Five Wildcats Score in Double Figures En Route to Big Win
The No. 1 Arizona Wildcats opened conference play by defeating the Utah Utes, 97-78, at the John M. Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City, UT, on Saturday.
With the latest win, the Wildcats are just one of six teams to remain undefeated and join the No. 3-ranked Iowa State Cyclones as the only unbeaten team in the Big 12.
5 in double figures - again.
— Arizona Basketball (@ArizonaMBB) January 3, 2026
That's NINE straight with at least five guys in double figures. pic.twitter.com/hVSvJUTx0o
The offense of Arizona (14-0) was nearly unstoppable, as five Wildcats scored in double figures by the end of the game. Senior forward Tobe Awaka led the charge and scored a season high 18 points in the win while going 6-for-7 from the field and leading the team in rebounds with 12. Awaka leads the NCAA in rebounding percentage, bringing down 28.3% of rebounds.
The phenom point guard, Jaden Bradley, matched Awaka in points with 18 while also notching five assists and four rebounds. Brayden Burries has continued to show that he belongs at the Division I level by scoring 17 points, marking the ninth consecutive game in which he has scored in double digits. This game was also the first time he earned a double-double by bringing down 11 rebounds.
Koa Peat also scored 17 points and added four rebounds, three assists, two blocks, and three steals over 23 minutes played and also knocked down a 3-pointer. Ivan Kharchenkov scored 13 points and brought down three rebounds by the final buzzer.
First half
The Wildcats quickly jumped out to a 24-8 lead with 12 minutes left in the first half, mainly by spreading the ball around the court and taking advantage of missed shot opportunities by the Utes. Arizona went on a 6-0 run to get to the 16-point lead.
Utah was able to cover some ground and cut the Arizona lead to nine points, 30-21, with 9 minutes left in the half, but the Wildcats' offense went right back to dominating and wound up with a 58-39 lead by halftime.
Tobe from the top of the key ... again pic.twitter.com/FKMatA2xes
— Arizona Basketball (@ArizonaMBB) January 3, 2026
Bradley, the leader of the Wildcats, led in points at the half with 12, shooting 4-for-6 from the field through 14 minutes played. The consistently dominant Awaka led in rebounds with nine and was second in points with 11, shooting a perfect 4-for-4 from the field, including 2 3-pointers.
Second half
Arizona continued its streak of dominance into the second half, but the Utes refused to give up and made sure to answer back with every shot the Wildcats made.
The Wildcats gained some extra momentum by going on an 8-0 run to make it a 70-46 run with 14 minutes remainiing in the second half. Peat scored four of those eight points and the run was capped off with a layup by Burries that was fed to him by Bradley off of a turnover.
This is Arizona Basketball. pic.twitter.com/ynJcNzspwR
— Arizona Basketball (@ArizonaMBB) January 3, 2026
Utah went on an 8-0 run of its own to get to a 70-54 score with 12 minutes left, but the Wildcats went right back to their overwhelming offense, bringing it to an 81-62 lead with 8 minutes left to play.
With just a minute left in the game, Arizona found itself up by 21 points with a 97-76 score. A pair of free throws by Utah put it back to within 19 points, but too much damage had been done for any comeback hope to be made. Arizona left the John M. Huntsman Center with its undefeated record still well intact and its first conference win of the 2025-2026 season.
Arizona will be back in action this Wednesday when they play Kansas State at home in the McKale Center at 7 p.m. (MST).
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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.