Two days out from tip-off of Arizona’s Round of 64 matchup against LIU, three of its players made the cut on ESPN’s ranking of the top 50 players playing in the 2026 NCAA Tournament.
Senior guard Jaden Bradley is the highest-ranked Wildcat at the No. 17 spot. After transferring to Arizona in 2023, the Wildcat of three seasons is averaging a career-high 13.3 points per game on 46.1% shooting and 40.4% 3-point shooting.
However, college basketball reporter Jeff Borzello places more value in Bradley’s strong defensive play and knack for coming up clutch. These traits help him earn the Big 12 Player of the Year award and were best illustrated in Arizona’s Big 12 Tournament semifinal win against No. 5-seed Iowa State.
You saw his winning shot at the buzzer to beat Iowa State in the Big 12 Tournament, right? That’s just about all that needs to be said for the Big 12 Player of the Year, one of the best two-way players and one of the best late-game players in the country. His numbers — 13.3 points, 3.6 rebounds, 4.5 assists — don’t jump off the page, but he consistently makes winning plays when it matters.
Freshman guard Brayden Burries clocks in at No. 18, one spot below Bradley.
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The No. 11 national recruit was the second five-star recruit to arrive in Tucson in the spring of 2025, and he has since more than proved that he was worth the investment.
Burries leads the Wildcats in scoring with 15.9 points per game on 49.2% shooting and a 36.7% 3-point clip. His All-Big 12 First Team and AP All-American honorable mention honors have boosted his stock as both an NBA Draft prospect and a top college basketball player in the eyes of college basketball reporter Myron Medcalf.
The freshman has proved where he stands on a talented roster by rising to the occasion in big matchups, scoring 28 points in a December win over Alabama and 20 in a February win over Kansas. He also had 10 points in the first half of the Big 12 Tournament championship against Houston.
The final Wildcat to earn a spot in the ranking is freshman forward Koa Peat at No. 43.
Nearly a year after committing to Tommy Lloyd and the Wildcats, the Gilbert native earned All-Big 12 Third Team honors while averaging 13.6 points per game on 53% shooting in 31 games.
Medcalf sees Peat’s overall talent that made him ESPN’s No. 16 overall prospect in the 2026 NBA Draft and strong play at the end of the Big 12 Tournament as enough reason for him to make the cut.
The 6-foot-8 NBA prospect went on to have an up-and-down season while contending with a lower leg injury and typical freshman growing pains. But since Jan. 1, he has scored 20 0r more points in five games, including his 21-point, six-rebound effort in the Big 12 Tournament championship over Houston.
Arizona was joined by Florida, Iowa State, Michigan and UConn as the five teams that had three players included in the ranking. No team had more than three.
The West Region’s No. 1 seed is set to take on No. 16-seed Long Island University at 10:35 a.m. Friday in San Diego. The game can be seen on TNT.
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