Winning the first 10 games in a season has happened seven times in Arizona’s history, twice under Tommy Lloyd. But none of the previous instances included five wins over ranked teams or a string of five consecutive wins by at least 20 points.
The Wildcats (10-0) are on a roll right now, winning their last five—including over ranked Auburn and Alabama squads—by an average of 30.2 points per game. They’re scoring 98 per game during that run and 90 per game for the season.
But there’s so much left in the season, particularly the gauntlet that is the Big 12 Conference schedule, and Lloyd continues to strive for incremental improvement across the board.
“Hopefully we’re starting to establish who we want to be and what we can be,” Lloyd said after Tuesday’s 96-62 win over Abilene Christian.
The next opportunity to do that comes Saturday night in Phoenix, against San Diego State, part of a Hall of Fame Series doubleheader that also features Colorado and Stanford meeting at Mortgage Matchup Center (home of the Suns).
Here’s what to watch for when the Wildcats and Aztecs face off in Phoenix:
Will Burries’ fury continue?
The first half of Arizona’s 10-0 start did not include many highlights from Brayden Burries, unlike fellow freshmen Ivan Kharchenkov and Koa Peat who made big impacts right away. Burries averaged 7.8 points on 33.3 percent shooting those first five games.
The last five? 19.8 points per game, with three 20-point performances including a career-best 28 against Alabama. He’s shot 61.3 percent in that span, 38.5 percent from 3, while turning it over just seven times in 141 minutes.
“I feel like I’m starting to get more comfortable, just learning after the vets like JB and Delly, and the coaches believing in me,” Burries said after scoring 20 on Tuesday. “It’s just confidence, I’m starting to get it. It comes from teammates just trusting me, putting extra work. And just now that if I miss a few shots I know they’re going to live and die with the shots I take.”
Lloyd said he was “never worried” about Burries during the slow start.
“He’s playing how he’s capable of, and I think he can consistently play at this level for an extended period of time,” Lloyd said.
A deep but inconsistent opponent
San Diego State (6-3) received all 26 first-place votes in the Mountain West preseason poll, and is already 1-0 in league play after beating Air Force 81-58 on Wednesday night. But in nonconference action the Aztecs dropped three games.
The losses to Baylor and Michigan at the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas are understandable, though the latter was by 40. The hard-to-swallow result was a 108-107, double-overtime loss at home to Troy.
SDSU has 11 players that average double figures in minutes, but also no one averaging more than junior guard BJ Davis’ 13.3 per game. A starter last season, Davis has come off the bench this year and his shooting 47.2 percent overall, 53.3 percent from 3 and 94.7 percent from the line.
Junior wing Miles Byrd has four games with 13-plus points and five with seven or fewer, while USC transfer Reese Dixon-Waters is 8 for 29 over the last three games after averaging 14 points prior to that.
The Aztecs shoot 41.1 percent from 3, fifth-best in Division I and force more than 15 turnovers per game. Arizona just committed a season-high 18 turnovers against Abilene Christian.
“I don’t think they’re ranked right now, but I want to make sure our guys understand that just because they don’t have a number next to their name doesn’t mean they’re not as good as the teams we played already,” Lloyd said. “So so our guys need to be locked in and understand that Saturday is a super important game, and it’s going to be a battle. And we got a ton of respect for San Diego State and their program.”
This is the third consecutive season Arizona will play a neutral-site game in Phoenix, something Lloyd wants to continue annually. The Wildcats beat Alabama in 2023 and lost to UCLA last season, dropping to 4-5 at the time.
In both previous instances the crowd was markedly pro-Arizona.
“The crowd up there it’s crazy, it’s pretty much like a home game for us,” Jaden Bradley said. “We’re about to go play a great San Diego State team. Just knowing we’re gonna have the crowd on our side, we still got to come and bring it, bring the energy and do everything we need to take to win.”
Tip-off is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. MT, though with Colorado and Stanford playing at 6 the actual start could be a little later. While some coaches—cough, Mick Cronin, cough—have complained about late starts for neutral site games, Lloyd fully embraces the atmosphere such a tip time can create.
“We’re playing this game in Phoenix because we think it’s really important to connect with our fan base up there, and and I hope as many people come to that game as possible. We know there’s a lot going on around the holidays. We totally respect that, okay, but we want to go up there and we want to connect with our fans, and we have players from that area. There’s a kid in our roster right now. I think he’s number 10. He’s pretty important to the community of Phoenix. Okay, so let’s get out there and support our program. Let’s support our local players and get as many people as we can Saturday night. And this is what I know, late Saturday night games in Phoenix can be pretty special.”
