Utah StateNo. 9
ArizonaNo. 11-seeds are 77-6 (92.8%) vs 9-seeds since 1985.
Game Story
Utah StateNo. 9
ArizonaNo. 11-seeds are 77-6 (92.8%) vs 9-seeds since 1985.
Game Story
Arizona's Glass Dominance Ends Utah State's Run
Arizona eliminated the 9-seed Utah State 78-66, outrebounding them 54-26 with 22 offensive boards that kept possession chains alive throughout the second half.
Brayden Burries was arguably the cleanest story of the night: 16 points on 5-of-6 shooting, three triples, nine rebounds in just 25 minutes, and he never forced a shot. He was the rare complementary player who didn't need touches to stay impactful, punishing Utah State rotations whenever they collapsed on Arizona's bigs.
Koa Peat did the foundational work at 14 points, nine rebounds, and three offensive boards in 31 minutes, generating second-chance opportunities that Utah State simply could not match at their size. Jaden Bradley led all scorers at 18 points but was inefficient doing it, needing 16 field goal attempts and four three-point tries to get there, a reminder that Arizona can win even when their primary scorer grinds.
The real margin in this game was never the scoreboard: Arizona attempted 39 free throws to Utah State's 11, a disparity that reflected both Peat's interior aggression and relentless offensive rebounding that kept Arizona in attack mode. Utah State protected the ball admirably with only four turnovers and forced nine steals, but a team cannot overcome a 28-attempt free throw deficit when field goal shooting lands at essentially the same rate on both ends.