Breaking Down Arizona-UCLA Game Prediction Ahead of Showdown

Welcome! To another edition of the Arizona Wildcats Insiders Podcast featuring your host Troy Hutchison, who will be delivering a daily podcast discussing everything happening surrounding Arizona athletics giving you an inside look at all the programs on campus.

Hutchison has been covering Arizona for the last seven years with his coverage spanning all-across UA’s campus from football and men’s basketball to Title IX sports. Plus, with so many former Wildcats playing at the next level in their prospective sports there will be moments where he will take a deep dive into the Cats excelling outside of Tucson.

Although it is early in the college basketball season, No. 5 Arizona (3-0) managed to shoot up the AP Poll following a week where the Wildcats upset then-No. 3 Florida (2-1) with an impressive 93-87 win in Las Vegas. UA moved up eight spots and has rival No. 15 UCLA in Los Angeles.

However, before Arizona faces off against UCLA, the Wildcats took on NAU (1-2) and managed to get a balanced scoring attack with the team shooting 46% from the field in a dominating 84-49 win over the Lumberjacks.

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

Through the first two games of the season, all the talk nationally about Arizona has been on freshman Koa Peat, who has scored 48 points while grabbing 10 rebounds and received conference and national awards for his first week.

However, against the Lumberjacks, the Wildcats got a balanced scoring attack, which resulted in Peat finishing the game with 10 points and seven rebounds while going 3 of 10 from the field.

Meanwhile, Arizona saw five players score in double figures, with freshman forward Dwayne Aristode scoring a game-high 18 points while knocking down six 3-point shots. Aristode snagged three assists and two rebounds along the way.

Nov 11, 2025; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats guard Dwayne Aristode (2) scores a three pointer during the first half of the game against the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks at McKale Memorial Center. Mandatory Credit: Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images | Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images

Point guard Jaden Bradley had another solid performance by recording 13 points while going 3 of 5 from the field. Bradley managed to collect three assists, three rebounds and two steals while on the court.

Now that Arizona is moving on and about to face off against UCLA, we at Arizona Wildcats On SI have come up with our pick for the game.

Game Prediction

No. 5 Arizona: 83

No. 15 UCLA: 74

Reason

Nov 7, 2025; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats guard Jaden Bradley (0) and Utah Tech Trailblazers guard Chanced Trujillo (2) both chase after the ball during the second half of the game at McKale Memorial Center. Mandatory Credit: Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images | Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images

This is one of the best rivalry games in college basketball between two of the best programs on the West Coast. Now, the two teams are no longer in the same conference, but the emotion and passion for the game are still there.

Last season, the Wildcats blew a 13-point lead, falling to the Bruins 57-54 in Phoenix, which became the turning point of the season.

Both teams have reloaded this offseason, with the Bruins landing the top transfer in point guard Donovan Dent from New Mexico and Arizona bringing in the No. 2 recruiting class, highlighted by Koa Peat.

Nov 3, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach Mick Cronin talks to guard Donovan Dent (2) during the second half against the Eastern Washington Eagles at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

When looking at this game, Arizona has a size advantage and has a veteran point guard in Jaden Bradley, who has gone up against UCLA’s tough defensive scheme before. I think the Wildcats will force the Bruins to play at their pace, which will lead to the victory for Lloyd and his team.

Please be sure to share your thoughts on the UA-UCLA game and the history of this rivalry showdown. To do so, follow us on our X account by clicking on the link.