Arizona Navigates New Challenge in Win over No. 13 BYU

The No. 1-ranked Arizona Wildcats have rolled through this college basketball season unscathed, winning many different kinds of games and excelling in a variety of difficult situations.

But the 86-83 win over No. 13 BYU on Monday night brought the Wildcats yet another new situation to overcome, at least in conference play. They had to execute late in the game on the road to hold off a furious rally from the home team, something that they had not done since early in the season and not at all in a true road environment.

BRAYDEN BURRIES BLOCKS THE POTENTIAL BYU GAME-WINNER 😳

ARIZONA ESCAPES UNDEFEATED 🔥 pic.twitter.com/y9CJev1oej
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) January 27, 2026

While it was far from perfectly executed, one of Arizona's top players made a play with the game on the line, as freshman guard Brayden Burries came up with a clutch block in the final seconds to seal the night's ultimate goal: escaping a hostile environment with another win.

"I was just thinking my teammates have been having my back this whole year, and that was the least I could do was help them in that position right there," Burries told the media postgame. "I just wanted to help them [make him] miss the shot and get the rebound. I saw that he was open, so I just went for the block."

A Blown Cushion

It seemed like Arizona was going to run away with the game, but something switched late in the second half as BYU trimmed an 18-point deficit to a singular possession. The Cougars used a full-court press to add more pressure on the Arizona backcourt, and while it led to a 12-2 run for BYU, Arizona withstood the final punch.

"That's what we work on in practice," senior guard Jaden Bradley said. "On the road, games are going to come down to press breaks, and I feel like we did a decent job. We've got to watch the film and still got a lot of stuff to clean up. It shouldn't have gotten to that point, but we did a pretty good job [once it did], and we still have a lot to clean up."

arizona challeng — Jan 26, 2026; Provo, Utah, USA; Arizona Wildcats guard Brayden Burries (5) warms up prior to a game against the BYU Cougars at Marriott Center. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Baker-Imagn Images | Aaron Baker-Imagn Images

There were some questionable calls and no-calls from the officials near the end, but with how Arizona played for most of the game, it never should've put itself in that position. Yet, coming away with a hard-earned victory is all that needed to happen to pass this particular test.

"It felt like everything towards the end kind of went against us, but our guys have competitive character, hung in there, and found a way. But that easily could've gone the other way," head coach Tommy Lloyd said.

So, while the Wildcats overcame chellenges in late-game execution during Monday's game in Provo, it was just a few inches from an entirely different result, and it won;t be the last time they see it this season.

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