Arizona’s basketball season has been nothing short of dominant so far. The Wildcats are off to a 20-0 start-the second-best in school history-and they’ve been doing it with style, winning by an average of 22.2 points per game.
That kind of margin doesn’t happen by accident. It’s the result of a team that’s not just talented, but locked in, especially during a nonconference stretch that saw them take down five ranked teams, including defending national champion Florida and perennial powerhouse UConn.
But here’s the thing: the last month hasn’t exactly tested Arizona the way that early-season gauntlet did. Since entering Big 12 play on Jan. 3, the Wildcats have handled seven conference opponents whose combined league record is a pedestrian 17-32. Not a single one of those teams is better than 4-3 in conference play.
That’s why, despite the spotless record, Arizona isn’t patting itself on the back just yet.
“We haven’t really won anything,” said freshman guard Brayden Burries after a 77-51 rout of Cincinnati. “We haven’t accomplished what we want to accomplish yet.”
And he’s right. January basketball is about building habits, not hanging banners. The real tests are coming-and fast.
The Road Gets Real: BYU Awaits
Arizona’s next challenge is a big one: a road trip to face No. 13 BYU in Provo on Big Monday.
It’s the first of seven remaining regular-season games against ranked opponents. At one point, six of seven games will come against teams in the Top 25.
That’s not just a tough stretch-it’s a proving ground.
“We know there’s going to be some real challenges ahead,” said head coach Tommy Lloyd. “We’re protecting nothing because we’ve done nothing. We’re a program that’s more excited about what’s ahead than protecting what we’ve already accomplished.”
That next step begins with BYU, a team Arizona split games with last season-each winning on the other’s home court. The Cougars don’t just bring a high ranking-they bring one of the most dynamic players in college basketball.
Meet AJ Dybantsa-and the Problem He Creates
BYU’s freshman phenom AJ Dybantsa is the real deal. At 6-foot-9, he’s not just a matchup nightmare-he’s a projected No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.
He’s coming off a 43-point explosion against Utah, setting a freshman scoring record at BYU. For the season, he’s averaging 23.6 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 3.5 assists on a blistering 55.4% shooting.
But what makes Dybantsa special isn’t just the numbers-it’s how he impacts the game without dominating the spotlight.
“What I’ve always been impressed about with AJ is not only is he a supreme talent … he leaves space in the room for the other players to be their best version of themselves, too,” Lloyd said.
That’s not just coach speak. Lloyd coached Dybantsa on Team USA over the summer at the FIBA U19 World Cup, where Dybantsa and fellow phenom Koa Peat helped lead the U.S. to gold. So when Lloyd praises Dybantsa’s ability to elevate his teammates, it comes from firsthand experience.
And that’s key, because BYU isn’t a one-man show.
The Trio That Powers the Cougars
Alongside Dybantsa, senior guard Richie Saunders and sophomore Robert Wright round out a potent three-headed scoring attack. Saunders is averaging 18.8 points per game, while Wright is right behind at 18.0.
Together, they’re responsible for 77% of BYU’s scoring in Big 12 play-and they’re not just volume shooters. They’re efficient, aggressive, and experienced.
In BYU’s only Big 12 loss so far, a road game at Texas Tech, the trio still combined for 59 of the team’s 71 points. But Dybantsa had an off night-just 13 points on 6-of-17 shooting. That game showed two things: how much the Cougars rely on their Big Three, and how vulnerable they can be if one of them stumbles.
Battle on the Boards
One of the sneaky keys to this matchup? The glass.
Arizona has been elite at limiting second-chance opportunities. Opponents are grabbing just over 25% of their misses-best in the Big 12. But BYU is the best in the league at creating those second chances, pulling down nearly 40% of available offensive rebounds.
That’s where center Keba Keita comes in. He’s averaging 5.1 offensive boards per 40 minutes and 3.8 in conference play.
At just 6-foot-9, he’s not towering over defenders-but like Tennessee’s Tobe Awaka, he’s relentless. Keita ranks in the top 50 nationally in both offensive and defensive rebounding.
Arizona’s Brayden Burries has been a big part of the Wildcats’ rebounding success, pulling down 6.6 boards per game in Big 12 play-third-best on the team. Those rebounds fuel Arizona’s transition game, which has been lethal all season.
Expect a physical battle under the rim, and don’t be surprised if whistles become a factor. Arizona leads the league in free throw attempt rate and is also tops in keeping opponents off the line.
But that will be tested against Dybantsa, who ranks 18th nationally in fouls drawn per 40 minutes (7.4). He’s attempted at least seven free throws in 14 of 19 games this season-though in that Texas Tech loss, he only got to the line once.
A True Road Test
This isn’t just Arizona’s toughest opponent in over a month-it’s also their toughest environment.
The Marriott Center in Provo is no joke. It seats nearly 18,000 fans, making it the 13th-largest arena in Division I and the fifth-largest on a college campus.
The Cougars have won 13 straight at home, and their last loss there? To Arizona.
“It was a great environment, fans showed out for sure,” said Tobe Awaka, who had 14 points and nine rebounds in last year’s win in Provo. “We’re expecting that to be the instance again this year.”
Arizona has already won tough road games at UConn, Utah, TCU, and UCF. But none of those venues had crowds larger than 10,244. This will be a different kind of noise-and a different kind of pressure.
According to KenPom, Arizona’s win probability for this game is just 60%-the second-lowest remaining on the schedule, behind only the Feb. 21 trip to Houston (51%).
In other words, this is a game Arizona could lose. And that’s okay.
Staying Aggressive, Staying Grounded
For Lloyd and his team, the goal isn’t perfection-it’s progress. And that means not being afraid to take a hit.
“We need to continue to understand we’re going to meet a lot of tough moments and tough environments, and we got to stay steady and be poised,” Lloyd said. “I don’t think we can’t be afraid to make teams hit our fastball and be aggressive and still be in attack mode. We don’t need to be conservative.”
Arizona’s fastball has looked electric through 20 games. But now we’ll see how it holds up against a ranked opponent, a raucous crowd, and a future NBA star who’s already playing like a pro.
This is the kind of game that tells you something real about a team. And whether Arizona comes out of it 21-0 or not, we’re about to learn a lot more about what this group is made of.