The Big 12 semifinals started off with a bang as the Arizona Wildcats took down the Iowa State Cyclones 82-80 in one of the great back-and-forth games of the college basketball season. Iowa State’s Tamin Lipsey hit a three-pointer with 15 seconds to play to tie the game at 80. But then, Jaden Bradley came down the floor and hit his second-straight bucket at the buzzer to give Arizona the 82-80 win and punch their ticket to the Big 12 Championship Game in Kansas City on Saturday night. Here are the top three takeaways from the game.
The Big 12 at its Best
The Big 12 Conference had a rough 24 hours. The glass court finally bit the dust, as it became the talking point of the tournament. Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark deserves credit for pivoting before the three biggest games of the week and reverting back to a hardwood floor. And he was well rewarded, as we got the game of the tournament in the first game of the double header. It was a heavyweight battle, blow for blow, between two teams with Final Four and National Championship aspirations. The only thing to talk about after this one is the game itself. Nothing about the court, the footing, the LED lights. Throw it all out. That was Big 12 basketball at its best. And the basketball Gods rewarded Yormark for his decision to eat a little crow, take the L on the court, and move to the hardwood. Well done by all.
Arizona Overcomes a Slow Start
Today’s game was the opposite of their quarterfinal game vs. UCF, when you blinked after tip off and the Wildcats were up by 20 points. Arizona trailed 14-2 early in the game, as Iowa State fans obviously outnumbered Wildcats fans by a wide margin. Hilton South was on full display in Kansas City. But the Wildcats methodically plotted their comeback, and pulled it to a six-point game by halftime.
Anthony Dell’Orso had a career game with 26 points on 6-9 from three-point range to lead the Wildcats on Friday night. He gave them their first lead with 11 minutes to go to make it a 62-60 lead for the Cats. And then, it was Jaden Bradley, the 2025-26 Big 12 Conference Basketball Player of the Year, who led the Cats in the clutch down the stretch, including one of the great shots in Big 12 Tournament history.
Iowa State Should Have a Lot of Confidence
Iowa State lost by 16 points at Arizona two weeks ago. They were .1 seconds from going to overtime in the Big 12 semifinals. They played a great game against arguably the best team in college basketball. They out-rebounded Arizona, had more offensive boards and fewer turnovers. They could have won this game. And yes, they did let a 12-point first-half lead slip away, but honestly, this isn’t the worst thing for Iowa State. They deserve to have a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament come Selection Sunday, and having a little extra rest is never a bad thing. Even winning this tournament was probably not going to move ISU off the 2-line. So hold your head high, go back to Ames, and rest up as this team is position to reach an Elite 8 for the first time in over 25 years.
