3 takeaways from BYU’s dramatic loss to No. 1 Arizona

Heartbreak at the Marriott Center.

BYU couldn’t complete a wild comeback effort Monday night, falling 86-83 to No. 1 Arizona.

The Cougars, who suffered their first loss in Provo since February of 2025, are now 17-3 on the season and 5-2 in Big 12 play.

Battle to the end. pic.twitter.com/24TxVNo40G

— BYU Men's Basketball (@BYUMBB) January 27, 2026

3 takeaways

BYU’s late comeback attempt came up short. Similar to November’s loss to UConn, the Cougars struggled for the majority of the game before capturing some magic down the stretch.

BYU trailed by as many as 19 points in the second half and by 10 points in the final minute, but Kevin Young’s crew put together a 11-2 run across 40 seconds to cut the deficit to just a single point.

With 12 seconds remaining, the Cougars came out of a timeout with a chance to win the game, but Rob Wright III couldn’t connect on a contested layup — though some might argue he was fouled there — as the Wildcats escaped with the victory.

Brayden Burries and Jaden Bradley feasted against BYU. Entering Monday, many fans had their eyes set on the matchup between star freshmen AJ Dybantsa and Koa Peat.

Instead, Arizona’s other stud freshman and his backcourt counterpart stole the show.

Burries and Bradley combined for 55 points, with 36 coming before halftime. The pair shot a collective 60.7% from the field, hit four 3-pointers, dished out seven assists and grabbed eight rebounds.

Brayden Burries & Jaden Bradley were INSTRUMENTAL in Arizona's win over BYU 💯

Burries: 29 PTS
Bradley: 26 PTS pic.twitter.com/OCcWLAenBy

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) January 27, 2026

BYU’s offense responded well in the second half, which is encouraging considering the elite Arizona defense. In the first five minutes of play, the Cougars had scored 15 points, with the night appearing as if it may turn into a shootout.

But Arizona’s Big 12-best defense quickly flipped the script, holding BYU to just 16 points in the first half’s final 15 minutes.

After halftime, however, the Cougars adjusted well and found better results in the form of 52 points.

BYU in the first half: 33.3% shooting from the field, 21.4% shooting from 3-point range, nine turnovers, zero points from turnovers, .838 points per possession.

BYU in the second half: 46.2% shooting from the field, 50% shooting from 3-point range, three turnovers, 13 points from turnovers. 1.41 points per possession.

Arizona is an obvious buzzsaw. There isn’t a better team in the country.

BYU has plenty to fix and improve in order to be a legitimate Final Four and national championship contender. The Cougars aren’t there yet. The gap between the Wildcats and BYU, for the majority of the night, was rather large.

But the Cougars, as they have so many times already this year, refused to surrender, nearly stealing an all-time win in the process. That fight means something. Young and his staff can work with that.