On UA’s visit to Orlando, Big 12 battles and Cincy’s bubble
No. 1 seed Arizona (29-2) vs No. 8 seed UCF (21-10)
• Big 12 Tournament quarterfinals * T-Mobile Center, Kansas City * Noon, Thursday • ESPN • 1290-AM
0 Jaden Bradley G 6-3 senior
5 Brayden Burries G 6-4 freshman
18 Ivan Kharchenkov F 6-7 freshman
10 Koa Peat F 6-8 freshman
13 Motiejus Krivas C 7-2 junior
30 Tobe Awaka F 6-8 senior
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3 Anthony Dell’Orso F 6-6 senior
2 Dwayne Aristode F 6-8 freshman
2 Riley Kugel G 6-5 senior
1 Themus Fulks G 6-2 senior
4 Jamichael Stillwell F 6-8 senior
99 Jordan Burks F 6-9 junior
7 John Bol C 7-2 sophomore
11 Carmelo Pacheco F 6-5 junior
22 Chris Johnson F 6-5 junior
35 Devan Cambridge F 6-6 senior
How they acquired right here: Arizona went 16-2 to win the Big 12 regular-season title and earn the No. 1 Big 12 Tournament seed. UCF went 9-9 to end in a four-way tie for seventh place and earned the No. 8 seed based mostly on tiebreakers, then beat Cincinnati 66-65 in time beyond regulation throughout a second-round sport Wednesday.
This season: Center Motiejus Krivas had 17 factors and 12 rebounds whereas Jaden Bradley scored 23 factors and hit 9 of 10 free throws he took over the ultimate 77 seconds to lead Arizona to an 84-77 win over UCF on Jan. 17 in Orlando. Forward Koa Peat was restricted to 4 factors whereas battling foul hassle, however freshman guard Brayden Burries added 18 factors on 8-for-14 taking pictures and huge man Tobe Awaka collected 10 factors and 9 rebounds.
Series historical past: Arizona by no means performed UCF earlier than the Wildcats joined the Big 12 final season however is now 2-0 in opposition to the Knights after beating them in Florida this season and final season at McKale, when the Wildcats had 5 gamers rating in double figures in an 88-80 win. UCF did not turn into a Division I program till 1985.
What’s new with the Knights: After a 6-3 begin in Big 12 play that included a win over Kansas and a detailed name with Arizona, the Knights dropped six of 9 to finish the common season on a tough notice, practically dropping a first-round bye within the convention match and placing themselves on the NCAA Tournament bubble.
They misplaced to Baylor and Oklahoma State at dwelling, then at West Virginia on March 9 to finish the common season, however skidded into the No. 8 Big 12 seed thanks to tiebreakers. Their win over Cincinnati is anticipated to earn them an NCAA Tournament bid no matter Thursday’s sport.
UCF nonetheless has a balanced offensive assault with 4 gamers averaging in double figures and begins the identical 5 gamers that began in opposition to Arizona. Guards Themus Fulks and Riley Kugel entered the Big 12 Tournament on a sizzling notice, with Kugel averaging 20.0 factors over his earlier 5 video games whereas hitting 9 of 18 3-pointers, and Kugel averaged 18.8 factors over the identical 5 video games. Kugel had 15 in opposition to Cincinnati on Wednesday.
Fulks entered the Big 12 match averaging 6.8 assists, rating second within the Big 12 and tenth nationally. Stillwell posted his eighth double double when he had 17 factors and 15 rebounds in opposition to Cincinnati.
For the season, UCF ranks thirty ninth in general offensive effectivity however simply a hundred and fifth in defensive effectivity. They shoot a good 36.8% from 3-point vary however 3s make up solely 34.4% of their subject targets.
A fifth-year level guard now taking part in for his fourth faculty, Fulks is ending his school profession on a excessive particular person notice. While he solely scored 4 factors in opposition to Cincinnati on Wednesday, when he had seven assists, he has confirmed he can rating — with 30 factors on 9-for-14 taking pictures in opposition to Arizona and three video games of twenty-two or extra factors in his final six.
(*12*)
UCF’s Themus Fulks (1) and Cincinnati’s Sencire Harris (5) battle for the ball throughout the first half of an NCAA school basketball sport within the second spherical of the Big 12 Conference match Wednesday, March 11, 2026, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Charlie Riedel
Arizona – Jaden Bradley
UA’s regular ground chief has crammed in offensive holes wherever wanted all season, as when he helped the Wildcats maintain off UCF in Orlando by getting to the road and hitting clutch free throws. Or he can take a again seat as he did at Colorado on March 7, when Brayden Burries had 31 factors and Bradley had no factors – however six assists and 4 rebounds.
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Arizona guard Jaden Bradley (0) drives to the basket as Central Florida guard Riley Kugel (2) defends throughout the first half, Jan. 17, in Orlando, Fla.
Phelan M. Ebenhack, Associated Press
The solely time Arizona performed UCF was practically two months in the past, and Knights coach Johnny Dawkins stated he did not keep in mind a lot about that sport.
“It was a long time ago,” Dawkins stated. “I know they’re a terrific team. We were talented and well coached.”
To be truthful, Dawkins had simply completed teaching his group to an time beyond regulation win over Cincinnati and stated he would quickly zero in on scouting the Wildcats. What he possible discovered was that whereas the Wildcats led by up to 15 factors within the first half and 13 within the second half of that sport, his Knights stored the Wildcats from operating away with it.
UCF minimize it to 79-73 with 34 seconds left after UCF’s Chris Johnson hit a 3-pointer and Anthony Dell’Orso turned the ball over. But Bradley’s free throws down the stretch protected a lead UA by no means absolutely misplaced after the primary three minutes of the sport.
“Tough game,” UA coach Tommy Lloyd stated upon arriving in Kansas City. “They’re tough to play there. I thought our guys went in and played really well and kind of weathered a few comeback storms. It was a great Road victory.
The Knights were briefly ranked at No. 25 in the Associated Press Top 25 poll after beating Kansas on Jan. 3 and were still 14-2 heading into that first matchup with Arizona.
Since then, they have gone 7-8. But, when asked what has changed, or what he has learned over that period, Dawkins said nothing, really.
“I didn’t learn anything because I know the league is great,” Dawkins said. “Think concerning the groups in our league, a lot of the groups went by way of totally different stretches, patches the place they have been profitable quite a bit, then of all a sudden they’re dropping quite a bit. We have been positively nowhere close to the one group that went by way of one thing like that. And it is due to the extent of competitors.”
Cincinnati’s chances of making the NCAA Tournament field dipped considerably after its loss to UCF, but Bearcats coach Wes Miller tried to make a case.
Cincinnati fell to 18-15, is ranked 43rd in Kenpom, and 46th in the NET, with a “wins above bubble” rating of negative 0.91. In ESPN’s updated Bracketology report Wednesday, Cincinnati was listed as a “next four out” team.
“I’m not in the room with the selection committee, so I don’t understand all the guidelines of it,” Miller said. “But if it is about one of the best groups at this level, we’re among the finest groups within the nation. We’re an NCAA Tournament group.
“If it’s about overall I summarized, I’m sure that you can make some arguments that we’re not. But we’ve won seven out of our last 10 Big 12 games…. When’s the last time someone won seven out of 10 in the Big 12 and didn’t play in the NCAA Tournament? Honestly?
“Again, I do not know what goes on. I definitely really feel that we belong. … definitely we’ll maintain out hope, however I notice (dropping to UCF) was troublesome. I feel everybody in our locker room understands that.”
9- Arizona conference tournament wins in 11 games under fifth-year coach Tommy Lloyd, counting three Pac-12 Tournaments and last season’s Big 12 Tournament.
38 –UCF’s national ranking entering Wednesday in “wins above bubble” (1.84), a metric of how many more wins a team has compared to what an average bubble team would have against the same schedule. No team last season with over a 1.25 WAB at the same point missed the tournament.
74.3 – Free throw taking pictures proportion of 7-foot-2 UCF heart John Bol.
Contact sports activities reporter Bruce Pascoe at bpascoe@tucson.com. On X(Twitter): @brucepascoe
