Three Players to Watch for No. 5 Arizona's Game Against Denver

The college basketball season is a long and bumpy road filled with highs and lows in what is a 31-game regular season slate. And for No. 4 Arizona (5-0), the gauntlet of the schedule is in full swing as it hit the road against No. 3 UConn for a midweek clash of titans.

The last meeting between these two programs came during the 2018-19 season when the Wildcats won 76-72 over UConn. Arizona was riding a 2-game winning streak but trailed the all-time series 2-5 to the Huskies.

Arizona and coach Tommy Lloyd faced their toughest test of the early part of the schedule and went into Storrs, Conn. and took down the Huskies (4-1) in a thrilling 71-67 game that came down to the wire.

Nov 14, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Arizona Wildcats head coach Tommy Lloyd surrounds by his players as he is taking a post game interview after defeating the UCLA Bruins 69-65 at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

When looking across the country in this early stage of the college basketball season, no team has a better resume than Arizona, which has beaten then-No. 3 Florida, then-No. 15 UCLA and now No. 3 UConn.

In comparison, last season, Arizona struggled in its non-conference slate of games falling to Wisconsin, Duke, Oklahoma, West Virginia and UCLA. However, the team battled back in the Big 12 and finished the year in the Sweet Sixteen with a 24-13 record.

Although the WIldcats have captured three marquee wins, the Wildcats still have to face Alabama, Auburn and San Diego State still left on the non-conference schedule.

Nov 19, 2025; Auburn, Alabama, USA; Auburn Tigers guard Kaden Magwood (5) shoots the ball against the Jackson State Tigers during the second half at Neville Arena. Mandatory Credit: John Reed-Imagn Images | John Reed-Imagn Images

Now, the WIldcats will return home following the win over UConn and take on Denver (2-3) with a late 8:30 p.m. (MST) tipoff and will be televised on CBS Sports Networks.

As we get closer to tipoff, we at Arizona Wildcats On SI have put together our three players to watch for the Arizona-Denver game.

Three Players to Watch

Anthony Dell’Orso

So far this season, guard Anthony Dell’Orso has been a spark off the bench for the Wildcats, who have one of the deeper bench units in college basketball. Against UConn, Dell’Orso struggled by scoring just six points while going 2 of 6 from the field and couldn’t hit a single 3-point shot.

With the Wildcats playing Denver and there being a high probability of the team having a high number of possessions, this feels like a perfect game for Dell’Orso to get back on track and get his 3-point shot back in order.

Brayden Burries

It has been an up and down season for Brayden Burries so far through the first five games. However, it isn’t a surprise given that Burries is a freshman that is still learning the college game and how to play in Lloyd’s system.

Similarly to Dell’Orso, this is the perfect game for Burries to get things back in rhythm following a 4-point performance against UConn. He will have a chance at attacking the bucket and just seeing the ball go through the hoop can be a major confidence boost for the year star.

Tobe Awaka

We have talked about games like this in the past that can be one that can be overlooked when you have seven freshmen on the roster and coming off the highs of the win over UConn. However, the Wildcats have veteran leadership in the starting lineup and off the bench.

One player that can help set the tone early in the game is forward Tobe Awaka, who is a bruising big that is a monster on the glass. When you can make that kind of impact, others on the roster follow the edge you play with.

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