Arizona Basketball Hits 20-0: Are the Wildcats Built to Break the Final Four Drought?
PHOENIX - It’s been over two decades since Arizona last danced into a Final Four, and even longer since the Wildcats cut down the nets in 1997. But as we pass the halfway mark of the college basketball season, this year's squad is making a compelling case that the wait might finally be over.
Arizona didn’t just win on Saturday - they made a statement. The Wildcats ran West Virginia off the floor in an 88-53 rout, becoming just the third team this season to start 20-0, joining Nebraska and Miami (OH).
The last time we saw a team open like this? Gonzaga in 2020-21.
And this isn’t some smoke-and-mirrors undefeated run. Arizona’s resume is stacked with convincing wins over ranked opponents - including Florida and UConn, the last three national champions.
They’ve also dismantled SEC powerhouses Auburn and Alabama by 29 and 21 points, respectively. Out of their 20 wins, only five have been decided by single digits.
The rest? Lopsided.
In a college basketball era defined by chaos - where roster turnover is constant and consistency is hard to come by - Arizona has found a formula that works. It’s a blend of young star power and seasoned leadership, a rare balance in the modern game.
“They’re playing with a shared purpose,” head coach Tommy Lloyd said after the blowout win over West Virginia. “Our guys have done an incredible job connecting and really coming together.”
That chemistry was on full display Saturday. Arizona came out firing, built a double-digit lead in just over seven minutes, and never gave the Mountaineers a chance to breathe.
West Virginia, a team still trying to find its footing in the Big 12, was outmatched in every phase. The Wildcats held them to just 34% shooting from the field and 27% from deep, while shooting a blistering 53% themselves - including 43% from three.
While much of the national spotlight on Saturday belonged to other standout freshmen - like Illinois’ Keaton Wagler and Houston’s Kingston Flemings, who both dropped over 40 points - Arizona’s Brayden Burries quietly added his own highlight reel to the mix. The freshman guard poured in 22 points, dished out seven assists, and didn’t commit a single turnover.
“He’s a tremendous scorer, uber talented,” said senior forward Tobe Awaka. “He shows it in practice and shows it in games.”
Burries, a five-star recruit, has been a spark plug for the Wildcats all season, but since early December, he’s taken his game to another level. Since a Dec. 6 showdown with Auburn, he’s averaging 16.7 points per game with a 3.08 assist-to-turnover ratio - elite numbers for any guard, let alone a freshman.
“Brayden has amazing instincts for a young basketball player,” Lloyd said. “Now I think he’s layering that with some experience.”
The win didn’t just keep Arizona perfect - it vaulted them into the top spot in both the KenPom and NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) rankings. Those metrics matter. They’re key components in NCAA Tournament seeding, and Arizona is now sitting in pole position.
With Houston falling to Texas Tech on Saturday, the Wildcats now stand alone atop the Big 12 at 7-0. But context matters here.
Arizona’s early conference slate hasn’t been the most grueling. According to the NET rankings, they’ve already played the only three Big 12 games that fall into Quadrant 3 territory, and just a couple of Quadrant 1 matchups.
Only one of their first seven Big 12 opponents is currently projected to make the NCAA Tournament.
That’s about to change - fast.
Of the 11 games remaining on Arizona’s regular-season schedule, seven are against teams ranked in the top 15. Three of those are on the road in some of the most hostile environments in college hoops: Allen Fieldhouse (Kansas), the Marriott Center (BYU), and the Fertitta Center (Houston). That’s a gauntlet, plain and simple.
Still, the team isn’t getting ahead of itself.
“We’re just trying to take it one game at a time,” said freshman forward Koa Peat. “I think we’ve been doing a good job of it, getting ready for these games, being prepared.”
That mindset will be tested immediately. Up next: a road trip to Provo to face No.
13 BYU and projected top NBA pick AJ Dybantsa. It’s the kind of matchup that will tell us even more about this Arizona team - not just how good they are, but how ready they are for March.
Right now, though, the Wildcats are doing more than surviving. They’re thriving. And if they keep this up, Tucson might just have a Final Four to look forward to again.