The University of Arizona women’s basketball team (8-2) defeated Chicago State University (1-10) 89-70 on Monday, Dec. 15 in McKale Center. This marks the Wildcats’ second consecutive victory after snapping a brief losing streak last week. 

Graduate guard Mickayla Perdue delivered a remarkable performance for the Wildcats, scoring a career-high 34-points. Her shooting ability was on full display as she converted four 3-pointers from well beyond the arc. Perdue’s long-range accuracy not only increased Arizona’s scoring output but also created opportunities for aggressive drives to the basket. Her assertiveness resulted in frequent trips to the free throw line, where she shot 10-of-12 from the charity stripe. 

Redshirt junior combo guard Tanyuel Welch complemented Perdue’s efforts with an efficient double-double. Welch contributed 18 points and recorded 10 rebounds, showcasing her versatility on both ends of the floor. She was highly effective, shooting 70% from the field, which played a key role in helping the Wildcats maintain momentum and dictate the pace of the game. 

For the Cougars, sophomore guard Aiyanna Culver emerged as the offensive leader, finishing with a team-high 23 points. Culver demonstrated her shooting range by going 5- for-10 from 3-point territory, providing a consistent scoring threat and keeping Chicago State competitive throughout the contest. 

The Wildcats entered the game aiming to control the tempo and establish dominance from the outset. They capitalized on Chicago State turnovers to build a quick 7-0 lead. However, Arizona struggled with ball control in the second quarter, committing several turnovers that allowed Chicago State to close the gap. 

Later in the first half, graduate guard Noelani Cornfield made a significant impact with multiple key steals, finishing the game with five takeaways alongside frequent trips to the free throw line. Her efforts helped Arizona maintain momentum and secure a 45-33 lead heading into halftime.

Chicago State came out of halftime with a surge of energy, led by Culver’s three triples in the quarter. The Cougars had multiple offensive rebounds which led to extended possessions and second chance points which helped keep the lead within reach. 

The Wildcats went through a scoring drought during the first three minutes of the fourth quarter, which allowed the Cougars to reduce the deficit to just 2-points, their shortest gap since the opening tip. 

Arizona responded by ramping up the tempo and embarked on a decisive 26-9 scoring run, highlighted by 13 points from Perdue in the final period. During this stretch, Chicago State struggled taking care of the basketball, committing nine turnovers in the fourth quarter and totaling 30 for the game. 

Despite making several mistakes throughout the game, the Wildcats demonstrated tremendous resilience. Each time adversity struck, Arizona responded with tenacious defense and huge scoring runs. These efforts were largely fueled by the leadership and experience of their veteran players, who set the tone for the team. 

Looking ahead 

Arizona head coach Becky Burke will look for her team to clean up the turnovers as Arizona  prepares for its final non-conference matchup against Bellarmine University. The game is scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 18 in McKale Center and will be streamed live on ESPN+.

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Arizona maintained its position as the No. 1 team in the Associated Press men’s basketball Top 25 on Monday, earning 42 of 61 first-place votes after a week that included a 96-75 win over No. 16 Alabama.

The Wildcats (9-0), one of seven undefeated teams remaining in Division I, already own five wins over high-major opponents.

There was little movement in the top 10 after a week with few upsets. Michigan (10-0), Duke (10-0), Iowa State (11-0) and UConn (10-1) remained Nos. 2-5, respectively. The only team to move up in the top 10 was No. 7 Gonzaga (10-1), which swapped places with No. 8 Houston (10-1) after adding another top-tier win over UCLA on Saturday.

The greater movement occurred between Nos. 10-25.

Nebraska (11-0) was the biggest riser, jumping eight spots to No. 15 after Saturday’s 83-80, buzzer-beating win over No. 18 Illinois. The Huskers, the lone power-conference team to never win an NCAA Tournament game, achieved their highest ranking since 1990-91, when they finished the season No. 11.

Illinois (8-3) and No. 23 Florida (6-4) were the biggest fallers, dropping five spots apiece.

Georgia (9-1) was the lone newcomer to the poll at No. 25, while UCLA (7-3) dropped out.

Here’s the full poll, along with my ballot:

Others receiving votes: USC 68, Iowa 47, Seton Hall 46, LSU 19, Kentucky 19, UCLA 16, Clemson 14, California 13, Saint Mary’s 12, Arizona State 5, Villanova 5, Notre Dame 4, Indiana 4, Miami (Ohio) 4, Miami (Fla.) 4, Utah State 2, Saint Louis 1, Wisconsin 1.

How good is Nebraska?

I caught Nebraska in person earlier this season when it beat New Mexico and Kansas State in Kansas City, Mo., and I’ve been a believer since. It’s a classic Fred Hoiberg team with a playmaking big, tons of shooting and awesome offensive execution. But what also stood out was how hard the Huskers played, and the defense is better than many of his best teams of the past at Iowa State.

The numbers are starting to back that up. The Huskers are up to 28th in adjusted defensive efficiency, the highest ranking ever for a Hoiberg defense. All this team was missing was signature wins, and it got two this past week, crushing Wisconsin 90-60 and then winning on the road at No. 18 Illinois on a last-second shot.

HE HIT IT‼️

Jamarques Lawrence’s 3-pointer right before the buzzer sends No. 23 @HuskerMBB to a dramatic win at No. 13 Illinois. pic.twitter.com/PhSr8kmnQn

— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) December 13, 2025

Arkansas could keep climbing

Arkansas fell out of my rankings for a few weeks early in the season because its computer numbers were bad after a few close calls against mid-majors. It was obvious the talent was there, but the Razorbacks just weren’t sharp early. They’re starting to play up to their talent, and I moved them up to 14th this week, which is one spot below where I had them in the preseason.

John Calipari’s best teams always have an NBA-level point guard, and he has one in Darius Acuff, who is averaging 17.7 points and 5.7 assists. Calipari also has three big wings who could develop into pros — Meleek Thomas, Karter Knox and Billy Richmond III — and as I wrote about in my weekly rankings, Trevon Brazile is playing the best ball of his career. This team is deeper and more talented than last year’s group, which got hot late and made the Sweet 16. Might still be a little low on this group.

Best team not ranked: Iowa

Iowa has yet to make the AP Top 25, but I’ve ranked the Hawkeyes the last three weeks and would argue their case was made even stronger last week in a loss. Iowa led Iowa State by 13 in the first half last Thursday at Hilton Coliseum and ended up taking a 4-point loss, which actually moved it up in the computer models. The Hawkeyes now rank 20th at KenPom and Bart Torvik, 19th in the NET and 21st at Evan Miya.

As the Hawkeyes proved against Iowa State, they are a tough out. Similar to Drake last year, Ben McCollum’s second Division I team gives nothing in transition, is hard to score against in the half court and is exhaustingly patient offensively waiting for a great shot to develop.

I can understand why my fellow voters aren’t there yet. With Ole Miss being a disappointment, you could argue Iowa is missing a signature win. The first opportunity is Jan. 3 when Iowa hosts UCLA.

Pitching was a big reason why Arizona made it back to the College World Series last season. The return of many key arms for 2026 makes it likely the Wildcats will again have a stellar staff.

Who guides those pitchers, however, is uncertain.

Michael Lev of the Arizona Daily Star is reporting that pitching coach John DeRouin is leaving the program for a position within the New York Mets organization. DeRouin had been elevated to pitching coach over the summer after Kevin Vance was hired as head coach at San Diego State.

DeRouin, who was a pitching strategist under Vance the previous two seasons, was integral in developing Arizona’s arms, particularly starters Owen Kramkowski and Smith Bailey and reliever Tony Pluta. That trio are among several key pitchers returning from the CWS team, with DeRouin’s promotion factoring in their decisions to stay in Tucson.

“John is like the pitching whisperer,” head coach Chip Hale said last month.

Hale could promote from within again, elevating Owen Cuffe. Whoever he hires will technically be his fourth pitching coach in five seasons. Dave Lawn handled the role in 2022-23, retained from Jay Johnson’s staff, before Vance was hired in 2024.

DeRouin is the latest in a string of college baseball coaches leaving for pro jobs. The most notable is Tennessee head coach, hired last month as manager of the San Francisco Giants

Arizona begins preseason practice in January ahead of the 2026 opener Feb. 13 against former Pac-12 rival Stanford at a tournament in Surprise.