Arizona Dominates Utah in Big 12 Debut

In recent years, Arizona has faced some unexpected challenges when playing against Utah. In 2022, an undefeated Wildcats team that had just dominated the Maui Invitational struggled against the Utes, and two years later, the UA barely managed to beat Utah in triple overtime. However, this time around, there was no such drama.

Arizona, ranked number one, started strong with a 17-point lead before the second media timeout and then easily defeated Utah 97-78 on Saturday afternoon in their Big 12 opening game. The Wildcats (14-0, 1-0) extended their winning streak but saw their record of wins by at least 20 points end at eight, tying the school record set in 1928-29. Despite this, the victory was just as dominant as the previous seven, with Arizona shooting 53.6 percent from the field, outrebounding Utah by 13, and having five players scoring in double figures.

Tobe Awaka and Jaden Bradley were the standout performers for Arizona, each scoring 18 points. Awaka was efficient, going 6 of 7 from the field and 2 of 2 from beyond the arc, while also grabbing 12 rebounds for his third double-double of the season. Bradley contributed 7 of 11 shots from the field and added five assists.

Brayden Burries and Koa Peat each scored 17 points, and Ivan Kharchenkov added 13 for Arizona, which reached the 90s for the 10th time this season, including eight of the last nine games.

Utah (8-6, 0-1) was led by Terrence Brown with 26 points and Keanu Dawes and Don McHenry each adding 15. However, the Utes struggled offensively, shooting just 44.3 percent overall and 5 of 17 from three-point range. They also turned the ball over 12 times, resulting in 18 points for Arizona, who recorded 11 steals for their seventh game with at least 10 swipes.

Arizona led 58-39 at halftime, marking the most points they’ve scored in the first half of a conference game since they put up 63 against ASU in 1998. Although the offensive momentum didn’t immediately continue into the second half, Arizona eventually regained control with an 8-0 run to extend their lead to 70-46 with 13:56 remaining. Utah made a 12-3 run to cut the deficit to 15, but that was as close as they would get.

The only real tension in the final moments was whether Arizona would win by 20 points. The Wildcats led by 21 after a basket by Burries with 51 seconds left, but Bradley fouled Utah’s Brown with 49.8 seconds remaining to allow backups to play. Brown made both free throws, but Arizona still secured the win.

Utah opened the game with a basket, but Arizona responded with a 14-0 run, which included several points off Ute turnovers. Six of those points came from Kharchenkov, who scored twice off steals.

The game seemed to be under control early when Awaka hit a three-pointer to put Arizona ahead 27-10 with 12:16 left in the first half. However, Arizona went three minutes without a field goal, allowing Utah to narrow the gap to single digits.

A second-chance three-pointer by Brown brought Utah within 34-26 with 7:49 left in the half. Arizona quickly regrouped, using a 10-0 run (including another three-pointer by Awaka) to take a 46-28 lead. The Wildcats finished the first half strong, making their final six shots and shooting 61.1 percent overall.

Arizona will now face Kansas State in their Big 12 home opener on Wednesday. K-State (9-5, 0-1) fell 83-73 at home to No. 10 BYU on Saturday.