Arizona men’s basketball improves to 20-0 with blowout of West Virginia

When Arizona fans walked into McKale Center late Saturday morning they were greeted by small posters on every seat with a giant ‘3’ on it. It’s like the marketing department knew the Wildcats’ game plan.

Top-ranked Arizona hit 10 3-pointers, most in a Big 12 game this season, and improved to 20-0 with an 88-53 romp over West Virginia. The Wildcats are one victory away from matching the best start in school history when they won their first 21 games in 2013-14.

Brayden Burries had 22 points, his sixth 20-point game of the season, while Motiejus Krivas posted his third double-double in the last six games with 11 points and 12 rebounds. Koa Peat added 17 and 7, Tobe Awaka had 14 rebounds and Anthony Dell’Orso scored 12 after managing no field goals his previous three games.

The Wildcats shot 52.5 percent against a West Virginia team that had held opponents to 40.7 percent from the field. They were 10 of 23 from 3 with six different players nailing one but Burries doing the most damage by going 4 from 8 on 7-of-12 shooting overall.

West Virginia (13-7, 4-3) shot 34.4 percent, the second consecutive opponent the UA has held under 60 points and 35 percent from the field. Arizona hadn’t done that to back-to-back foes since Jan. 2023.

The UA led 43-23 at the half and kept building on that margin right away, forcing West Virginia coach Ross Hodge to call his fourth timeout just over three minutes into the second half. A 7-0 run put the Wildcats up 60-32, then Krivas hit their eighth 3 not long after.

West Virginia didn’t attempt its first free throw until the 12:18 mark, which was also when it had its best run of shooting by making three straight baskets. But Arizona never went more than 2 ½ minutes without scoring after halftime, and a 13-0 run—with seven straight from Dell’Orso—got the lead over 35 with less than two minutes remaining.

Arizona made its first four shots to start the game, including a pair of 3-pointers by Burries, who had 10 points in the first seven minutes. A 3 byDell’Orso—snapping an 0 for 15 streak from the field—made it 20-8 with 12:17 left in the first half.

West Virginia started 4 of 18 from the field and didn’t make its first 3 until more than 10 minutes in. The Mountaineers made three of their next four shots missed seven in a row, allowing the visitors to get within 22-14.

The UA got back on track after that, mixing perimeter shots with its patented inside game. Burries’ third 3-pointer capped the first of two 7-0 runs, the second ending with a triple fromPeat, and it was 40-21 with 2:01 left before halftime.

The UA hits the road for its next two games, starting with Big Monday at No. 13 BYU. It’s the first of seven contests remaining on the schedule against ranked Big 12 opponents.