University of Arizona Gets its Get-Back on The Jayhawks

In another conference matchup, the WildCats faced the Jayhawks for the second time. Arizona, which was 26-2 entering the matchup with their only two losses from Kansas and Texas Tech, came into the game ready to show Kansas that the last game from them was just a fluke and to prove they were No. 1 in the nation for a reason. 

The last matchup against Kansas on Feb. 9, 2026, resulted in a four-point loss for Arizona, their first of the season. This shocked NCAA fans as Arizona was ranked No. 1 and should’ve handled the No. 9 Kansas with ease. Historically, the Wildcats have not fared well against the Jayhawks. They have a 6-10 record against them dating back to Dec. 31, 1979. 

This time, Arizona was ready to show them that they were 14-2 in the Big 12 conference for a reason. The Jayhawks flew down to Tucson, Arizona, to face the Wildcats at their home court after bringing the Wildcats to Lawrence, Kansas, in their last game. 

Coming into this game, Kansas’s star player, freshman Darryn Peterson, was cleared to play after not being able to face them in their last matchup. Throughout the game, the Jayhawks rallied behind Peterson, who led the way in scoring with 24 points, but it wasn’t enough to declaw the Wildcats. 

Freshman Brayden Burries buried the Jayhawks with his own double-double of 20 points and 12 rebounds. Five of his teammates also scored double-digits, helping fuel the offensive firepower that started when the Wildcats shut down the Jayhawks defensively. 

Freshman Bryson Tiller, who killed Arizona last game with 18 points, ran into early foul trouble, causing him to sit the majority of the first half. Arizona took advantage of the smaller lineup Kansas was forced to play and went on a 19-0 run, causing Kansas head coach Bill Self to burn two timeouts in the span of a minute to try to stop the run. Kansas had missed nine straight shots while Arizona just couldn’t miss, which helped stretch the lead to 37-19.

Kansas switched up and got back together, shutting down Arizona for almost four minutes straight. Within those last four minutes of the first half, the Wildcats didn’t have a single field goal while the Jayhawks slowly tried to make their way back to end the half 39-28. 

Coming out of the half, Kansas kept up the same intensity on defense and whittled the lead down to only two points. But Arizona didn’t let that affect them as they went on another run. This time, senior Jaden Bradley led the way for the 19-2 run, scoring eight straight points. 

Arizona clearly came into the game having learned from the last game against the Jayhawks. Last game, sophomore Flory Bidunga for Kansas had a double-double of 23 points and 10 rebounds, but this time, Arizona kept him off the glass. Bidunga ended the game with only two points and four rebounds, which greatly impacted Kansas’s chances. 

The Wildcats pulled away with a 23-point lead for the win over the Jayhawks, clearly putting on a dominant offensive performance. With the 84-61 score, Arizona came into its next game against Iowa State with high hopes.

Iowa State was ranked No. 6 coming into the game on Mar. 2, 2026, but Arizona didn’t let that get to their head as they were ranked No. 2. Quickly, the Wildcats smothered the Cyclones defensively to shut them down in a 73-57 win for the Big 12 conference title. Senior Jaden Bradley did it again, leading Arizona in scoring with 17-points to clinch the title and to secure them a good spot in the March Madness tournament coming up in just a few weeks. 

“The Big 12 is the best basketball conference in the country,” Arizona head coach Tommy Lloyd said while addressing the home crowd after the game. “So take your hats off to these guys right here,” said Lloyd. With the two wins against Kansas and Iowa State, coach Lloyd reached 140 wins, which is the most in NCAA history in a coach’s first five seasons. 

With Arizona’s dominance this season, they fare well going into the March Madness tournament and are hoping to make a deep run as they have in previous seasons. In the last 3 seasons with Lloyd as the coach, they’ve advanced to the sweet 16 and are hoping to finally make it further than that this season.