Arizona is in the Sweet 16 for a third straight season after a 78-66 win over No. 9 Utah State.
The Aggies made multiple attempts to put serious pressure on the Wildcats in the second half. But No. 1 Arizona had an answer each time. Even after going almost eight minutes without a field goal.
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The Wildcats went 7:40 without making a basket yet Utah State couldn’t get close. Jaden Bradley’s layup with 6:55 to go broke that streak and Arizona’s lead had only been cut from 18 to five before his basket.
Just over a minute later, Bradley did this:
Utah State got the deficit down to six with 2:51 to go, but Gators star freshman guard Brayden Burries ended any chance of the upset with a 3-pointer to extend the lead back to three possessions with 2:18 to go.
Bradley had a team-high 18 points, while Burries had 16 points to go along with nine rebounds. Koa Peat had 14 points and 10 rebounds and Motiejus Krivas had 11 points and 14 boards.
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It was an all-around performance that showed why Arizona entered the tournament as one of the main favorites to win it all. The Wildcats may be the most well-rounded team in college basketball. They have star guards in Bradley and Burries, and a frontcourt with Peat and Krivas that can match up with anyone in college basketball.
Can Arizona get past the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2015?
Over the past five seasons, the Wildcats are the winningest program without a Final Four appearance. That should change this season. The Wildcats have No. 4 Arkansas in the Sweet 16 and would play either No. 2 Purdue or No. 11 Texas in the Elite Eight with a win.
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The Elite Eight has been a hurdle the Wildcats haven’t cleared for a while, however. Arizona has been eliminated in the Sweet 16 in each of the past two seasons. In 2025, Arizona lost to Duke as a No. 4 seed. Two seasons ago, the Wildcats fell to No. 6 Clemson as a No. 2 seed.
In 2023, Arizona was on the wrong side of one of the biggest upsets in tournament history as a No. 2 seed when it lost to No. 15 Princeton.
You have to go all the way back to 2015 to find the last time Arizona made it to the Elite Eight. It’s a remarkable run for a program that has 29 conference titles — including the 2025-26 season — and has been to four Final Fours. But Arizona is still searching for its first Final Four appearance since getting there in 2001 under legendary coach Lute Olson.
