Freshman Brayden Burries breaks out to lead No. 1 Arizona over Alabama
During a media scrum earlier this week, Alabama coach Nate Oats noted that he warned his team that Arizona’s Brayden Burries was “a kid who could go for 30 at any time,” according to Emilee Smarr of the Tuscaloosa News.
Oh, how prescient that turned out.
The five-star freshman scored a career-high 28 points to help No. 1 Arizona run and hide from No. 12 Alabama in the second half of Saturday’s 96-75 rout at Birmingham.
It was Arizona’s fifth win over a ranked team in the first nine games, and a true “I’m here” moment for Burries, who struggled to find his feet in early November but is on rock-solid ground a month later.
The 6-4, 205-pound guard obliterated Alabama’s smaller backcourt with block drives, feathery 3s and a pinpoint lob to Tobe Awaka that led to the basket nearly being uprooted from the post. He packs a punch on a roster that has plenty of physicality and raw strength.
Who knows where this win will end up ranking in the grand scheme of things, but the Tide’s detonation in Arizona showed just how devastating the top-ranked Wildcats can be when the shots accompany the typical avalanche of paint buckets.
The numbers tell the whole story.
Arizona (9-0) bombarded Alabama (7-3) inside the arc with a 44-20 advantage in paint points. He outscored the Tide 52-32, including 21 offensive rebounds in the first 29 minutes of regulation. Arizona’s five-man squad of Motiejus Krivas and Tobe Awaka pulled down 16 offensive rebounds alone. Alabama had eight total rebounds from its three centers.
Arizona made 84 shots compared to just 56 for Alabama. It turns out it’s a lot easier to win basketball games when you make 32 extra shots.
Oh, and for all the buzz about Alabama’s potential ability to tip the scales with a barrage of 3-pointers, it was Arizona that had more triples on its resume until garbage time when the game was way out of its reach.
Burries (5 of 10 from 3-point range) provided that extra bit of hot sauce that fueled the Wildcats’ 28-6 run in the second half to show they’re in a completely different zip code as a national title contender than Alabama is right now. He did it all while enduring an off night from Koa Peat, who managed just six points, 10 fewer than his season average.
Arizona is now the third team to overwhelm Alabama on the glass, joining Purdue and Gonzaga. If Oats’ crew were to leave the group early in March, the rebounding Follies could be that Achilles heel.
Meanwhile, it’s full steam ahead for undefeated Arizona, which is expected to remain No. 1 in the polls next Monday and returns to Tucson with its fourth Quad 1 victory and a real belief that Burries has broken through for good.
With the freshman wall in the rearview mirror, the possibilities are endless for Burries and this club.
