Arizona Wildcats guard Brayden Burries (5) drives while being defended by BYU Cougars forward Kennard Davis Jr. (30) during the second half at Marriott Center. Aaron Baker-Imagn Images

No. 1 Arizona remains unbeaten following tough road test at No. 13 BYU

By Eric Smithling | Last updated Jan 27, 2026 12:17 AM ET

Associated Press No. 1 Arizona Wildcats remained perfect on Monday following a thriller in their toughest Big 12 road test of the season, an 86-83 win over No. 13 BYU Cougars (17-3, 5-2 in Big 12).

Based on how Arizona (21-0, 8-0 in Big 12) played, its undefeated record will be hard to crack.

Arizona continues perfect season by holding on in road thriller over BYU

The Wildcats led by as many as 19 before surviving a late Cougars rally in the three-point victory. The backcourt took over early, with freshman Brayden Burries leading the team in scoring (29 points). Senior Jaden Bradley added 26 points, and the duo combined to shoot 17-of-28 (60.7 percent) while adding seven assists and five steals.

Defensively, Arizona held BYU below its season average in points entering Monday. The Cougars shot 40.3 percent, which was also a sharp decline from their shooting percentage (49.1 percent) through their first 19 games.

Burries even came up with the decisive block in the closing seconds to preserve the win.

BRAYDEN BURRIES BLOCKS THE POTENTIAL BYU GAME-WINNER

ARIZONA ESCAPES UNDEFEATED pic.twitter.com/y9CJev1oej
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) January 27, 2026

Arizona showed why it's the unanimous No. 1 team in the country. The Wildcats are well-positioned to continue the perfect run with two games against weaker opponents — Arizona State (11-9, 2-5 in Big 12), Oklahoma State (14-6, 2-5 in Big 12) — over the next 13 days.

But things will get tougher after.

From Feb. 9-Mar. 2, Arizona plays No. 14 Kansas (15-5, 5-2 in Big 12) twice, BYU a second time, No. 11 Texas Tech (16-4, 6-1 in Big 12), No. 10 Houston (17-2, 5-1 in Big 12) and No. 8 Iowa State (18-2, 5-2 in Big 12). As difficult as it will be to emerge from that gauntlet unscathed, the Wildcats are capable of doing so.

Arizona is battle-tested, averaging 83.3 points per game in nine Quad 1 games. Four of those nine wins have come by six points or less, which should give the Wildcats confidence in tough settings like the one they found themselves in on Monday.

BYU put up a valiant fight and gave Arizona its best shot, but it wasn't enough. That's a feeling others in the Big 12 might soon discover.

Eric Smithling

Eric Smithling is a writer based in New Orleans, LA, whose byline also appears on Athlon Sports. He has been with Yardbarker since September 2022, primarily covering the NFL and college football, but also the NBA, WNBA, men’s and women’s college basketball, NHL, tennis and golf. He holds a film studies degree from the University of New Orleans

More must-reads: