Arguably the loudest cheer of the afternoon on Saturday at McKale Center wasn't anything that Koa Peat or the second-ranked Arizona Wildcats did against Norfolk State; it was for the UA football coach.
Arizona head coach Brent Brennan and his wife, Courtney, attended the UA men's basketball game against Norfolk State at McKale Center Saturday afternoon.
When the video board showed Brennan sitting courtside less than 24 hours after beating rival Arizona State in the Territorial Cup and ending the regular season on a five-game winning streak, the second-year Arizona coach was met with a standing ovation.
Would Brennan get that reaction, say, a year ago? Likely not. Maybe a few supportive golf claps, but that's about it. As Brennan described it, last season was "absolute misery."
The turnaround from 4-8 to 9-3 — the eighth team in program history to reach nine wins — boils down to "alignment," Brennan said.
Arizona football head coach Brent Brennan greets courtside fans during the basketball game against Norfolk State at McKale Center, Nov. 29, 2025.
"I really think I'm fortunate to be surrounded by awesome people," Brennan said after Arizona's win over Arizona State in Tempe. "I think it starts with alignment with our administration, our president, our athletic director, all of the people who are helping us build it. The coaches are fantastic. ... When you have great alignment from top to bottom and everyone is all-in and moving in the same direction, you can do incredible things. I think that's what's happening with our program right now."
If the double-overtime loss to No. 18 BYU in Tucson and the walk-off loss to Houston on the road swung the other direction, the Wildcats could be 11-1 and be in the process of a showdown with fifth-ranked Texas Tech in the Big 12 championship this week.
Brennan sat down with the ESPN+ broadcast team during the first half of Arizona basketball's win over Norfolk State and said the losses to BYU and Houston "really, really hurt."
"But I love how our team responded and our team kept finding a way to play good football down the stretch. To win our last five in a row, in the fashion that we did, I'm really proud of it. We're led by our quarterback Noah Fifita, who's just an absolute warrior. It's been a lot of fun."
Arizona head coach Brent Brennan has a backslap for Arizona offensive lineman Tristan Bounds (71) after the Wildcats scored in the last seconds to take the lead, and eventually the game, over Kansas, Nov. 8, 2025, in Tucson.
Arizona's five-game winning streak in November is a first for the UA football program. This season is also the first time Arizona won three road games in the month of November — two of those victories were against ranked opponents in No. 25 Cincinnati and No. 20 ASU.
Arizona football wasn't the only highlight of November for UA athletics.
Arizona triathlon repeated as national champions in just the program's third season at the UA. The Wildcats have won more national championships than they have not. The 2024 Arizona triathlon team was also inducted into the UA Sports Hall of Fame.
Arizona men's basketball (7-0) remains undefeated and has three Top 15 wins over Florida, UCLA and UConn. The Wildcats have also moved up to No. 2 in the Associated Press Top 25.
In Arizona women's basketball's first season under head coach Becky Burke, the Wildcats are 6-0. UA volleyball didn't have an unblemished November and fell to No. 8 ASU, No. 25 BYU and Utah — all on the road — but won all of its matches at McKale Center in November, including an upset victory over BYU. The Wildcats won their last two matches to end the month and the regular season.
Arizona defensive back Johno Price (21), left, and Arizona head coach Brent Brennan celebrate the recovery of a Baylor fumble during the fourth quarter of their Big 12 game, Nov. 22, 2025, at Casino Del Sol Stadium.
December is expected to be another busy month for Arizona athletics, with nonconference play winding down for both basketball programs and UA football awaiting its postseason fate, which will be unveiled on Sunday, Dec. 7, at 10 a.m. on ESPN.
When Arizona's five-game winning streak started, a trip to the Sun Bowl in El Paso or the L.A. Bowl seemed like likely possibilities, but the Wildcats' 9-3 regular season and a fourth-place finish in the Big 12 has made the program an appealing team for the Holiday Bowl in San Diego or even the Alamo Bowl in San Antonio as the Pac-12 representative, which is still in effect this season.
A Holiday Bowl representative attended Arizona's postgame press conference on Saturday and was spotted talking to Brennan and UA staffers in the hallway outside of Arizona's locker room. The Holiday Bowl is on Jan. 2 at Snapdragon Stadium, the same venue Arizona played at to open the 2022 season.
"San Diego for New Year's sounds great to me," Brennan said. "But we'll be happy anywhere we go. We're excited. A nine-win season, that's a great way to finish, beating the team up north. We're fired up."
Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita celebrates after a video review upheld a Wildcat interception in the last minutes of the Territorial Cup game against Arizona State, Nov. 28, 2025, in Tempe. The Wildcats took the Cup back with a 23-7 win.
Fifita's success makes case for Big 12 OPOY
The Big 12 season awards are expected to be announced this week and Fifita could be named Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year.
In his first season under offensive coordinator Seth Doege, Fifita has passed for a career-high 2,963 yards, 26 touchdowns and five interceptions.
Fifita's 26 passing touchdowns this season is a career-high and the fifth-most in a season by a UA quarterback. Fifita needs three more passing touchdowns to set Arizona's single-season touchdown record. He currently owns Arizona's record for most career passing touchdowns (70).
Fifita has the third-most passing yards in the Big 12 behind Baylor's Sawyer Robertson and TCU's Josh Hoover, however, Fifita has significantly fewer interceptions (5) than Robertson (12) and Hoover (13).
Plus, Baylor finished 5-7 and TCU is 8-4 entering bowl season. Arizona's team success coupled with Fifita's statistics could make Fifita a compelling option for Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year or an all-conference selection.
Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita (1) gets off the throw under pressure during the first quarter against Arizona State in their Territorial Cup game, Nov. 28, 2025, in Tempe.
BYU running back L.J. Martin, who leads the Big 12 with 1,229 rushing yards, is another strong candidate for Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year, especially with the Cougars in the Big 12 championship. Ditto for TCU wide receiver Eric McAlister, who leads the Big 12 with 1,121 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns.
If Fifita is named Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year, he'll be the first Wildcat to earn conference offensive player of the year honors since running back Ka'Deem Carey in 2013. Fifita was named Pac-12 Offensive Freshman of the Year following his breakout campaign in 2023.
Fifita could also earn All-Big 12 first- or second-team status. Other Wildcats to potentially earn All-Big 12 status include safety Dalton Johnson, who leads the team in tackles (94), and defensive back Treydan Stukes, who is currently tied for the second-most interceptions (4) in the Big 12 this season. Arizona cornerback Jay'Vion Cole also has four interceptions this season.
Johnson has the sixth-most tackles in the Big 12 this season — the most by a defensive back. Other potential candidates for all-conference honors or honorable mention include safety Genesis Smith and wide receiver Kris Hutson, who has the seventh-most receiving yards (740) in the Big 12 and is having a strong second half of the season. Hutson has 24 catches for 351 yards in the last three games.
Arizona picked up 6-4, 277-pound defensive lineman Kevin Moorer from Hutchinson Community College in Kansas.
JuCo d-lineman Kevin Moorer commits to UA
The day after Arizona punctuated its nine-win regular season with a 23-7 win over rival Arizona State in Tempe, the Wildcats added junior college defensive lineman Kevin Moorer to their 2026 recruiting class.
The Hutchinson Community College (Kansas) standout and Mobile, Alabama native committed to Arizona over Arkansas State, Delaware State, Florida Atlantic, Temple and Alabama State, among others.
The 6-4, 277-pound Moorer is rated by 247Sports.com as the 23rd-best defensive lineman from the junior college level for 2026. Moorer is the latest addition to Arizona's 21-player 2026 recruiting class that ranks 35th nationally and sixth in the Big 12, according to 247Sports.com.
Moorer is the latest junior college defensive lineman to transfer to Arizona since the hiring of defensive line coach Joe Salave'a. Current starter Leroy Palu, who was silently committed to West Virgnia and former Arizona head coach Rich Rodriguez, transferred from Cerritos College just days after Salave'a was hired.
The Wildcats also signed College of San Mateo defensive tackle Ezra Funa and 6-6, 389-pound Zac Siulepa, a native of Gold Coast, Australia, and transfer from Garden City Community College (Kansas).
Siulepa signed with Arizona before the hiring Salave'a, but didn't join the team until the last half of training camp. Siulepa has played in pinches this season, but is primarily focused on conditioning to have a more prominent role in 2026. Funa redshirted this season and is expected to contribute in 2026.
The early signing period for the 2026 recruiting class is on Wednesday. Early enrollees from the 2026 recruiting class will be able to practice with the Wildcats during bowl preparation.
