
Arizona has advanced to the Sweet 16 for the third consecutive season. This is the best team the program has seen in a while. This team is special because it has multiple players who can get the team 20 points.
One of the best attributes of this team is its unselfishness. The players do not care who scores, as long as they get the win. Their leader has instilled that mindset, and that leader is Jaden Bradley.
Bradley is a senior guard who has spent the last three seasons with the Wildcats. His terrific play this season earned him the honor of Big 12 Player of the Year. He was asked about his leadership throughout the tournament, and this is what he had to say.
Sweet 16 pic.twitter.com/1F6y8QFe4S
— Arizona Basketball (@ArizonaMBB) March 23, 2026
Bradley has had a huge responsibility as the leader this season because of the number of freshmen who need to be taught by the senior guard. The Wildcats have three star-studded freshmen in Brayden Burries, Koa Peat, and Ivan Kharchenkov.
Bradley must be doing a good job because all three have a real possibility of getting drafted in the upcoming NBA draft. Burries has played himself into a lottery lock with how he has been moving on the court as of late.
DOMINATING THE GLASS pic.twitter.com/2FEE2ln2kg
— Arizona Basketball (@ArizonaMBB) March 23, 2026
NIL has obviously changed the college sports world, but this current Wildcats team has not relied on that. Most of the rotation players are either freshmen or players who have been on the roster for two or more seasons.
Bradley has been in this role for the Wildcats for multiple seasons now. That is rare in today’s college landscape with the transfer portal and NIL. Luckily for the Wildcats, Bradley has been loyal and has remained with the program for the last three years.
Bradley spoke on how the team has not let NIL get in the way of its goal and how the players handle it as a unit.
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