Thanksgiving is more than a week away, and Arizona men’s basketball already has a non-conference résumé that should have the team well-positioned in March.
The Wildcats opened their season on Nov. 3 with a 93–87 win over defending national champion Florida in Las Vegas, the No. 3 team in the country entering the year. After a pair of matchups with midmajors Utah Tech and Northern Arizona, they traveled to Los Angeles for a matchup with former Pac-12 foe UCLA at the Intuit Dome, scoring a 69–65 win over the No. 15 Bruins.
Five days later, Arizona pulled off its most impressive win yet, taking down No. 3 UConn at Gampel Pavilion, the Huskies’ on-campus bandbox of an arena, 71–67. It wasn’t easy, of course. The Wildcats led at half and opened strong after the break, building a 13-point lead with under 14 minutes left, before Dan Hurley’s program came storming back. After trailing 53–40, the Huskies would take a 62–60 lead at the 3:02 mark. The two sides would trade baskets down the stretch, with Arizona’s Tobe Awaka converting on four free throws in the final six seconds to seal the win.
With the victory, Arizona becomes the first team since 1989–90 Kansas to beat a pair of top-three opponents in the first five games of the season. That stat doesn’t even factor in the UCLA game.
Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd shared how important the trip to Storrs was for his team after the game.
“Coming here was a special trip. I’ve never been here before. The amount of respect I have for UConn basketball over the years … I appreciate Danny [Hurley] for being up for this,” Lloyd said. “I know scheduling’s tough. And I have a ton of respect for him and the program.”
Lloyd made sure to give plenty of credit to point guard Jalen Bradley, who sat beside him at the postgame press conference. Bradley led all scorers with 21 points on 6-of-13 shooting. Freshman Koa Peat added 16 points and 12 rebounds, while center Motiejus Krivas chipped in nine points and 14 boards; as a team, Arizona took advantage of the absence of Tarris Reed Jr., the Huskies’ top center, and outrebounded UConn by 20 on the night.
Lloyd acknowledged his absence played a large part in the result, but any win on the road at Gampel is worth celebrating.
Arizona will get a brief reprieve from top-ranked opponents, but won’t take their foot off the gas for long; the Wildcats host No. 22 Auburn on Dec. 6 and follow it up with a trip to Birmingham to face the other half of the Iron Bowl, No. 11 Alabama, on Dec. 13.