U of A Basketball Stuns Fans: Wildcats Upset No. 1 Rival in Last-Second Thriller

Top-ranked U of A basketball is turning January into a desert showcase, stretching its unbeaten run to 14 games with a 97-78 road rout of Utah in the Big 12 opener Saturday night. Tommy Lloyd’s Wildcats raced to a 17-point cushion before the second media timeout and never looked back, shooting 53.6 percent while winning the glass 42-29. Key takeaways • Balanced firepower: Five Wildcats scored in double figures for the ninth time this season. Tobe Awaka (18 pts, 12 reb) and Jaden Bradley (18 pts, 5 ast) set the tone inside and out, while freshmen Brayden Burries and Koa Peat combined for 34 points. • Early knock-out punches: A 14-0 first-half burst and a later 10-0 run buried the Utes, marking Arizona’s ninth game topping 90 points. • Defensive bite: Arizona forced 12 turnovers and posted 11 steals, its seventh double-digit-steal effort of 2025-26. Why the Wildcats are surging in search • “U of A basketball” is trending as fans look ahead to Wednesday’s marquee Big 12 home opener against Kansas State, Arizona’s first Top-25 matchup at McKale Center since joining the conference. • NBA buzz surrounds projected lottery picks Awaka and Peat, whose nightly highlight reels dominate social platforms. • The Wildcats’ 20-point win streak, recently snapped at eight, tied a school record that stood since 1929, fueling nostalgic queries and national media coverage. Women’s side grabs spotlight, too First-year head coach Becky Burke earned her inaugural Big 12 victory Tuesday, as Arizona edged BYU 75-72 behind Nora Francois’ season-high 21 points and a blistering 90.9 percent night at the stripe. The Wildcats (10-5, 1-3) host UCF on Saturday, giving Tucson a rare men-women double-feature week. What’s next for U of A hoops lovers 1. Men vs. Kansas State – Wednesday, 7 p.m. MT, ESPN2. 2. Women vs. UCF – Saturday, 2 p.m. MT, ESPN+. 3. Ticket alert: Limited lower-bowl seats remain for both contests; secondary-market prices have climbed 40 percent since New Year’s Day. Search-friendly tips • Stream the men’s showdown via “WatchESPN Arizona vs Kansas State live.” • For roster updates, use “U of A basketball depth chart 2026.” • To follow Peat’s draft rise, track the keyword “Koa Peat mock draft.” With unbeaten men chasing history and the women catching fire, “U of A basketball” owns the conversation—on campus, across the Big 12 and, most importantly for savvy publishers, all over the search results.