Arizona Cruises To An Easy Victory Over No. 20 Auburn
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The No. 2 Arizona Wildcats further proved their case in why they should be the No. 1 team in the nation following a 97-68 mauling of the No. 20 Auburn Tigers in front of a packed McKale Center this Saturday.
Arizona came into its eighth game, fourth against a ranked team, looking to send a message that it is a team that is not to be taken lightly and they did so by dominating Auburn and outscoring them in the paint 60-24 and taking advantage of costly turnovers.
By the end of the game, Arizona was the more efficient scoring team, shooting 64.8% compared to Auburn's 42.5%.
The freshman phenom continued his dominance, scoring a team high 18 points while also going 8-for-11 from the field. Jaden Bradley and Brayden Burries both scored 16 points while shooting above 50% from the field.
First half
Arizona won the tip-off, and the two powerhouses went back and forth from there. The Tigers jumped to a 15-10 lead behind Keyshawn Hall and Tahaad Pettiford's quick and precise buckets.
The Wildcats battled back to a 22-15 lead with 10:59 left in the half, which was kicked off by a made 3-point shot by Jaden Bradley. The next three baskets were made off of consecutive Auburn turnovers. Anthony Dell'Orso slammed the ball to tie it up at 15 apiece and Tobe Awaka made the easy layup to take the lead at 17-15.
After a timeout, the Tigers turned the ball over yet again and Dwayne Aristode hit a big 3-point shot to bring the Arizona lead up to 20-15, which was then followed by another easy layup by Awaka.
Auburn was able to get out of its shooting slump with a pair of free throws made by Pettiford, making it a 22-17 game with 10:34 left in the half.
Dwayne from the corner and that's a 10-0 run! pic.twitter.com/tJM7pDBn65
— Arizona Basketball (@ArizonaMBB) December 7, 2025
The Wildcats then went on a huge 20-7 run, making it 42-24. Arizona took advantage of a few Auburn turnovers, quickly turning them into points on the other end. Bradley scored the last five points of that scoring jump.
Auburn then scored the final eight points of the half. Arizona went into the locker room holding onto a 44-32 lead. Arizona and Auburn were close on the stat sheet. The Wildcats had one more rebound over the Tigers, 19-18 and one more turnover, 8-7. The difference was that Arizona was able to make more shots compared to its opponent.
Second half
Auburn came out of the second half looking to cut the lead down by scoring quick buckets and playing hard on defense, but the Wildcats' offense seemed too much to handle. With less than 12 minutes remaining in the game, the Wildcats led 74-47, displaying the physicality and speed that made them undefeated.
The dime by @JBsmoovve and the TOUGH finish by @BraydenBurries. pic.twitter.com/48nxtFxN6p
— Arizona Basketball (@ArizonaMBB) December 7, 2025
By the net TV timeout, the Tigers found themselves still being outrebounded and unable to make their shots. Arizona was up on Auburn 80-53 with 8 minutes left to play after Burries dunked the ball. The talented freshman has seemed to find his rhythm this game, shooting 5-for-9 from the field.
Arizona's offensive efficiency, paired with a relentless defensive effort, proved too much for Auburn to handle, and the Wildcats ended with a 97-68 victory, the most significant win over a top-25 team for them this season.
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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.