, lifting the Wildcats to No. 4 in the rankings and setting up a showdown Wednesday at No. 3 Connecticut.
“We knew it was going to be a battle,” Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd said of the matchup with UCLA, Arizona’s long-time rival in the Pac-12 before the conference collapsed. “I had an idea, maybe in my mind’s eyes, some things I thought they would do. But I was guessing because they hadn’t done them yet, and sure enough, they did them.”
The Wildcats opened their season against the then-No. 3 Florida Gators, the defending national champions, and came out with a six-point victory that saw 6-foot-8, 235-pound freshman forward Koa Peat drop 30 points in his college basketball debut.
The emergence of both Peat and freshman guard Brayden Burries, who played his high school basketball in the Los Angeles area, has been key to Arizona’s 4-0 start. The two combined for 55 points in the Wildcats’ dominating victories over Utah Tech and Northern Arizona following the Florida win.
It was a tough night for all four Arizona freshmen as Peat, Burries, Ivan Kharchenkov and Dwyane Aristode combined for just 16 points. Along with his inability to impact the scoreboard, Peat also led his team with six turnovers, and Burries finished with just five points on 1-of-9 shooting.
Fortunately for the Wildcats, veteran experience prevailed against the Bruins. Arizona’s seniors provided much of the offense, with a couple of individuals taking over at different points in the game.
Senior guard Anthony Dell’Orso, who came off the bench Friday after losing his starting position to Kharchenkov, exploded in the first half with 13 points, eventually finishing off the night with 20. Dell’Orso made an impact from beyond the arc, cashing in on four of his seven attempts, and tacked on three assists as well. Among his 20 points, eight of them came from attacking the rim, a part of Dell’Orso’s game that he’s trying to bring out more often.
“Something that goes unnoticed is that part of my game,” the 6-foot-6 Australian guard said. “Before I came to school, that’s all I did, and I was a very downhill guy, free-throw line guy.
“And then obviously coming to a bigger level, you get that physicality from guys and you kind of have to adapt. … It’s something I’m trying to bring back in terms of not really something I have to develop, it’s already been there, it’s just kind of been hidden.”
Dell’Orso was the difference maker in the first half, but when the Wildcats found themselves slipping in the second, allowing the Bruins to take an eight point lead with just over seven minutes remaining in the game, senior guard Jaden Bradley picked up the slack scoring 13 of his 15 points in the last 6:49.
Bradley’s ability to open up lanes and finish at the rim, as well as hit a massive 3-point shot late in the game that gave Arizona the lead, allowed the Wildcats to hang on for the win.
“JB’s got a great ability to figure it out, and then just a great ability with his experience to be fearless and not be afraid to make the big plays,” Lloyd said. “When he got that kick out from Mo on that broken play, and that pass was going to him, I had a really good feeling about that 3, and it was just a big-time shot.”
There was disappointment written all over UCLA coach Mick Cronin’s face when asked about the Bruins’ defense on Bradley late in the game. However, he also made sure to give the Arizona guard props for his performance.
“Guy’s a helluva player. He’s definitely not going to miss layups, and then we didn’t rotate to him on the perimeter pass,” Cronin said. “Literally, the whole stadium was wondering if anyone was going to rotate to him. He wanted to drive it, he was waiting… he’s a smart player, great player.”
Meanwhile, Lloyd said it took awhile for Arizona to find “our way” in the game, but they hung in and found a way to pull it out.
“ It was a gritty effort,” he said. “It wasn’t pretty by any stretch.”
Given how productive Arizona’s freshmen had been, UCLA zeroed in on bringing a physical edge to disrupt the Wildcats’ young guns.
After that 30-point performance in his college debut against the defending national champions, there was no doubt that the Bruins were going to be all over Peat, who hit just two of five shots from the field and was held to just seven points through 21 minutes.
“I knew that they were going to load up on Koa today,” Lloyd said. “You can kind of prepare him for it, but at the same point, one of the things that makes Koa good is how physical and aggressive he is.”
Lloyd praised Cronin’s scouting capabilities and knew heading into the matchup that the Bruins would be prepared for a lot of what the Wildcats had in their pocket.
“They (UCLA) were in the gaps, they were attacking his (Peat) spins,” Lloyd said. “But for me, I see that as an opportunity that we can create a lot of offense out of that. And I can’t wait to get a hold of the film for (Peat), for Brayden, and for them to kind of see what adjustments they can make that can make the game come a little easier for them.”
Offensively, the Wildcats got production from a couple of their big guns, but controlling the glass both offensively and defensively played a massive part in maintaining possession of the ball. Senior forward Tobe Awaka, who came into Friday’s game leading the Big 12 in rebounds per game, led all players with 10 boards.
“I felt when he was in the game at the 4, there was a real physical presence we had,” Lloyd said. “I thought he was really good in those switches tonight, and then just was a monster on the boards.”
Junior center Motiejus Krivas added seven rebounds, five of which were offensive, playing a big part in the Wildcats’ 12 second-chance points.
Whether it was converting offensively during important pockets of the game, coming up with big stops at times, or dominating the boards, Arizona’s seasoned members came up big in multiple facets.
“We know that young guys are getting a lot of attention, but make no bones about it, we need our vets,” Lloyd said. “They’ve been in these games before.”
For a team that’s poised for a national title run, their start is nothing out of the ordinary. Under Lloyd, the Wildcats have made the Sweet 16 in three out of four seasons and are hoping to go farther this time around.
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