The college basketball season is still young, but Arizona has emerged from the pack as arguably the best team in the nation. Tommy Lloyd and the Wildcats have rolled through a challenging non-conference slate and are currently the No. 1-ranked team in the country as a result.
That continued on Saturday night, when the Wildcats turned a two-point halftime deficit against No. 12 Alabama into a dominant 96-75 win in Birmingham. Arizona's offense exploded for 57 points in the second half, running away with things with a flurry of transition buckets and a ton of activity on the offensive glass.
Arizona's hot start to the season had come despite some inconsistent play from standout freshman Brayden Burries, a five-star recruit who came to Tucson as one half of a two-headed monster with fellow five-star Koa Peat.
Burries scored less than 10 points four times in his first eight games, but he exploded for a game-high 28 points against Alabama on 11-for-19 shooting, knocking down five 3-pointers and collecting seven rebounds in the process. The California native's diverse offensive skillset was on full display as he took over the game and helped Arizona pull away.
After the game, Burries revealed that Lloyd had a bit of a crystal ball moment before his breakout outing, according to Ezra Amacher of Arizona Desert Swarm.
“Before the game, (Lloyd) talked to me and was like, ‘It’s gonna be a big one tonight, and I believe in you, it’s all I needed to hear, honestly,” Burries said. “Just gave me all the confidence I needed for real.”
Arizona is now 9-0 with impressive wins over Florida, UCLA, UConn, Auburn and now Alabama on its resume. The Wildcats will take on San Diego State as the toughest of its four remaining non-conference games before it gets Big 12 play underway in January.
The Big 12 once again projects as one of the toughest conferences in college basketball, with teams like Houston and Iowa State both cementing themselves as top 10 teams in the nation over the first six weeks of the season. If the Wildcats want to keep their spot at the top of the conference and the nationwide polls, they will need more performances like this one from Burries.
