Before the first three minutes of his college debut passed last Monday, Arizona’s Brayden Burries already had missed a shot and committed two fouls.
Then he sat down.
“I learned that you just gotta make smart decisions, be in spots earlier (so) those fouls don't happen,” Burries said. “Also, I learned if you have two fouls early, then you're basically done until the second half.”
Burries did manage to come back for another three minutes in the first half of Arizona’s 93-87 win over Florida that evening but missed another shot.
The explosive tendencies the five-star freshman guard flashed in the preseason had been muted for the evening. He finished with only three points and fouled out after 17 minutes.
“Being late to spots on defense, I can clean that up,” Burries said. “Also, my cutouts (boxing out for rebounds) could be better but overall not fouling, being in spots early is gonna help me out a lot.”
Four days later, back in the comfort of McKale Center against Utah Tech, Burries hit a 3-pointer 83 seconds into the game and picked up an offensive charge call on UA’s next possession. But his aggressiveness did not sink from there: Burries wound up with 18 points on 7-for-16 shooting over 32 minutes.
Arizona guard Brayden Burries, right, drives against Utah Tech guard Chance Trujillo (2) during the second half, Friday, Nov. 7, 2025, in Tucson.
That was the sort of debut that might have been expected of a five-star recruit who scored 44 points in the California Open Division state championship game, was named California’s Gatorade Player of the Year, and played in the McDonald’s All-American game.
It just took some time to adjust. His game and his mindset.
“For sure,” UA coach Tommy Lloyd said. “He's obviously a special player, he's a great person and it's a joy to coach him, because he wants to do right by his coach, and he wants to do right by his teammates.
“Sometimes you tell him something and he takes it pretty literal. So he's just got to find that fine line between listening to what we're saying as coaches and trying to figure out what the team needs, and playing off his instincts, because he's got great instincts, as well.”
It could have been a tough week for Burries.
While he was sitting out with foul trouble Monday against Florida, fellow five-star freshman Koa Peat put down 30 points on the Gators and was receiving an outpouring of attention from all over the nation in the TNT-televised game between Arizona and the defending national champions.
But Lloyd said Burries handled it well, during the game and after.
“He was awesome,” Lloyd said. “He was awesome on the bench. He was excited. We're really working on that — enjoying your teammates’ success is really important for any culture. It's easy to say, and it's harder to do.
"We're human like anybody else, but we’re making a really concerted effort to build in a great culture here.”
His teammates may be giving back, too. Burries said he already knows he can rely on them for a boost of confidence when he’s struggling and, based on an exchange with forward Tobe Awaka during Friday's postgame news conference, is treated equally by those with more seniority.
Burries was asked about how Awaka had basically moved Burries out of the way to get a rebound over him .... and Awaka answered first.
“My bad, bro,” Awaka said.
Awaka wound up with a career-high 18 rebounds, and Burries didn’t seem to mind that one of those wasn’t his.
“Eighteen rebounds … when you see him in there and he might get it, you just get out of the way,” Burries said.
Besides, Awaka has a way of paying it back. He had the nation’s fourth-highest offensive rebounding percentage last season, meaning that there’s always a pretty good chance a guy like Burries can miss a shot and have Awaka get it back for him.
“It feels great, honestly, knowing that I have somebody that I know can get the rebound,” Burries said. “And also even defensively to help him box out. I may not get it, but I can box out (an opponent) so his job is easier. It’s only gonna give him more energy, make him want to play harder, make us as a team better. I feel like he's just great for us overall.”
Arizona guard Brayden Burries dunks against Utah Tech during the second half, Nov. 7, 2025, at McKale Center.
Lloyd had left the room by the time that exchange happened, but it’s pretty obvious he would have liked to hear it.
Culture build, he calls it. The part that comes after you get guys like Burries on board and try mixing them in.
A tough night here, maybe, but a better bond there, that’s what he’s aiming for.
“We’ve got work to do, and in a good way,” Lloyd said. “If we didn't have work to do, I'd be lying to you. I like where we're at, I like the experiences we're having, and I think they're, they're great learning opportunities for our guys.”
