Arizona Dominates the Glass vs Alabama

Arizona battled back-and-forth with Alabama in the first half before pulling away in the final 20 minutes en route to a 96-75 victory on the road.

The Wildcats remain undefeated, improving to 9-0 on the season. Alabama is expected to be the final ranked team the Wildcats will face before Big 12 play begins. The only notable team remaining in non-conference play is San Diego State, which Arizona will face in Phoenix.

Dec 13, 2025; Birmingham, Alabama, USA; Arizona Wildcats guard Brayden Burries (5) makes a fast break during the second half against the Alabama Crimson Tide at Legacy Arena at BJCC. Mandatory Credit: David Leong-Imagn Images | David Leong-Imagn Images

Brayden Burries continued his hot stretch with a career night against the Crimson Tide. The freshman guard led the way with a career-high 28 points and seven rebounds, while burying five triples.

The improved shooting from deep was a plus all around for the Wildcats, which have mostly steered clear of the arc this season. However, Arizona's biggest strength this season still ruled the night.

Arizona Crashes the Glass

Dec 13, 2025; Birmingham, Alabama, USA; Arizona Wildcats forward Tobe Awaka (30) and center Motiejus Krivas (13) rebound the ball during the first half against the Alabama Crimson Tide at Legacy Arena at BJCC. Mandatory Credit: David Leong-Imagn Images | David Leong-Imagn Images

The Crimson Tide had no answer for the Wildcats on the glass. Arizona won the rebound battle 52-32, which included a 22-3 slaughtering on the offensive end. Those second-chance buckets helped Arizona outscore Alabama 57-34 in the second half.

Perhaps even more impressive is the dominant night on the boards that came with minimal support from freshman phenom Koa Peat. Arizona's leading scorer picked up three fouls in the first half and wound up playing 20 minutes and scoring just six points, adding one rebound and one assist.

The majority of Arizona's rebounding efforts came from the usual suspects: Motiejus Krivas and Tobe Awaka.

An absolute thing of beauty finished off with a 🔨 pic.twitter.com/k4QpJZgKTB
— Arizona Basketball (@ArizonaMBB) December 14, 2025

Krivas put together his first double-double of the season, posting 14 points and 14 rebounds in the win. Nine of his rebounds came on offense, hauling in misses and capitalizing underneath.

When Krivas came out, Awaka took his place seamlessly. The senior center grabbed 15 rebounds, which remarkably is just the second-most he has snagged this season (18 rebounds vs Utah Tech).

Dec 13, 2025; Birmingham, Alabama, USA; Arizona Wildcats forward Tobe Awaka (30) shoots against Alabama Crimson Tide forward London Jemison (6) during the second half at Legacy Arena at BJCC. Mandatory Credit: David Leong-Imagn Images | David Leong-Imagn Images

Besides the two bigs, Arizona got some support from its backcourt on the boards, with Burries hauling in seven rebounds and Jaden Bradley grabbing five more against his former team.

WATCH YOUR HEAD pic.twitter.com/tTClCuc62z
— Arizona Basketball (@ArizonaMBB) December 14, 2025

Arizona outscored Alabama 44-20 in the paint, and it was the difference in the second half. The Crimson Tide have some size, but Awaka and Krivas bulldozed through their bigs to create easy points.

Looking toward conference play, there might not be a team in the Big 12 with as much depth in the paint as Arizona. The Wildcats just dominated an SEC program in SEC country without the usual performance expected of Peat. Arizona currently leads the Big 12 with 43.3 rebounds per game.

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