The University of Arizona men’s basketball team has continued to have an undefeated season holding 13-0 as they defeated the South Dakota State University Jackrabbits 99-71 on Monday, December 29 at 7 p.m. MST in McKale Center. This is the first time the Wildcats have gone into their Big 12 conference season 13-0 since the 2013-2014 season. 

The Wildcats were led by freshman forward Koa Peat, as he finished the night with 19 points on 12-7 from the field and 7-4 at the free throw line along with 14 rebounds and three assists. Peat was great on the inside, getting multiple offensive and defensive boards throughout the game. This includes multiple on one possession in the first half, to go along with excellent shot selection to help propel the Wildcats to this monster win. 

Freshman guard Brayden Burries was the second leading scorer for the Wildcats as he finished with 14 points on 9-4 shooting to go along with three rebounds and one assist. He also was also a great stopper defensively, including two steals in the first half that led to 4 points for Arizona and helped change the momentum of the game. 

Then you have the junior center Motiejus Krivas, who finished the game with 13 points on 8-5 shooting and 11 rebounds. Krivas made life extremely difficult for the defenders on the inside as he used both his height and strength to affect every layup as well as every rebound. 

The JackRabbits showcased great talent as well throughout the game. Junior guard Kalen Garry led the scoring for South Dakota as he finished the night with 20 points, on 11-8 shooting, to go along with four rebounds and two assists. He had a great mid-range game and did his best to keep the Jackrabbits in the game. 

Sophomore guard Jaden Jackson was the second leading scorer, as he finished the night with 18 points on 16-7 shooting, three assists and a rebound. He was great from the perimeter as he hit three 3-pointers in his best efforts to try and steal the game from the Wildcats. 

So, how did we get to a final score that feels so lopsided? The first half ended with the Wildcats up by 16 points making the score 51-35. The Wildcats started off hot as they got ahead with a 10 point lead within the first five minutes. They never really looked back from there as their largest lead from the half was 19 points. The Wildcats had 18 points in the first half, to go along with 11 points off of 7 first half turnovers. Peat had 16 in the first half. Arizona’s fast start and control in the paint helped them build a commanding 51–35 halftime lead, putting the Wildcats firmly in control heading into the second half. Once the second half started, Arizona never really looked back as they ended the night winning by 28 points. 

Arizona’s dominance on both ends of the floor led to a convincing 99–71 win, keeping the Wildcats perfect at 13–0. With control in the paint and strong performances from their young core, Arizona turned an early lead into another statement victory.

Looking forward

Arizona Men’s basketball will start Big 12 conference play as they head on the road to play the University of Utah in the Jon M. Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City. The game is available for streaming on Peacock while the Wildcats are on the road.