After beating three ranked opponents in its first five games, something no college basketball team had done in more than 35 years, Arizona soared to No. 2 in the Associated Press Top 25. Getting to the top spot would require some help.
Arizona
Arizona men’s basketball crushes No. 20 Auburn for 4th win over ranked opponent
That assistance came in the form of fellow Big 12 school Iowa State winning handily at No. 1 Purdue on Saturday afternoon. All the Wildcats had to do was pick up a fourth ranked win, particularly in impressive fashion, and it could rise to first on Monday when the next poll came out.
Arizona made its case for No. 1 with a 97-68 over No. 20 Auburn. It’s the fifth-largest margin of victory for the Wildcats over a ranked opponent in school history and largest since beating No. 19 Western Kentucky by 39 in 2002.
Koa Peat had 18 points on 8-of-11 shooting while Jaden Bradley and Brayden Burries had 16 points each and Ivan Kharchenkov had 12 points, five rebounds and eight assists for the Wildcats (8-0), who shot 61.2 percent overall and 63.6 percent in the second half.
The 61.2 percent was Arizona’s best field goal rate against a ranked opponent since 2016.
Auburn (7-3) shot 33.3 percent, 28.6 percent in the second half, and its 15 turnovers were converted into 21 points for Arizona. Tahad Pettiford had a career-high 30 points on 10-of-19 shooting for the Tigers, while the rest of the team was 11 of 44.
Arizona led 44-32 at halftime and by the first media timeout of the 2nd half the edge was 26. The Wildcats outscored Auburn 18-2 coming out of the locker room, keeping the Tigers without a field goal for the first 5-plus minutes.
The only player Arizona couldn’t stop was Pettiford, who had nine straight points for Auburn at one point including a 4-point play to get within 69-45 with 12:41 left.
The Wildcats didn’t miss consecutive shots after halftime until midway through the second half, starting 11 of 12. Auburn, on the other hand, started 0 for 7 and went almost six minutes without a field goal yet kept the margin from getting much bigger because of an abundance of fouls called.
After a relatively foul-free first half, with Arizona only attempting one free throws, the second half saw the officials get much more involved. The teams combined for 25 fouls and 32 foul shots, compared to 29 field goals.
Arizona’s first 10 points were in the paint, either on drives, dump offs or dunks, for an early 4-point lead. Auburn followed with nine in a row to go up 15-10, taking advantage of four UA turnovers, only to see the Wildcats capitalize on four Tigers giveaways en route to a 12-0 run and a 7-point advantage.
Auburn missed nine straight shots while Arizona went on a 15-0 run to lead 39-21 with 3:43 left before halftime. The lead got to 20 before the Tigers finished the first half on an 8-0 run.
Arizona heads east for its next game, taking on No. 12 Alabama in Birmingham next Saturday. The Wildcats beat the Crimson Tide in Phoenix during the the 2023-24 season.
Arizona
Arizona State Adds Mid-Season Game Changer: Euro Juniors Champion Albane Cachot
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18-year-old Albane Cachot from Toulouse, France, has joined the Arizona State University women’s swimming and diving team mid-season. The Dauphins Toulouse OEC (the same club that produced Léon Marchand) product wasted no time adapting to short-course yards, winning the 50/100/200 free events in her first meet at the Mona Plummer Aquatic Center.
Cachot made a name for herself in 2024, when she won the 50 free (25.45), 100 free (54.65), 200 free (1:59.18), and 50 fly (26.57) at the French Junior Championships in April. Two months later, she finaled in all four events at the French Elite Championships, placing 10th in the 50 free (25.43), 5th in the 100 free (54.61), 4th in the 200 free (2:00.34), and 7th in the 50 fly (26.95).
In 2025, she represented France at both the European Junior Championships in Šamorín, Slovakia, and the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore. At Euro Juniors, she won gold in the women’s 100 free, clocking a lifetime-best 54.17. She also finished 7th in the 50 free (25.48) and 7th in the 200 free (2:00.46), and 5th in the 50 fly (26.51, a PB). Cachot swam on 3 of France’s relays at World Championships (women’s 4×100 free, mixed 4×100 free, and mixed 4×100 medley). She earned a bronze medal for her prelims role in France’s mixed 400 medley relay, and she joined Beryl Gastaldello, Marina Jehl, and Marie Wattel in the women’s 400 free relay final that placed 5th with a national record-breaking time of 3:34.62.
In her short-course yards debut on January 3 at the dual meet with Grand Canyon, Cachot put up a team-leading time in the 50 free (22.43). She ranks 3rd in the 200 free (1:46.38) behind Jordan Greber (1:45.14) and Grace Lindberg (1:45.43) and 4th in the 100 free (49.11) behind Greber (48.81), Shane Golland (48.98), and Gerda Szilagyi (49.05). Greber, Lindberg, and Golland achieved their times during the CSCAA Dual Challenges.
The CSCAA challenge meets was also where ASU notched their fastest relay times of the season so far. Without speculating as to what her flying start times might be, it is clear that even her flat start SCY times would have lowered the Sun Devils’ free relay times by a couple of tenths in the 4×50 and 4×100 and by 3 seconds in the 4×200. And her converted LCM times would have been of even greater value.
Best SCY times:
- 50 free – 22.43
- 100 free – 49.11
- 200 free – 1:46.38
Best LCM times (converted):
- 50 free – 25.31 (22.08)
- 100 free – 54.17 (47.36)
- 200 free – 1:59.18 (1:44.48)
- 50 fly – 26.51 (23.25)
Cachot is joining Arizona State’s class of 2029 with Alexia Sotomayor, Bella Scopel Tramontana, Cali Watts, Eleaunah Phillips, Jessie Carlson, Marley Lovick, and Ursula Ott. Avery Spade was also new this season, transferring in from Indiana.
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Arizona
Predicting Where Former Arizona State Star Lands
TEMPE — The Sam Leavitt saga has been one that has split the Arizona State fanbase.
While some have been steadfast in bringing up the contributions that the two-year star poured into the program, others have been emphatic in pointing out the optics of the exit appearing less-than-ideal in a point of critique.
Regardless, the Sun Devils have moved on – with Kentucky transfer Cutter Boley and Michigan transfer Mikey Keense being the two exterior options that were brought in to signify a new era.
Now, Leavitt continues to seek a new college home for what might be his last season of collegiate football – Arizona State on SI makes sense of it all below.
Confirmed Visits – LSU, Tennessee, Miami
Leavitt’s first visit came with Boley’s former school in Kentucky, but the Wildcats have seemingly moved on by signing Notre Dame transfer Kenny Minchey.
LSU has made sense as a destination in recent weeks, with the presence of Lane Kiffin and the ironic twist of Jayden Daniels going from Arizona State to winning a Heisman Trophy with the Tigers as points of focus. It wouldn’t be a shock to see Leavitt heavily consider the SEC power.
Tennessee reportedly attempted to pry Leavitt away from the Sun Devils last spring and failed. This time, they loom as a relative “sleeper” – the redshirt sophomore even spent two days in Knoxville. This is a situation that is “wait-and-see”, as the Volunteers are still waiting to see what comes of QB Joey Aguilar’s pitch to receive more eligibility.
Miami is another spot that has made sense, as senior Carson Beck will be playing his final game of his collegiate career on January 19. No state income tax, the allure of joining Cam Ward and Beck as potential major risers on NFL draft boards, and playing for a storied program are all major drawing points.
Expected Visit – Oregon
Oregon is the complicated potential landing spot.
There is still a bit of uncertainty surrounding what Oregon’s Dante Moore decided to do pertaining to entering the 2026 draft, so the Ducks must stand pat until a firm decision is made.
It’s simple to see why an Oregon native would be drawn to play for what has become a storied franchise that now has a phenomenal track record of developing quarterbacks.
Verdict: Leavitt Lands With Oregon
There’s absolutely nothing firm about this prediction, but Oregon makes the most sense – with the caveat that Moore decides to go pro.
Read more on why the Arizona State men’s basketball team will exceed expectations in the 2025-26 season here, and on why the bright future of the football program isn’t dimmed by the loss to Arizona here.
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Arizona
Arizona’s Burries Shares Secret to Latest Scoring Outburst
The Arizona Wildcats dominated once again to push their record to 15-0 on the season, cruising to an easy 101-76 victory over Kansas State in their Big 12 home opener.
The Wildcats scored 100 points in a game for the third time this season, led by freshman guard Brayden Burries’ 28 points, and Motiejus Krivas’ 25 points. Burries is now up to 15.1 points per game on the season, which leads the #1-ranked Wildcats.
Secret to points production
Burries has been on a tear scoring the ball of late. After scoring in double-digits in just one of his first five games this season, Burries has scored in double-figures in each of his last 10 games, including five 20-point performances. His 28 points against Kansas State tied his highest point total of the season so far. After the game, Burries was asked about his recent flurry of scoring.
- “I don’t think anything changed,” Burries said. “I think just getting used to the speed out there, the first few games, and I didn’t play guard as much like on the ball, and guarding point guards, so it’s all new to me. But, more games, more experience, I feel like I’m getting better with more experience honestly.”
- “Honestly just going out there, and just hooping,” he added. “Trusting my teammates, and trusting the coaches and their gameplan, and they’re just helping me out.”
Tommy Lloyd on Burries
Head coach Tommy Lloyd also spoke about his leading scorer’s recent performances, and how Burries is one of the more coachable players on the roster.
- “Brayden’s a great player,” Lloyd said. “We’re fortunate to have him in our program. I mean, he’s a winner, he’s always won. He does just about everything in his life the right way, it’s a joy to coach him everyday, and it’s really fun to help him on his journey.”
- “You can be pretty direct with him”, Lloyd added. “I told him, he’s a guy that I don’t want to coach by being confrontational with him, I think he’s too good of a kid and he’s really motivated. He doesn’t need that when I’m very direct with him. He’s got enough experience now, I think he’s really learning.”
Burries and the rest of the Wildcats will look to continue what has been a special season up to this point. The Wildcats have all the makings of a true National Championship contender, and their first two performances in Big 12 play show just that.
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