SAN DIEGO — The Big 12 prepared Arizona men's basketball for moments like this.
Not just the physical pounding Motiejus Krivas and Arizona’s other bigs gave Utah State in the Wildcats’ 78-66 win in an NCAA Tournament second-round game Sunday, the same kind of pounding they imposed on their often physical Big 12 opponents en route to winning their conference regular-season and tournament titles.
But also the aftermath, for the late-night charter flight home to Tucson and turnaround in about 36 hours to get on another jet to fly to San Jose on Tuesday.
Over the past month, the Wildcats had to face Kansas at home on Feb. 28, then host Iowa State two days later. They finished the regular season at Colorado in a late-night game on March 7, then returned home at 5 a.m. on March 8 and then flew to Kansas City on March 10 before playing the first of three games in three days on March 12 in the Big 12 Tournament.
Also, in that third game, UA point guard Jaden Bradley nearly broke his finger, surviving with a sprain to his left index finger and wrist in a collision with Houston's Emanuel Sharp.
“Last week, we had three tough games back-to-back-to-back, and it definitely helped us leading into this tournament,” forward Koa Peat said. “The Big 12 is the best conference in college basketball, so it definitely got us prepared for this moment.”
Arizona forward Koa Peat (10), and Arizona guard Jaden Bradley (0) celebrate as their team leads Utah State during the second half in the second round of the NCAA Tournament Sunday, March 22, 2026, in San Diego.
This time, thanks to their game Sunday tipping off only about 400 miles away from home in the late afternoon, the Wildcats’ charter flight from San Diego arrived at 11:30 p.m. Sunday.
That allowed everyone to get plenty of rest before before scouting work was to begin on Monday, with a prep and travel day scheduled for Tuesday.
“Definitely rest up,” Bradley said when asked what the Wildcats’ plan was early this week. “Important to take care of your body, get sleep. You'll be traveling back and forth a lot, and getting the game plan. Get some free throws, get up some shots, if you want to, and just take care of your body.”
That especially goes for Bradley, who already spent last week rehabilitating his injury and acclimating to a wrap around it, and then played 39 minutes against Utah State on Sunday.
But also to wing Ivan Kharchenkov, who played 36 minutes against the Aggies, and to post players Krivas and Peat, who both led the Wildcats while putting in 32 minutes.
Krivas had 11 points and 14 rebounds while Peat had 14 points and 10 rebounds, and Krivas made a particular statement during crunch time. The big man from Lithuania collected six rebounds during a crucial three-minute stretch late in the game after UA’s 18-point lead had been whacked down to just four with five minutes left.
Arizona center Motiejus Krivas (13) reacts after a play against Utah State during the second half in the second round of the NCAA Tournament Sunday, March 22, 2026, in San Diego.
"When the other team tries to come back, if you let us get offensive rebounds, it's really tough to keep going," Krivas said. "We knew it's a key to winning, so we just had to keep going."
Krivas also had three blocked shots and UA coach Tommy Lloyd called him a “game-changer” for how he’s played defensively.
“I know a lot of the analytic gurus out there have studied it probably more than I have,” Lloyd said. “I just know I feel good when he's on the court."
Lloyd said he likes Krivas' ability to vertically contest shots and grab rebounds high around the basket, but that he’d like to see Krivas’ jump hook going in more often on the other end.
But after Krivas missed all four shots he took in the first half Sunday, he hit 2 of 3 in the second, and finished with 11 points largely because he also made 7 of 8 free throws.
Krivas was still pretty impactful on both ends of the floor.
"We were able to speed them up, but you can't simulate their size," Utah State coach Jerrod Calhoun said. "That's the difference, right? That's the difference in the game — their physicality and their size."
Still, the Aggies didn’t melt.
While the Wildcats vastly improved the 29.0% shooting they put up in the first half, finishing at 39.3% for the game, they committed eight turnovers through the first 17 minutes after halftime against a defense that pressed and switched up its zone coverage often.
Lloyd said he found sometimes the Aggies threw out a softer press and sometimes a harder one, with early traps.
"It got us back on our heels a little bit," Lloyd said. "They kind of amped up the heat on their press a little bit. I don't think our spacing was great. I think our initial thrust wasn't great. And that's something that is not easy to do. Everyone on the periphery thinks it should be easy to do. It's not.
"And when you have a desperate team amping up the pressure, and the jump ball's in their favor, and they're aggressive, it's hard. It's hard."
UA held just a 63-59 lead heading into the final five minutes, but outscored Utah State 10-5 over the next three minutes, getting a jumper and a free throw from Bradley, four free throws from Krivas and a smooth top-of-the-key 3-pointer from guard Brayden Burries with 2:18 left.
Arizona guard Brayden Burries (5) celebrates after a play against Utah State during the second half in the second round of the NCAA Tournament Sunday, March 22, 2026, in San Diego.
“Obviously, Burries' 3 was a dagger,” Calhoun said. “I thought we guarded that possession really well. It was a six-point game. ...
“There's a lot of plays throughout a 40-minute game that could impact it. I thought that 3 by him was just a big-time shot in a big moment, and that really kind of carried Arizona to the win.”
It could have been smoother for the Wildcats. They were up by 18 earlier in the half, and Lloyd said he’s aiming to better manage the lead over segments of the game.
“It's so easy to say and hard to do,” Lloyd said. “But sometimes if you can make that next run, get up to 23, 24, you can kind of break a team's will.
“But that team hung with it today. They were impressive. They had answers for everything.”
Eventually, Arizona had more answers. That’s why the Wildcats will be turning around to play Arkansas on Thursday while Utah State’s season is over.
This time of year, staying busy is a privilege.
“I'm so excited to be in this situation, be in this moment with these guys, and we're gonna go rest up,” Bradley said. “Not everybody gets to advance. So it's a blessing. We’ve gotta handle it maturely and try to go get the next win.”
