Inside The Wildcats

Social Media's Reaction to Arizona's Gritty Win Over UConn

See what fans had to say about the Wildcats' win over the Huskies in front of a packed crowd in Storrs, CT.
Nathaniel Martinez|
Nov 14, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Arizona Wildcats forward Koa Peat (10) shoots the ball over UCLA Bruins forward Eric Dailey Jr. (3) during the first half of the Hall of Fame Series game at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images
Nov 14, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Arizona Wildcats forward Koa Peat (10) shoots the ball over UCLA Bruins forward Eric Dailey Jr. (3) during the first half of the Hall of Fame Series game at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

In this story:

Arizona Wildcats

The No. 4-ranked Arizona Wildcats came into Gampel Pavilion with a 4-0 record after toppling two ranked teams in No. 10 Florida (No. 3 at the time and No. 18 UCLA (Formerly No. 15). Beating No. 3 UConn would have only continued the argument for the Wildcats to be ranked No. 1.

UConn's only win against a ranked opponent was against No. 9 BYU at the TD Garden in Boston, MS, barely escaping that one with an 86-84.

Arizona was able to take advantage of an injured lineup that missed Tarris Reed and Braylon Mullins by outrebounding UConn 43-23. Jaden Bradley once again dominated by scoring 21 points while also grabbing 3 rebounds and dishing out two assists.

Koa Peat followed with 16 points, 12 rebounds and three assists. Motiejus Krivas led in rebounds with 14. Fans all over social media chimed in on what they had to say during the game, showing their support for the Wildcats.

First half

The Wildcats started strong from the tipoff, taking advantage of the missing Terrence Reid Jr. by crashing the paint and drawing fouls to get to a four-point lead at 12-8 five minutes into the first half.

In that run, four different Wildcats scored a basket. Eventually the Huskies settled in and went on a 5-0 run to make it a 14-13 game with 12 minutes remaining in the half.

Both teams exchanged blows on offense from that point on. Ivan Karchenkov breezed by the defense for an easy layup and Anthony Dell'Orso did the same to make it a 23-22 game with seven minutes left in the half.

Dell'Orso was called for a questionable defensive foul, which UConn turned into two points on an easy layup, making it a tie game at 24 apiece.

Bradley drew a foul with 3 minutes remaining in the game and knocked down both free throws. UConn's head coach Dan Hurley was irate over the foul despite it being the right call. The two shots from the stripe made it 30-28.

Bradley forced a turnover by stealing the ball away from Jayden Ross. Peat then made a tip-in layup to make it a 33-30 game with two minutes left in the half. The duo of Bradley and Peat has proven to be lethal against UConn.

By halftime, Arizona was holding onto a 35-33 lead, which was expected given how physical the game would be between two top-five opponents. Brdley led the team in points with 12. Peat followed with nine. Motiejus Krivas led in rebounds with 10.

Second half

The Wildcats came out storming in the second half, going on an 8-2 run in the first 3 minutes of the game to make it 43-35. Freshmen Burries and Kharchenkov scored the first four points, and Awaka scored the fifth by making one of two free throws.

Arizona then went on a 10-2 run to put it up by 13 with a 53-40 score. The Wildcats were making their presence felt in the paint by outrebounding the Huskies and capitalizing by scoring points off those transitions.

Since then, the Huskies went on a 13-3 run to pull them back with a 56-52 score with 8 minutes left in the game.

Bradley was able to make a pull-up jumper to bring the Arizona lead back up to six, but UConn then went on a 10-2 run to give it the lead by a 62-60 score with 3 minutes left in the game. By the final media timeout, the Wildcats found themselves down 64-62 with 2 minutes remaining.

The Wildcats were able to get the lead back by one point after Krivas grabbed an offensive rebound off of Bradley's miss. Arizona outrebounded UConn on offense 13-6.

Arizona found itself clinging to a three-point lead at 67-64 after Bradley made a layup off a UConn turnover. Awaka made the final two points of the game by making two shots at the stripe, making it a 69-64 game with six seconds left. UConn drained a 3-pointer to make it 69-67, but Awaka once again nailed two free throws to end the game with a 71-67 win.

Tell us your thoughts on Arizona's latest win by commenting on our X account. Just click the link to find us and be sure to give us a follow.

Published
Nathaniel Martinez
NATHANIEL MARTINEZ

Nathaniel Martinez and a set of shoulder pads at 7 years old. He later graduated from Pima Community College in 2023, where he began writing for the Pima Post. He is working to achieve a Bachelor’s in Mass Communication and Media Studies.