The University of Arizona’s NCAA Tournament run ended Saturday with a 91-73 loss to the University of Michigan.

Arizona struggled offensively, as Jaden Bradley, the Big 12 Player of the Year, was limited to 11 minutes in the first half because of foul trouble.

His backcourt teammate and leading scorer, Brayden Burries, also struggled. The freshman guard went 0 for 5 from the field in the first half and finished with 13 points on 4-for-16 shooting.

Michigan led by 16 at halftime, a troubling sign for Arizona. The lead grew to as many as 30 points midway through the second half, and the Wildcats never got closer than 17 points the rest of the way. The loss marked Arizona’s first double-digit defeat of the season.

Arizona never held a lead in the matchup between No. 1 seeds. Michigan advanced to face UConn with a chance to win its first national championship since 1989.

Despite the tournament loss, Arizona’s season included several highlights, finishing with a 36-3 record.

Before the season, the Wildcats were ranked No. 13 in the AP preseason poll for the 2025-26 season. Entering their second year in the Big 12 Conference, Arizona was considered a top-15 contender and regularly faced highly ranked opponents.

Arizona opened the season with a 93-87 win over No. 3 Florida. Freshman Koa Peat led the Wildcats with 30 points, shooting 11 for 18 from the field while adding seven rebounds, five assists and three steals.

After another win against Utah Tech, Arizona moved up to No. 5 in the rankings.

The Wildcats went undefeated in November and December and rose to No. 1 in the country, highlighted by wins over UConn, UCLA, Auburn and Alabama. In back-to-back games against Auburn and Alabama, Arizona scored a combined 192 points while allowing 137.

Burries led the way in those games with a combined 44 points and 12 rebounds, shooting 60% from the field and 38% from 3-point range.

In conference play, Arizona went 16-2 against Big 12 opponents, with wins over Kansas, Iowa State and Houston. The Wildcats went undefeated in January but later suffered their first two losses of the season in back-to-back games against Kansas and Texas Tech. During that stretch, Arizona shot 42% from the field and 32% from 3-point range.

Following those losses, Arizona won nine consecutive games and clinched the outright Big 12 regular-season title. It marked the program’s third conference title in the past five years and its first since joining the Big 12 in the 2024-25 season.

Coach Tommy Lloyd became the 10th head coach to lead a team to a Big 12 regular-season title and the first to do so since Baylor’s Scott Drew in 2020-21.

Arizona entered the NCAA Tournament ranked No. 2 in the country and opened with a 92-58 win over Long Island University. The Wildcats continued with double-digit victories over Utah State, Arkansas and Purdue.

During the tournament, Arizona was led by freshmen Peat and Burries, who each averaged about 17 points per game.

According to The Athletic’s 2026 NBA mock draft, Arizona is projected to have four players selected. Peat, Burries and center Motiejus Krivas are projected as first-round picks, while Bradley is projected to be selected in the second round.

Arizona is expected to remain competitive under Lloyd, who recently signed a five-year contract extension through the 2030-31 season.