Arizona Clinches Outright Big 12 Title with Dominant 73-57 Rout of No. 6 Iowa St

[WILD]

Arizona Clinches Outright Big 12 Title with Dominant 73-57 Rout of No. 6 Iowa State

The No. 2 Arizona Wildcats put on a clinic at McKale Center, rolling to a 73-57 victory over the No. 6 Iowa State Cyclones on March 2, 2026, and locking up their first outright Big 12 regular-season championship in the process. Arizona improved to 28-2 overall and 15-2 in conference play with a suffocating defensive effort that limited Iowa State to just 29.2% shooting from the field (19-of-65) and a rough 7-of-30 from three-point range. The Wildcats jumped out to a 37-25 halftime lead and never let up, outrebounding the Cyclones 40-33 while forcing 15 turnovers that fueled easy transition buckets. It was a statement win that gave head coach Tommy Lloyd his 140th career victory, setting a new mark for the most wins by a Division I coach in his first five seasons.

Arizona's attack was nicely balanced, with guard Jaden Bradley leading the way at 17 points (including 9-of-10 from the free-throw line), four rebounds, and two assists. Forward Tobe Awaka dominated the glass with a double-double of 10 points and 15 rebounds, including four offensive boards, while center Motiejus Krivas added 13 efficient points on 3-of-4 shooting. Brayden Burries chipped in 11 points, and the team shot 45.8% from the field (22-of-48) overall while going 23-of-26 (88%) at the line. For Iowa State, Tamin Lipsey paced the Cyclones with 17 points, but key contributors like Joshua Jefferson struggled mightily (just 2-of-17 from the field for 12 points) and Milan Momcilovic was held to five points on poor shooting, as Arizona's defense completely disrupted their rhythm.

With the title secured, Arizona closes out the regular season on the road against Colorado on March 7, 2026, tipping off at 11 p.m. ET (9 p.m. local in Boulder) and televised on ESPN2. The Buffaloes come in at 16-12 overall and 6-9 in the Big 12, well outside the NCAA Tournament picture and looking like a team the Wildcats should handle comfortably. Arizona already beat Colorado earlier this season and will look to keep their momentum rolling with strong rebounding and defense before heading into the Big 12 Tournament as the likely No. 1 seed and a top contender in March Madness.

[KansasCityCats]

Stellar defensive battle by both teams. Arizona finally started to hit shots and simultaneously kept the Cyclones under check. Some of the individual stats for the ISU players are baffling.

Momcilovic and Jefferson combined for 4 of 25, plus a plethora of turnovers. Those two will be NBA stars and the Cats stifled them.

Hopefully Arizona can do it again in KC because they'll likely take on the winner of KU/ISU as the 4/5 seed in the Semifinals next Friday.

[mvpreed2]

I got my cable fixed today!
Cable tech said my box and router were outdated.
I got a new box and a stronger router.
With that being said...
On this episode of "What Reed Sees: Iowa State Edition"

Pros
Good to see Aristode check-in so early (+)

Aristode is shooting 44% from deep? Damn! I did not expect that from him! (++)

This might be one of the ugliest 1st half performances all season, but they are still winning. (+)

That phantom call against Jefferson is paying dividends now that he has picked up his 3rd foul and sitting the rest of the 1st half. (+)

In a gritty game like this, ending the half on a 15-3 (+12) run is what could allow you to cruise to a win against a top 4 program. (++) 

Jefferson with 3 PFs. Momcilovic unable to hit from deep, and now Lipsey hampering a sprained ankle? This game is getting tougher to win for Iowa State! (++)

Congrats to the Arizona Wildcats. You just outright won the conference title in the best conference in the country! (+++)

Cons
Iowa State is getting way too many offensive rebounds! (-)

Yes, Arizona is up. You still cannot ignore the amount of wide open looks that Iowa State has missed this half. This needs to be fixed Coach! (-)

These boys have to stop that stupid off-hand to the neck/chest move! Bradley got called for it last game. Dell'Orso ruined an easy transition basket doing it again here. (-)

I am not trying to make it a big thing, but I have noticed that Peat has not been much of a factor on the offensive end. He has taken a major step back and is nothing more than a glorified role player since his injury. Will we ever see the Peat that debuted against Florida again? (-)

Comments
I know I should be worried about Jefferson. I am more concerned about Toure's defensive prowess and Momcilovic's ability to get hot from deep.
Update: Neither one proved to be much of an issue for Arizona. 

Jefferson got played on that foul on Bradley. The officials made it up by not calling that foul on Kharchenkov.

Conclusion
A gritty win, but a win nonetheless. 28-2 (15-2 Big 12). Locked up the top seed in the Big 12 Tournament. I would say they locked up a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The question is do they care enough to lock up the #1 overall seed?

Next Up: Colorado
#BearDown