Utah State forward Adlan Elamin (35) guards Arizona guard Brayden Burries (5) during the second half of a game in the second round of the NCAA college basketball tournament Sunday, March 22, 2026, in San Diego. Mark J. Terrill, Associated Press
Brandon Judd
By Brandon Judd
Brandon covers sports for the Deseret News, with an emphasis on the University of Utah and the NFL.

Utah State had a difficult draw for its second-round NCAA Tournament matchup in Arizona, a program who spent a good portion of the season ranked No. 1 in the country.

The No. 9 seed Aggies fought their way back from an 18-point second-half deficit, but the No. 1 seed Wildcats held off a late charge for a 78-66 win at Viejas Arena in San Diego on Sunday night.

Utah State ended the season with a 29-7 record after falling in the second round of the NCAAs.

3 takeaways

Arizona wore Utah State down by controlling the glass: One area where the Big 12’s Wildcats dominated was on the boards — Arizona finished with a 54-26 rebounding advantage, and that included a 22-8 edge on the offensive glass.

Motiejus Krivas led that fight, with nine of his game-high 14 rebounds on the offensive end. He also had 11 points.

While both teams shot 39% from the field, Arizona had a 21-14 advantage in second-chance points.

The Wildcats also were the aggressors, finishing 27 of 39 from the free-throw line, while Utah State was 8 of 11.

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Utah State guard Mj Collins (2) attempts to steal the ball from Arizona guard Jaden Bradley (0) during the second half of a game in the second round of the NCAA college basketball tournament Sunday, March 22, 2026, in San Diego. | Mark J. Terrill, Associated Press
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Arizona center Motiejus Krivas (13) reacts after a play against Utah State during the second half of a game in the second round of the NCAA college basketball tournament Sunday, March 22, 2026, in San Diego. | Marcio Jose Sanchez, Associated Press
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Utah State guard Mason Falslev (12) and Arizona center Motiejus Krivas (13) scramble for the ball during the second half of a game in the second round of the NCAA college basketball tournament Sunday, March 22, 2026, in San Diego. | Marcio Jose Sanchez, Associated Press
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Utah State players react on the bench as they trail Arizona during the second half of a game in the second round of the NCAA college basketball tournament Sunday, March 22, 2026, in San Diego. | Mark J. Terrill, Associated Press
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Arizona guard Jaden Bradley (0) shoots around Utah State forward Garry Clark (11) during the second half of a game in the second round of the NCAA college basketball tournament Sunday, March 22, 2026, in San Diego. | Mark J. Terrill, Associated Press
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Arizona forward Koa Peat (10), and Arizona guard Jaden Bradley (0) celebrate as their team leads Utah State during the second half of a game in the second round of the NCAA college basketball tournament Sunday, March 22, 2026, in San Diego. | Mark J. Terrill, Associated Press
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Utah State guard Elijah Perryman (1) reacts after a play against Arizona during the second half of a game in the second round of the NCAA college basketball tournament Sunday, March 22, 2026, in San Diego. | Mark J. Terrill, Associated Press
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Utah State head coach Jerrod Calhoun walks off the court after his team lost to Arizona in the second round of the NCAA college basketball tournament Sunday, March 22, 2026, in San Diego. | Marcio Jose Sanchez, Associated Press
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Arizona forward Koa Peat (10) shoots against Utah State during the second half of a game in the second round of the NCAA college basketball tournament Sunday, March 22, 2026, in San Diego. | Marcio Jose Sanchez, Associated Press
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Arizona guard Brayden Burries (5) shoots over Utah State forward Karson Templin (22) during the second half of a game in the second round of the NCAA college basketball tournament Sunday, March 22, 2026, in San Diego. | Marcio Jose Sanchez, Associated Press
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Utah State forward Garry Clark (11) shoots around Arizona forward Koa Peat (10) during the first half of a game in the second round of the NCAA college basketball tournament Sunday, March 22, 2026, in San Diego. | Marcio Jose Sanchez, Associated Press
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Utah State forward Karson Templin (22) reacts after a play against Arizona during the second half of a game in the second round of the NCAA college basketball tournament Sunday, March 22, 2026, in San Diego. | Mark J. Terrill, Associated Press
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Arizona guard Brayden Burries (5) celebrates after a play against Utah State during the second half of a game in the second round of the NCAA college basketball tournament Sunday, March 22, 2026, in San Diego. | Mark J. Terrill, Associated Press
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Utah State forward Karson Templin (22) reaches for the ball against Villanova guard Tyler Perkins during the first half in the first round of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 20, 2026, in San Diego. | Mark J. Terrill, Associated Press
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Utah State forward Garry Clark (11) shoots against Arizona forward Koa Peat (10) during the first half of a game in the second round of the NCAA college basketball tournament Sunday, March 22, 2026, in San Diego. | Mark J. Terrill, Associated Press
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Utah State forward Karson Templin, left, and Arizona guard Anthony Dell'orso (3) scramble for the ball during the first half of a game in the second round of the NCAA college basketball tournament Sunday, March 22, 2026, in San Diego. | Marcio Jose Sanchez, Associated Press
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Utah State guard Kolby King (7) shoots around Arizona forward Koa Peat (10) during the second half of a game in the second round of the NCAA college basketball tournament Sunday, March 22, 2026, in San Diego. | Mark J. Terrill, Associated Press
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Utah State guard Mj Collins (2) shoots around Arizona forward Ivan Kharchenkov (8) during the first half of a game in the second round of the NCAA college basketball tournament Sunday, March 22, 2026, in San Diego. | Mark J. Terrill, Associated Press
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Arizona forward Koa Peat (10) shoots over Utah State forward Garry Clark (11) during the first half of a game in the second round of the NCAA college basketball tournament Sunday, March 22, 2026, in San Diego. | Mark J. Terrill, Associated Press
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Utah State forward Zach Keller (32) shoots over Arizona during the first half of a game in the second round of the NCAA college basketball tournament Sunday, March 22, 2026, in San Diego. | Marcio Jose Sanchez, Associated Press
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Utah State guard Mason Falslev (12) and Arizona forward Tobe Awaka (30) battle for the ball during the first half of a game in the second round of the NCAA college basketball tournament Sunday, March 22, 2026, in San Diego. | Mark J. Terrill, Associated Press
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Utah State guard Mason Falslev (12) keeps the ball in bounds against Arizona forward Ivan Kharchenkov (8) during the first half of a game in the second round of the NCAA college basketball tournament Sunday, March 22, 2026, in San Diego. | Mark J. Terrill, Associated Press
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Arizona guard Anthony Dell'orso (3) drives against Utah State forward Adlan Elamin (35) during the first half of a game in the second round of the NCAA college basketball tournament Sunday, March 22, 2026, in San Diego. | Mark J. Terrill, Associated Press
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Utah State forward Zach Keller (32) and Utah State guard Mj Collins (2) battle Arizona for a rebound during the first half of a game in the second round of the NCAA college basketball tournament Sunday, March 22, 2026, in San Diego. | Mark J. Terrill, Associated Press
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Utah State forward Garry Clark (11) shoots over Arizona center Motiejus Krivas (13) during the first half of a game in the second round of the NCAA college basketball tournament Sunday, March 22, 2026, in San Diego. | Marcio Jose Sanchez, Associated Press

Aggies showed plenty of fight in a loss: Utah State fell behind 51-33 just over five minutes into the second half, but the Aggies didn’t fold.

Instead, they went on a 21-7 run to make it a 68-64 game and held Arizona without a field goal for a 7:48 stretch.

Utah State also used a press effectively and forced four turnovers on five Wildcat possessions at one point.

The Aggies ended up forcing 11 Arizona turnovers, while Utah State only had four and owned a 9-3 advantage in points off turnovers.

Mason Falslev finished with a team-high three steals while adding 8 points, three rebounds and three assists.

The Aggies also outscored Arizona in bench points 27-10, led by 13 points and six rebounds from Garry Clark, with seven of those points in the second half.

Jaden Bradley, the Big 12 Player of the Year who led Arizona with 18 points, helped keep Utah State from climbing any closer than four points down the stretch, though.

His layup with 6:55 to play ended Arizona’s nearly eight-minute drought without a field goal, and he scored a pair of other buckets when the game was still in doubt.

After Bradley shot 1 of 9 in the first half, he was 5 of 7 after halftime in leading four Wildcat players in double-figures.

3-point shooting played a key role: Arizona prefers to attack the paint as compared to launching a bunch of 3-pointers, but in the early going, the Wildcats hit four 3-pointers to build leads of 10-2, 19-12 and 22-16.

Utah State 1 of 12 on 3s in first half, after shooting 2 of 16 from long range in its first-round win over Villanova.

The Aggies finally found their range from 3 in the second half, going 7 of 20 from deep, including hitting three in the first three minutes of the half.

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Drake Allen hit a 3 to make it 58-54 with 6:34 to play, then he made another a minute and a half later to keep Utah State within two possessions at 63-59.

After Arizona pushed its lead back out to nine at 60-51, MJ Collins made Utah State’s final 3 to climb within six.

Unfortunately for the Aggies, freshman Brayden Burries hit the dagger 3 with the shot clock running down on Arizona’s next possession. That sparked an 8-0 run to put away Utah State, and the Wildcats finished 7 of 17 from 3-point range.

In addition to Clark’s team-high 13 points, Collins added 12 points, three rebounds and three assists, while Allen contributed 11 points, three assists, two rebounds and a steal.

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