Burries, Kharchenkov Share Mentality After Arizona's First Postseason Game

The Arizona Wildcats entered the Big 12 Tournament with a bang, pummeling the UCF Knights 81-59 in the Big 12 Quarterfinal. Despite some comeback attempts from the Knights, they were never able to close the gap on the Wildcats, who took home their 30th win of the season.

Despite some comeback attempts from the Knights, they were never able to close the gap on the Wildcats, who took home their 30th win of the season.

Feb 28, 2026; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats head coach Tommy Lloyd react during the first half of the game against the Kansas Jayhawks at McKale Memorial Center. Mandatory Credit: Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images | Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images

The game marked the first postseason appearance for Arizona’s highly talented rookies. Freshman Brayden Burries led the way with 21 points on 7-13 shooting, and fellow rookies Ivan Kharchenkov and Koa Peat added 10 and 12 points, respectively.

Arizona’s Resume

Mar 12, 2026; Kansas City, MO, USA; Arizona Wildcats forward Ivan Kharchenkov (8) drives to the basket during the first half against the UCF Knights at T-Mobile Center. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images | William Purnell-Imagn Images

Those freshmen helped Arizona earn the top seed in the Big 12 in the regular season with a 29-2 overall record and a 16-2 conference record. Those 29 regular-season wins are a program record, and Arizona also started the season with a 23-0 record, also a program-record. Despite their youth, they’ve played like veterans this season, which has helped Arizona reach the heights it has reached.

In the cases of Burries and Peat specifically, their performances this season have helped boost their draft stock immensely. Both players are projected to be first-round picks in the 2026 NBA Draft, with Burries potentially being a lottery pick.

Mar 7, 2026; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Arizona Wildcats forward Tobe Awaka (30) during the second half against the Colorado Buffaloes at the CU Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

After their win over UCF, Burries and Kharchenkov shared what their mentality was heading into their first career postseason game.

Burries, Kharchenkov Share Thoughts

Mar 12, 2026; Kansas City, MO, USA; Arizona Wildcats guard Brayden Burries (5) rebounds around UCF Knights guard Themus Fulks (1) during the first half at T-Mobile Center. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images | William Purnell-Imagn Images

“Just going out there and playing with a lot of energy,” Burries said. “Having fun, and just winning the game, winning every possession. My teammates were just finding me, putting me in positions to be successful. Just being aggressive, playing basketball, hooping.”

“I mean, we played them already”, Kharchenkov said, regarding UCF. “We know what they're doing. We kind of wanted to get off to a good start in the tournament against them, and we started pretty good and then let a little up.”

Feb 28, 2026; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats forward Koa Peat (10) celebrates during the first half of the game against the Kansas Jayhawks at McKale Memorial Center. Mandatory Credit: Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images | Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images

After their win over UCF, the Wildcats will square off with the Iowa State Cyclones. When the two teams met on March 2, the Wildcats handled the Cyclones by a score of 73-57. They look for another performance like that to get themselves to the Big 12 Finals.

While Arizona doesn’t need to earn the Big 12 crown to notch itself a top seed in the NCAA Tournament, a few extra quality wins could go a long way in their bid to get the top overall seed, which would give them the most favorable path to earning their second national title in program history.