Two weeks into the 2025-26 campaign, Arizona (4-0) still could claim to have the most significant win to date, beating Florida on opening night. The Wildcats have a chance to get an even better victory on Tuesday, traveling to Storrs to take on UConn (4-0), coming off a top-10 win of its own after holding off BYU.
Arizona will look to avenge its Big 12 peer’s defeat this past weekend by beating UConn for another signature win. Yet it’s going to be just as hard as it was to beat the Gators.
Here are some keys to watch for Arizona to pull off the upset win.
1. Winning the frontcourt battle
When it comes to depth, Arizona has one of the best collections of forwards and centers in college basketball. However, when it comes to just the starters, UConn may be No. 1. Seniors Alex Karaban (18.3 ppg and 5.3 rpg) and Tarris Reed (20 ppg and 9.3 rpg) are off to a great start, combining to score 42 points in the win over BYU. To get the win, the Wildcats will need to limit their production, and it’ll take a group effort.
2. Production from freshmen not named Koa Peat
One of Arizona's key frontcourt players is Peat, a top freshman in college basketball who leads the team with 16.3 ppg and 5.3 rpg. His 30 points were enough to beat Florida, but the team can’t count on him to have another huge game like that against UConn.
What the Wildcats do have are three other freshmen in the rotation. Brayden Burries (8.8 ppg and 2.3 apg), Dwayne Aristode (6.3 ppg), and Ivan Kharchenkov (4.5 ppg and 4.5 rpg), with the latter name having a double-double against Arizona. Taking pressure off the freshman with a collective effort will be key for Arizona against the veteran Huskies.
3. Make the 3s count
Arizona is one of the most efficient shooting teams in the nation, making 40% of its three-point attempts. However, they don’t shoot a ton, ranking in the bottom-10 overall with just 16 attempts a game. Only two players (Anthony Dell’Orso and Burries) take more than 3 3-point shots a game, while the lead scorers, Peat and Jaden Bradley, focus more on mid-range shots and drives to the basket.
While it did work against Florida, UConn may take those shots away. So, however many three-point shots Arizona does take, they’ll need to be at least efficient with them again.