After taking charge in nonconference play, No. 1 Arizona will be out to do the same in a loaded Big 12 Conference.
The Wildcats (13-0) are enjoying their best start since 2013-14 ahead of Saturday’s conference opener against Utah in Salt Lake City. Arizona has reeled off 13 consecutive victories to start a season for the fourth time in school history. Five of those wins have come over fellow Top 25 opponents.
Jaden Bradley’s progression at point guard has been a major catalyst for the Wildcats. Bradley is averaging career highs in points (13.4 per game), assists (4.5), rebounds (3.8), and steals (1.9). He is shooting 53.0% from the field overall and 52.4% from 3-point range.
The senior posted his first career double-double to help Arizona close out nonconference play with a 99-71 victory over South Dakota State on Monday. Bradley scored 13 points and dished out a career-best 10 assists while committing only one turnover.
“The numbers are numbers,” Bradley said after the game, according to the Arizona Daily Star. “I like getting my teammates involved and the rest just takes care of itself.”
While Bradley is averaging fewer than five assists per game, the stat is a bit misleading. He is often making extra passes that set up the pass that leads to the basket. Finding teammates in the right spots has become second nature.
For the Wildcats, that enhances Bradley’s value beyond what shows up on the scoresheet.
“He’s just not a stat-driven guy,” Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd said. “He’s a really good passer, but he’s a guy that just kind of plays the right way and gets off the ball. And when you get off the ball and make a simple pass, it’s probably not going to always lead to a scoring opportunity. I just appreciate that he plays the right way. Never gets caught up in stats.”
Utah faces a supreme challenge in facing the nation’s top-ranked team after struggling against power conference foes so far.
The Utes (8-5) fell at Washington 74-65 on Monday after shooting blanks on offense repeatedly in the second half. Utah scored only one point over the first 4 1/2 minutes after halftime, forcing the Utes to play from behind over the final 20 minutes against the Huskies.
Leading scorers Terrence Brown and Don McHenry combined to go 0 for 10 from the field in the second half after combining for 25 first-half points.
“It’s something we’ve been telling T.B. and Don, as the schedule goes on and we play better teams, especially when getting to conference, guys are going to really make a concerted effort to stop you from scoring,” Utah coach Alex Jensen told ESPN 700 after the game. “It’s a good lesson for us tonight, because it got harder in the second half and they were denying them.”
Utah prevailed the last time it hosted an unbeaten and ranked Arizona team at home. The Utes knocked off then-No. 4 Arizona 81-66 on Dec. 1, 2022 behind 22 points from Branden Carlson.
–Field Level Media
