Undefeated Arizona expects ‘incredible game,’ ‘awesome atmosphere’ against KU
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Arizona pursues first unbeaten NCAA season since Indiana's 1975-76 run, 23-0 start.
- Arizona and Kansas meet Monday at Allen Fieldhouse with big stakes.
- Coach Tommy Lloyd stresses grit, steadiness and player development.
Arizona’s pursuit of an undefeated men’s basketball season, the first since Indiana’s 32-0 NCAA title campaign in 1975-76, will resume Monday night in Kansas’ Allen Fieldhouse.
The No. 1-ranked Wildcats, who will meet KU in an 8 p.m. tip, improved to 23-0 overall and 10-0 in Big 12 Conference play by slugging Oklahoma State 84-47 on Saturday in Tucson, Arizona.
Arizona set a new school record with its 23rd consecutive victory, breaking the long-standing mark of 22 straight wins set between 1914 and 1917. The Wildcats on Saturday also set the conference record for best start to a season, passing KU’s 1996-97 squad that opened 22-0.
Losing for the first time on Monday is not part of the master plan, though it obviously could happen, Wildcats fifth-year coach Tommy Lloyd maintains.
“I understand it’s part of the process,” Lloyd said before Saturday’s rout of OSU as quoted by azdesertswarm.com.
He was referring to the possibility of actually losing a game or two. “Would I be happy? No, but I’m going to be all right. I’m built for this,” Lloyd added.
His Wildcats have remaining games at home against KU, Texas Tech, BYU and Iowa State and road contests vs. Houston, Baylor and Colorado prior to the Big 12 tourney.
“I always tell our guys, if we’re not gritty then we look like a word that rhymes with gritty,” Lloyd said. “We want to be gritty and that’s our DNA. That’s what it takes to win at the highest levels of college basketball, and that’s what it takes to win in this conference.”
The Wildcats will be facing a No. 11-ranked KU team (18-5, 8-2) that upended Utah 71-59 on Saturday at Allen Fieldhouse for the Jayhawks’ seventh win in a row. Another streak is on the line. KU is 39-0 all-time in Big Monday games played in Allen Fieldhouse in the 23-year Bill Self era.
“We know they’re going to give us an incredible game,” Lloyd said in his postgame news conference following Saturday’s runaway victory over OSU. “It’s going to be an awesome atmosphere. And I just have a feeling those Jayhawk fans are going to be out for blood. So you know what? We’re here for it. And, you know, that’s no promise of which way the game is going to go, but we’re excited for the opportunity to compete in such a big stage, in such a special game.
“We’re excited. We’re going in there with nothing but respect for Kansas and coach Self. We played there last year, and I’ll be honest. I’ve played in a lot of places. I came away there thinking, ‘All right, that is different.’”
KU defeated Arizona 83-76 last season in the fieldhouse.
“Nothing but positive thoughts for them as a program, and it’s going to be an honor to compete against them,” Lloyd said.
KU played Arizona once last season. The Jayhawks will meet the Wildcats twice in 2025-26: Monday, then on Feb. 28 in the McKale Center in Tucson.
“Monday is the most fun game that we would have had so far this year. And hopefully there’s much bigger games later on than this game, but to date, it’ll be the biggest,” Self said Saturday.
“They’re men. They dominate people 12-feet and in. We’ve got to play bigger. We got to play tougher. We’ve got to play stronger. And then they guard. So we’ve got to give them something to defend on the other end. But it’ll be a fun game. It’ll be a fun atmosphere. Only one day to prep, but hopefully we can figure something out to at least slow them down,” Self added.
Arizona, which has talented freshmen in the starting lineup in 6-4 guard Brayden Burries (15.3 points per game), 6-7 forward Ivan Kharchenkov (9.4 ppg) and 6-8 forward Koa Peat (14.6 ppg, 5.6 rebounds per game) to go with 7-2 junior center Motiejus Krivas (11.0 ppg, 8.3 rpg) and 6-3 senior guard Jaden Bradley (13.8 ppg), has experienced some close calls this season.
In nonconference games, Arizona nudged Florida (93-87), UCLA (69-65) and UConn (71-67) and also ran away from Auburn (97-68) and Alabama (96-75).
In Big 12 play, Arizona beat UCF (84-77) in Orlando and BYU (86-83) in Provo, Utah.
Burries scored 29 points and had a game-saving block in the final seconds vs. BYU. Bradley added 26 points in a game in which the Wildcats saw a 19-point lead midway through the final half dip to one point before Arizona regrouped to overcome the Cougars in the final moments.
“We don’t expect these games to come easy. We obviously take all these games serious,” Lloyd told azdesertswarm.com. “I learned that our guys are here for it. You put them in tough situations, they’re not afraid to make plays and find a way in a really tough game.”
Lloyd said one secret to success is: “We value steadiness. A lot of people talk about momentum. I understand what momentum is, but I think there’s way more value in being steady and consistent.”
Bradley, a national player of the year candidate with 103 assists to 38 turnovers, is “arguably the most under-appreciated star this season. Great closer,” national basketball reporter Andy Katz said recently.
Bradley, now is in his third season with the Wildcats after starting his career at Alabama, is a top-10 candidate for the Bob Cousy point guard of the year award. He’s on the Naismith defensive player of the year watch list and the Wooden Award top 25 list.
Bradley leads the Wildcats with 42 steals in 23 games.
“He delivers,” Lloyd said in a podcast with Katz. “Obviously, he’s had a good year. Our team’s having a good year. But one of the things that I don’t think has been talked about with him is just how much he’s improved over the course of his college career.
“... I think it’s just a great story of what college basketball is about. Everyone’s talking about these great freshmen, and they’re tremendous, don’t get me wrong. But there’s other stories that can be told.”
Self certainly respects the Wildcats.
“They’re terrific. They’ve got a great team,” Self said. “They’ve played a good schedule, had some impressive wins away from their building. And they’re tough and strong and they are big. They’re pretty talented.”
Of the upcoming matchup, KU freshman Darryn Peterson said: “Come Monday, we’re going to be ready to compete. Today, the biggest focus was Utah. So come Monday, we’re going to have to battle and get a win against the undedefeated team.”
KU senior Tre White said: “It’s going to be a big game. We’re not trying to make it any bigger, any higher, any lower than what any game is supposed to be, but they’re a good team coming in and we’re rolling at the right time. So we’re definitely trying to get that W.”
Senior Melvin Council Jr. noted: “It’s a great opportunity. With their record, it’s a big-time game, a game in our conference that we can’t lose. We’ve got to come out strong.”
Council said the teams are similar.
“They play together like us. That’s really it,” Council said. “They share the ball and anybody can have a career night on that team.”
This story was originally published February 8, 2026 at 2:21 PM.
