Arizona Moves Up in Latest AP Poll Following Win Over UConn

The highs and lows of a college basketball season are like a roller coaster with ebbs and flows in the 31-game regular season schedule. Timing is everything when it comes to playing your best basketball of the year and rankings in late November really don’t mean much in the grand scheme of things.

However, Arizona (6-0) has been able to get out to a fast start with marquee wins over then-No. 3 Florida (93-87), then-No. 15 UCLA (69-65) and then-No. 3 UConn (71-67), which has given the Wildcats the top resumes in college basketball.

Following the massive road-win over the Huskies, the Wildcats have now jumped up to No. 2 in the latest AP Poll and received 11 No. 1 votes. The top five teams in the country go in-order as No. 1 Purdue, No. 2 Arizona, No. 3 Houston, No. 4 Duke and No. 5 UConn.

In all three of the Wildcats’ marquee wins, the one player that keeps on showing up and finishing off games for Arizona has been senior point guard Jaden Bradley.

Nov 14, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Arizona Wildcats guard Anthony Dell'Orso (3) celebrates with guard Jaden Bradley (0) during the second half of the Hall of Fame Series game against the UCLA Bruins at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

In those three games, Bradley has been averaging 20.3 PPG and hitting clutch bucket after clutch bucket down the stretches of these games to secure the wins.

With Caleb Love gone and now playing at the NBA-level, one of the major question marks coming into the year was who was going to be the go-to guy in crunch time situations. Now, after five games, there is no doubt that Bradley is that guy for Lloyd and the Wildcats despite the talent on the roster.

When you really look at it, it really shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone given the fact that Bradley is in his third season in the Lloyd system and the program. Plus, he is in his fourth season of college basketball and has played many meaningful games and high-leverage games for both Arizona and previously Alabama.

Nov 3, 2025; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Arizona Wildcats forward Koa Peat (10) celebrates a play against the Florida Gators in the second half of the Hall of Fame Series game at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Candice Ward-Imagn Images | Candice Ward-Imagn Images

Meanwhile, Arizona has gotten amazing performances from star freshman Koa Peat, who dropped 30 points in his college debut against Florida becoming the second Wildcat freshman to do so along with Eric Money.

What is truly amazing about this team is that guys like Brayden Burries and Ivan Kharchenkov have had up and down performances and just haven’t been really consistent.

These are two freshmen not only in the starting lineup but expected to have a major impact on the team.

Nov 7, 2025; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats guard Brayden Burries (5) holds up his arm after he makes a three pointer during the second half of the game against the Utah Tech Trailblazers at McKale Memorial Center. Mandatory Credit: Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images | Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images

Still, that is to be expected from freshmen. Throughout the season, they all will have highs and lows as they try to navigate the long 31-game year.

So, for Arizona to be where it is positioned despite some highs and lows of key players on the roster is a testament to Lloyd, his staff and the veterans that have helped lead the way in those marquee wins.

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