Buzzer-beating Big 12 drama! Arizona survives Iowa State on last-second jumper
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Jaden Bradley’s buzzer 15‑footer lifts Arizona to 82-80 Big 12 semifinal win.
- Iowa State rallied late as Tamin Lipsey tied game with 15 seconds left via 3.
- Arizona advances to conference final; season record improves to 31-2.
The first Big 12 tournament semifinal delivered the madness.
Arizona outlasted Iowa State 82-80 on Jaden Bradley’s buzzer-beating 17-footer. The Big 12 player of the year hit the game-winner from the right side — while also falling to his right with the Cyclones’ Killyan Toure closely guarding.
“I just went with the flow,” Bradley said. “It was a crazy shot, and it was great defense.”
The horn sounded as the ball approached the hoop, marking the second huge shot from Bradley on an otherwise quiet night for the senior guard. His jumper with 45 seconds remaining had given the Wildcats an 80-77 lead.
But Iowa State point guard Tamin Lipsey, who had missed nine of his first 10 shots, buried a wing 3-pointer with 15 seconds remaining to make it 80-80.
Arizona didn’t take a timeout. The Wildcats got the ball into Bradley’s hands and he finished the game, delivering a buzzer-beater in the tournament for the first time since Iowa State’s Monte Morris beat Texas in a 2015 quarterfinal.
The Wildcats will meet Houston, a 69-47 winner over Kansas in the other semifinal, in the championship game at tips off Saturday at 5 p.m.
The teams traded blows throughout the night, but especially down the stretch. Iowa State’s Milan Momcilovic hit three triples in the final 3:42. He made them in the final 1:23 of the first half, including a buzzer beater, to finish with 28 points.
“Milan’s the best shooter in the country, and it’s not debatable,” Cyclones coach T.J. Otzelberger said.
Momcilovic’s equal was Arizona’s Anthony Dell’Orso. He doesn’t start, but he got the Wildcats going early after they fell behind 14-2.
The teams combined to make 10 of their final 12 shots.
Second-ranked Arizona, a sure-bet No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament when the bracket is revealed on Sunday, will play in the league championship game for the second straight year. The Wildcats, 31-2, fell to Houston in last year’s title game.
Iowa State, 27-7, fell short in its bid for a seventh Big 12 tournament title.
This story was originally published March 13, 2026 at 8:32 PM.