Arizona Escapes ASU, But Bigger Test Awaits at UCF
Arizona’s win over Arizona State on Wednesday night might’ve added another tally to the Wildcats’ unbeaten record, but it didn’t come easy - and that’s something head coach Tommy Lloyd didn’t shy away from acknowledging.
“I really appreciated the battle tonight, I appreciated the competition,” Lloyd said after Arizona’s 89-82 victory. “I learned that our guys are here for it. You put them in tough situations, they’re not afraid to make plays and find a way in a really tough game.”
Trailing at halftime for the first time in over a month, the top-ranked Wildcats looked vulnerable at home against an unranked rival. But in the end, they did what elite teams do - they found a way.
And as one of only three unbeaten teams left in Division I, Arizona knows the road ahead will only get tougher. That road, quite literally, now leads across the country to Orlando, where a surging UCF team awaits.
The Knights (14-2, 3-1 Big 12) are off to their best start in over a decade and have already knocked off some big names, including Kansas and Texas A&M. They’ve been especially tough at home, winning nine straight at Addition Financial Arena. Since joining the Big 12 last season, they’ve claimed 11 of their 17 conference wins on their home floor.
“This is gonna be another incredibly tough game on the road,” Lloyd said.
Arizona’s Depth on Display - With a Caveat
One of the Wildcats’ biggest strengths this season has been their scoring depth. Against ASU, it was Tobe Awaka’s turn to shine, putting up a career-high 25 points and becoming the seventh Arizona player to notch a 20-point game this season.
That kind of balance is rare - and dangerous. Brayden Burries leads the team with five 20-point games, though he’s cooled off a bit recently, scoring just six points in each of the last two contests on a combined 5-of-15 shooting. Koa Peat, meanwhile, is heating up again, logging back-to-back 20-point outings after a bit of a lull since his impressive debut against Florida.
Jaden Bradley has a pair of 20-point games under his belt, while Anthony Dell’Orso and Ivan Kharchenkov have each done it once.
But here’s the flip side: all seven of those players have also had multiple games where they didn’t even reach double figures. In total, Arizona’s starters have combined for 28 single-digit scoring performances - a reminder that while the offensive ceiling is high, the floor can dip lower than expected.
Perhaps the most telling case is Motiejus Krivas. The big man has had nine games this season where he didn’t hit 10 points, compared to eight where he did. He’s scored 12 in each of the past two games following a career-high 25-point night against Kansas State, but consistency remains a work in progress.
Against ASU, Krivas struggled with foul trouble and managed just four points. He’s been drawing more double-teams in the post and is currently second on the team in fouls drawn per 40 minutes (5.3), trailing only Awaka. But he’s also had moments of visible frustration when the physicality goes uncalled.
“Mo is really coming on and when you’re a big guy, you’re really coming on, the other team picks it up on you,” Lloyd said. “Usually what picking it up means, like, is way more physical.
It’s just one of those things that inside, they don’t call the first hit very much. So you got to be able to play through it and not get frustrated.
He’s got to hang with it, because he brings so much to this team.”
What to Know About UCF
Statistically, UCF doesn’t jump off the page - but don’t let that fool you. This is a team that knows how to win.
The Knights have dropped just two games all season: one to a previously unbeaten Vanderbilt squad, and another on the road at Oklahoma State. But they bounced back in a big way by beating Kansas State in Manhattan on Wednesday night.
Senior guard Riley Kugel has been the engine in conference play, averaging 18 points per game in Big 12 action and 14.8 overall. He’s also shooting nearly 40% from deep, helping lead a UCF team that ranks 23rd nationally in three-point shooting at 37.9%. That number has dipped to 31.8% in Big 12 games, but the threat is still very real.
Where the Knights really make their mark is inside the arc. They rank second in the Big 12 in percentage of points scored from two-point range - trailing only Arizona - and their top three scorers each average at least eight attempts per game from inside.
Johnny Dawkins is in his 10th season at the helm of UCF, with one NCAA Tournament appearance during his tenure. Last season, the Knights made a run to the finals of the College Basketball Crown tournament in Las Vegas, where they lost to Nebraska - a team currently riding the nation’s longest win streak at 21 games.
Dawkins has some history with Arizona, too. During his time at Stanford (2008-2016), his teams went just 1-13 against the Wildcats.
Managing the Miles
This isn’t Arizona’s longest road trip of the season - that distinction belongs to their November flight to UConn - but it’s still a significant one. The Wildcats flew out Thursday afternoon to get ahead of the two-hour time change before Saturday’s 4 p.m. ET tip.
Long road swings were a staple of Pac-12 life, where teams would often play two games in three or four days. Since moving to the Big 12, Arizona’s had only one such trip - last season’s back-to-back at Cincinnati and West Virginia. This year, the only true road doubleheaders are BYU and ASU in late January, and Houston and Baylor in late February.
Whether or not they stay on the road between those matchups remains to be seen, but for now, the focus is firmly on Orlando.
The Weight of No. 1
With the top ranking comes a target - and Arizona knows it well. Over the past 40 seasons, 76 teams have managed to knock off the AP’s No. 1-ranked squad at least once during the regular season.
Arizona has done it twice, both times against Stanford. North Carolina leads the way with nine such wins since 1985-86.
UCF, meanwhile, has had four chances to take down a No. 1 - including two in the NCAA Tournament - but has yet to pull it off. The most recent came two seasons ago, when they lost by eight at home to top-ranked Houston.
Saturday will mark Arizona’s 67th regular-season game as the No. 1 team in the country. They’ve won 57 of those, including all nine since reclaiming the top spot this season. On the road, they’re 18-5 in that position, with the last loss coming in 2014 at Cal.
The Wildcats know what’s at stake every time they step on the floor. And with UCF playing some of its best basketball in years, Saturday’s showdown in Orlando won’t just be a test of talent - it’ll be a test of toughness, composure, and championship resolve.