Arizona's versatility should help Wildcats survive tricky NCAA Tournament matchups

None needed long to explain.

“We know each other and want the ball and need the ball,” Jaden Bradley said.

“We've got a lot of guys on the team that can get theirs,” Brayden Burries said.

Then Koa Peat leaned into the mic.

“Same thing they said, honestly.”

Well, that one didn't quite cut it. Sitting on the T-Mobile Center interview podium with the three UA standouts, coach Tommy Lloyd turned to Peat and grinned.

“I thought we said we can't say the same thing,” he said. “You can't say that.”

Yes, it can sound almost boring to hear them describe it sometimes: Anybody can score, anybody can fill in when somebody is hurt or off or in foul trouble. Their teammates put them in good spots. Whatever.

That’s what the Wildcats will tell you. But it’s all true. Arizona carries a 32-2 record into the NCAA Tournament not just because of its talent, size and athleticism, but also because of how they mixed it all into a tight eight-player rotation that not only has bonds of trust but also can adapt to just about any situation.

In Kansas City, there was a quarterfinal game with UCF that was almost classic Arizona 2025-26: Burries scored 21 points, forward/center Tobe Awaka had a double-double off the bench, center Motiejus Krivas had 10 rebounds and changed a bunch of shots, while Bradley filled in where needed — in this case with eight points, five rebounds and three assists.

Then a semifinal against Iowa State: Burries is off, with just three points, while Krivas and Peat couldn’t get the ball often or do much against the Cyclones’ complex offense … but Anthony Dell’Orso sank 6 of 9 3-pointers and then Bradley came in with the shot (at least so far) of the year, a buzzer-beating, closely guarded jumper from the right wing.

Also, the final against Houston: A testament to grit, to what Lloyd calls figure-it-out, to overcoming a jammed finger that limited Bradley in the second half, to holding off a furious 14-0 Houston run. Peat and Burries each had 21 in that one, while three guys hit two 3-pointers each.

During his Selection Sunday radio show, Lloyd said he knew in the preseason he had a really good team to work with, and that much quickly became public when the Wildcats knocked off defending national champion Florida in their first game.

But there are different ways they keep doing it. Clutch plays from Bradley in early wins over UCLA and UConn, a 28-point breakout from Burries against Alabama, the 22 points Dell’Orso threw in at Houston when Peat and reserve forward Dwayne Aristode were out.

In a do-or-die NCAA Tournament where a bad matchup can end a good team’s season early, the Wildcats have shown the ability to adapt to just about any matchup.

“Obviously, versatility is important, to be able to play against different styles and different matchups,” Lloyd said. “I think our team has a lot of bandwidth to be able to win games in different ways. Obviously we have our core things we really believe in and trust, but you also can't be stubborn enough to think that that's always going to get it done.

“It might. But you definitely need some Plan B's and plan C's at times, too.”

They have several. Here’s a look at some, many of which can be in effect in any given game:

Plan A (the core)

As executed against UCF in the Big 12 Tournament and so many other opponents this season, Arizona tends to be at its best going inside-out, getting the ball to Krivas and Peat, while Burries is scoring from the outside or driving in for layups, depending on what the defense allows.

In Big-12 games, Burries averaged 17.5 points while shooting 50.2% from the field overall, and he’s had 20 or more in five of his last six games. Peat and Bradley both averaged 13.4 points in Big 12 games.

"Their identity showed in the second half when they came out and just went right inside," said Colorado coach Tad Boyle, after Arizona outscored the Buffaloes 54-26 in the paint during UA's 89-79 win at Colorado on March 7. "They knew where their advantage was, and they took advantage of that."

Plan B (the opportunists) 

As proven in several early UA wins, and no more so than when he waved off teammates and hit his game winning shot against Iowa State in the Big 12 Tournament, Bradley will score when Arizona needs it and happily set things up the rest of the time.

"We have crazy talent," Bradley said after the Iowa State game. "Brayden can get it going. Mo (Krivas). Tobe (Awaka). Ivan (Kharchenkov). Koa (Peat). I just stepped up. Didn't have my best game against UCF. I know if we wanted to win this game, I had to be aggressive for my team."

Kharchenkov has also filled offensive holes when needed while proving the Wildcats' most versatile player, able to defend several positions, score from different levels and rebound consistently.

“I feel like I'm like a Swiss army knife a little bit,” Kharchenkov said. “I can defend, and that's where I want to start with. I don't like taking the first shot. I want to start with defense. Get confidence, play defense and just get easy buckets.”

Kharchenkov had two of his highest-scoring games in UA’s wins over BYU (18 points) and Houston (16) in February when Peat and Aristode were out.

Plan C (the insurance)

There’s nobody more efficient at offensive rebounding in the country than Awaka. He ranks first in offensive rebounding percentage by collecting Arizona’s missed shots at an eye-opening 20.6% rate. That means the Wildcats get another crack at it every five misses when Awaka is on the floor.

Awaka is also a key component to the Wildcats' chemistry: A starter last season, he accepted a reserve role so Lloyd could start Krivas upon his full return from a foot injury, and Awaka ran away with the Big 12’s Sixth Man Award as a result.

“I'm glad Tobe got that award,” Bradley said. “Just the stuff he's been able to do, I'm pretty sure he can go anywhere in the country and start and be a top big.”

Plan D (the defense-stretchers)

If there’s been a perceived weak spot in Arizona’s attack all season, it’s often been about that the Wildcats shoot the fourth-fewest 3-pointers of any team in the country. Just 26.8% of their field goal attempts are from beyond the arc.

But there’s a couple of things worth noting there: One, Arizona doesn’t usually need to shoot a lot of 3s if their bigs are producing normally. Two, the Wildcats actually shoot a respectable 36.0% of their 3s when they need to.

While Burries is the Wildcats’ most prolific 3-point shooter, making 36.7% of his 150 attempts, reserve forward Aristode has UA’s best 3-point percentage (44.4) among those who have taken at least one a game.

But Dell’Orso takes over half his shots from 3-point range and is shooting 32.8% after struggling in midseason. And as they have needed to in several recent games, Dell’Orso has heated up.

After struggling from long range through the first two-thirds of the Big 12 season, Dell’Orso had 22 points each in UA’s February wins over BYU and Houston, shook off a midrange foot and ankle injury he suffered late at Houston, and then went off in a 3-point contest against Iowa State’s Milan Momcilovic in the Big 12 Tournament.

In that game, before Bradley hit his game-winner, Dell’Orso was 6 of 9 while Momcilovic was 8 of 14, keeping the Wildcats in striking distance in a game when Iowa State was making life miserable for the UA interior.

Basically, Dell'Orso created another one of those pick-your-poison moments. Iowa State coach TJ Otzelberger said UA’s post players were so physical inside that it forced his help defense to rotate, often leaving Dell’Orso in good position when the Wildcat bigs could pass it out to him.

“When they're able to skip it on the backside, (Dell’Orso) was effective,” Otzelberger said. “Credit to them for making the passes under duress, but you still gotta step up and make those shots.

“That's a competitor and a big moment.”

The Wildcats have had a lot of those moments so far this season. That’s why they’re a No. 1 NCAA Tournament seed.