No. 1 Arizona (21-0, 8-0) at ASU (11-10, 2-6) | Desert Financial Arena, Tempe | Noon | TNT | 1290-AM
Probable starters
ARIZONA
0 G Jaden Bradley (6-3 senior)
5 G Brayden Burries (6-4 freshman)
18 F Ivan Kharchenkov (6-7 freshman)
0 F Koa Peat (6-8 freshman)
13 C Motiejus Krivas (7-2 junior)
Key reserves
3 F Anthony Dell’Orso (6-6 senior)
30 F Tobe Awaka (6-8 senior)
2 F Dwayne Aristode (6-8 freshman)
ASU
5 G Moe Odum (6-2 senior)
4 G Bryce Ford (6-4 junior)
14 C Andrija Grbovic (6-11 junior)
1 F Santiago Trouet (6-11 sophomore)
35 C Massamba Diop (7-1 freshman)
Key reserves
2 G Anthony Johnson (6-3 senior)
23 F Allen Mukeba (6-8 senior)
15 G Noah Meeusen (6-5 sophomore)
How they match up
The last time: ASU gave Arizona its biggest scare so far this season at McKale Center, trailing by just three points with 56 seconds left, but the Wildcats held on for an 89-82 win on Jan. 14. Phoenix-area native Koa Peat led the Wildcats with 24 points and 10 rebounds.
The last time in Tempe: UA’s Caleb Love and ASU’s BJ Freeman were both ejected for Flagrant 2 fouls in a heated game that Arizona won 81-72 on Feb. 1, 2025. Love, who was tossed for his response to a head-butt from Freeman, led the Wildcats with 27 points.
The series: Arizona has now won six straight since Desmond Cambridge hit a halfcourt buzzer-beater to beat the Wildcats 89-88 on Feb. 25, 2023, at McKale. The Wildcats lead the series overall 164-86.
What’s new with the Sun Devils: ASU has lost three of four games since losing at McKale, beating Cincinnati at home on Jan. 24 but getting blown out by Houston and giving up double-digit leads in losses to West Virginia and UCF.
Starting guard Bryce Ford returned from an undisclosed injury on Jan. 14 against Arizona to play nine minutes off the bench and has returned to the starting lineup over ASU’s past four games, hitting 5 of 11 3-pointers combined over his last two games.
ASU has also put 6-11 forward Andrija Grbovic back in the starting lineup at small forward, where he brings size and 39.5% 3-point shooting. With Grbovic, power forward Santiago Trouet and center Massamba Diop, the Sun Devils have a starting frontline that goes 6-11, 6-11 and 7-1.
He said it: “They're really talented. They've got shot makers. Their big guy (Diop) played tremendous in his mid range game, with some middies and floaters, in short roll situations, which are elite shots. So they're just a really talented team that forces you to make decisions. They’ve got a couple guards that can create offense on their own when things break down. They're formidable.” — UA coach Tommy Lloyd
Key players
ASU
Moe Odum
Arizona State guard Maurice Odum during a game against Houston, Jan. 18, 2026, in Houston.
A big reason why the Sun Devils gave the Wildcats a scare earlier this month was that the ASU sparkplug had 23 points, seven assists and three steals. While Houston limited Odum to just eight points on 2-for-10 shooting in the Sun Devils’ next game, he’s averaged 22.7 in three games since then.
ARIZONA
Motiejus Krivas
Arizona center Motiejus Krivas puts a stop to a put-back attempt by Arizona State forward Santiago Trouet in their Big 12 game, Jan. 14, 2026, at McKale Center.
The first ASU-UA game suggested Krivas will have a challenge on both ends Saturday. Diop collected 16 points on 7-for-11 shooting against the UA centers while Krivas had just four points and four rebounds.
Sidelines
What streak?
During pregame interviews Thursday, both Lloyd and UA forward Ivan Kharchenkov made little of the Wildcats’ chance to break the program record for longest undefeated start with a win on Saturday.
“I’m not even looking at the record,” Kharchenkov said.
But for those who are, Arizona’s 21-0 start matches the school-record mark the Wildcats put up before losing at California in February 2014. So a win at ASU would break that record and set a new modern-era consecutive wins record (the overall consecutive wins mark of 22 was set between 1914-17).
“I don't even know the difference between best start and consecutive wins, so I'm confused at that one,” Lloyd said. “I'm excited we got off to a good start, but we're on a much bigger mission than getting off to a good start.
“Honestly, we talk nothing about winning streaks. We just talk about preparing to win the next game. It’s honestly that simple.”
Bradley named to DPOY list
Arizona guard Jaden Bradley was one of 25 players named to the midseason watch list for the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year award.
Bradley, who ranks 125th nationally with a steal percentage of 3.5, was joined on the list by five other Big 12 players, including the league's Defensive Player of the Year last season in Houston's Joseph Tugler, and a former UA backcourt mate in Illinois' Kylan Boswell.
Also from the Big 12 were Kansas forward Flory Bidunga, Iowa State forward Joshua Jefferson, BYU center Keba Keita and Iowa State guard Tamin Lipsey.
Bryant in NBA dunk contest
After edging defending champion KJ Lewis to win the 2024-25 Red-Blue Showcase dunk contest, former Arizona forward Carter Bryant will take his showmanship to a much bigger stage.
According to ESPN, Bryant accepted an invitation to participate in the Feb. 14 dunk contest during the NBA’s All-Star weekend.
Now a rookie with the San Antonio Spurs, Bryant was a freshman making his first appearance on the McKale court when he matched Lewis’ perfect 10s from judges (and former Wildcats) Richard Jefferson, Channing Frye and Corey Williams — and then pulled off a 360-degree dunk in a tiebreaking round.
Bryant's 360-degree dunk earned 29 points, with Frye giving him only a nine, but Lewis missed all three of his overtime attempts to give the crown to Bryant.
“I didn't know what to do” with the extra dunk, Bryant said that night. “To be completely honest with you, I'm just grateful that KJ didn’t finish his dunks. I think if he would have put that down, it probably would have been over.”
Bryant is averaging 2.5 points over 37 games wtih the Spurs.
Numbers game
9: Quad 1 wins for Arizona, most in Division I entering Saturday's game. UA's game Saturday at ASU, which has an 85 NET rating, will qualify as a Quad 2 game for UA unless the Sun Devils move to the top 75.
22: Kansas wins without a loss to start the 1996-97 season, the longest unbeaten start in Big 12 history. (Arizona beat those Jayhawks in the 1997 Sweet 16).
33: Arizona road wins in the Tommy Lloyd era (since 2021-22), a mark that is tied for the second-most nationally in that span. Entering Saturday’s games, UConn also has 33 and Duke has 36.
— Bruce Pascoe
