The end of an impressive streak is always a tough pill to swallow, especially when it occurs at one of the most challenging venues in college basketball. On Monday night, top-ranked Arizona faced its first defeat of the season, losing 82-78 to No. 9 Kansas, thus concluding its remarkable program-record 23-game winning streak.
During the game, Arizona struggled significantly during a crucial 10-minute period in the second half, where they were outscored by 16 points and went through a difficult shooting phase, hitting only 1 out of 14 attempts at one point. Despite this setback, Brayden Burries shone brightly for the Wildcats, contributing 25 points with a commendable 4 of 7 from the three-point range. Motiejus Krivas also had a standout performance with 14 points, 15 rebounds, four assists, and a staggering six blocks. Ivan Kharchenkov backed them up with 13 points, six rebounds, and three steals. However, the rest of the team had an off night, particularly Jaden Bradley and Koa Peat, who could only muster six points each.
Bradley, who had been averaging an impressive 19.8 points against ranked teams, faced a tough night, shooting just 2 of 8, while Peat struggled even more, making only 2 of 11 shots. Tobe Awaka managed to score six points but was limited to just two rebounds due to foul troubles, which hampered his effectiveness on the court.
On the flip side, Kansas (19-5, 9-2) continued its dominance at home, marking their 61st consecutive victory during Big Monday matchups, even in the absence of freshman guard Darryn Peterson, who is considered a potential top draft pick but missed the game due to flu-like symptoms. Nevertheless, the Jayhawks' supporting cast rose to the occasion impressively.
Flory Bidunga and Melvin Council each scored 23 points, combining for a significant portion of the Jayhawks' offense by netting 32 of their 40 points in the second half. Bryson Tiller added 18 points to the mix, while Jamari McDowell, who took on a starting role in place of Peterson, matched his career high with 10 points.
The standout feature of the game was undoubtedly Kansas' defensive prowess, particularly around the basket. While Arizona finished with a shooting percentage of 44.4 overall, their second-half performance dropped to just 37.1%, marking a struggle with their efficiency on two-pointers, which was recorded as the second-worst of the season at 45.6%. Additionally, Arizona didn’t get to the free-throw line as often as they typically do and when they did, they struggled to convert those opportunities, finishing 8 of 14 compared to Kansas’ impressive 21 of 25.
At halftime, Arizona held a slim lead of 45-42, marking just the fourth time this season that Kansas found itself trailing at the break. Just a few minutes into the second half, Arizona extended their lead to 55-44 after a block by Krivas led to a 3-point play by Burries.
However, the momentum shifted dramatically towards Kansas over the next ten minutes. The Jayhawks repeatedly cut into Arizona's lead, and a pivotal moment came when Bidunga dunked over Krivas on a lob pass while drawing a foul, bringing the score to 62-61 in favor of the Wildcats with 11:38 remaining.
Not long after, Bidunga gave Kansas its first lead of the game with 9:33 left, capitalizing on a blunder where he appeared to double-dribble without repercussion. This sparked an 8-0 run for Kansas while Arizona endured a scoring drought exceeding four minutes, suddenly finding themselves down 69-64.
Although a 3-pointer from Burries temporarily halted the scoring dry spell, Arizona faced a grueling stretch where they managed to hit just one shot in nine minutes, missing 13 out of 14 attempts.
Kansas managed to stretch their lead to six points but then hit a scoring slump of their own for three minutes. A layup from Kharchenkov brought Arizona within two points at 73-71 with just over two minutes left. When Burries connected on another 3-pointer, the Wildcats narrowed the gap to 77-76 with just 33.6 seconds on the clock, but Kansas sealed their victory by converting five out of six free throws in the closing moments.
The game opened with Kharchenkov making a steal and scoring, helping Arizona to a quick 6-0 run that prompted Kansas coach Bill Self to call a timeout just 95 seconds into the match. Throughout the first half, Arizona maintained a two-score advantage until Kansas rallied with six consecutive points, tying the game at 19 with a three-pointer from Tiller.
Dwayne Aristode made a significant contribution from beyond the arc for Arizona’s first three-point attempt, which set off a 10-3 run, allowing the Wildcats to take a 29-22 lead with 7:47 remaining in the first half, pushing Kansas to call another timeout.
Kansas’ defense was fierce, blocking six of Arizona’s first 28 shots. However, the Wildcats responded with back-to-back three-pointers from Burries and Anthony Dell’Orso, re-establishing a seven-point lead. Unfortunately for Arizona, Kansas answered back with seven straight points, tying the game again at 38 with three minutes left in the half.
A shot clock violation provided Kansas a chance to take the lead for the first time, but Council's missed three-pointer allowed Arizona to score five unanswered points, retaining their lead going into the halftime break.
Looking ahead, Arizona will return to their home court on Saturday to face No. 16 Texas Tech, with ESPN’s College GameDay set to broadcast from McKale Center that morning. The Red Raiders (17-6, 7-3) are the second of four consecutive ranked opponents that the Wildcats will encounter.
