Top-ranked Arizona improves to 21-0 with 86-83 win at BYU

Arizona Wildcats Basketball

 

Brayden Burries scored a season-high 29 points and came up with a key block to save the game down the stretch, while Jaden Bradley poured in 26 points as No. 1 Arizona beat BYU, 86-83, tonight at BYU in Provo, Utah.

Arizona tied for its best start in school history with a 21-0 start. 

Burries finished 7 of 13 from the field, made 2 of 3 three-point attempts, grabbed five rebounds, four assists, and three steals, while Bradley was solid from the point-guard position, canning 10 of 15 field goals, 2 of 3 three-pointers, three assists, and two steals, while playing 36 of the 40 minutes.

Ivav Kharchenkov and Koa Peat finished in double figures with 10 apiece.

Arizona owned a 19-point lead in the second half but let BYU back in the game down the stretch. In the final minute, everything was going by the way of the Cougars before the block by Burries enabled the Wildcats to maintain a one-point advantage at 84-83. Burries was fouled after the play and calmly sank the final points of the game.

Bookemdanosports to continue

 Bookemdanosports to continue

The feedback during the last few weeks has been surprising, so my blog will continue through 2026 at least and maybe through 2027. I'll continue to focus on senior living, senior sports, and of course the Arizona Wildcats -- especially men's football, basketball, and baseball...and will also follow the Arizona Diamondbacks as the 2026 season approaches.

We may reach 6,000 posts after all! We are at 4,759 posts and counting. To all my followers: Thank you.

from the desk of Dan Price

20-0 for the top-ranked Wildcats

 Everyone should be happy with this win. The top-ranked Arizona Wildcats checked off the entire stat sheet with an 88-53 victory over West Virginia today at the McKale Center -- rebounds, scoring, only five turnovers, defensive stops, some long-range gems, you name it, the Wildcats did it all to improve to 20-0 and 7-0 in the Big 12.

Brayden Burries led the way with seven assists and 22 points, on 7-of-12 shooting, including 4 of 8 3-pointers, while the big boys underneath, Mo Krivas (11 and 12 boards), Koa Peat (17 and seven boards), and Tobe Awake (14 rebounds and five points) had their way above and below the rim.

Anthony Dell'Orso broke out of his slump with 12 points, including two 3-pointers, while Ivan Kharchenkov was steady once again with seven points and a couple of assists in 21 minutes.

And now it's off to 13th-ranked BYU in Provo on Monday.

Arizona 77 Cincinnati 51

 

What would I do without my Arizona Wildcats?

Sitting on the sofa, in pain once again and with crutches nearby, I entered the world of No. 1 Arizona roll -- after a brief scare in the first half -- to the Wildcats 19th win without a loss -- a 77-51 victory at McKale over Cincinnati.

Once again, it was beautiful to watch, and I felt no pain. Maybe my heart fluttered a bit as I witnessed another balanced attack by the Wildcats: 17 points by Big Moe, 14 by crowd-pleaser Ivan Kharchenkov, 13 by 19-year-old Koa Peat, Brayden Burries added 12 points and 10 rebounds, and eight more points from Mr. Jaden Bradley.

The Wildcats move on to face West Virginia at McKale on Saturday. I'll be there. No, not at McKale, but on my sofa, pain-free for at least an hour and 45 minutes.

Bear Down, Arizona!

Arizona 84 UCF 77

 Arizona 84 UCF 77

Top-ranked Arizona withstood the old phantom flagrant foul trick, and the referees spent the final minutes of the game tracking down the videos at the scoring table, looking for something that wasn’t there.

What was there, high in the rafters, was the scoreboard, and it showed the final result in Orlando, Florida, today as Arizona improved to 18-0, 5-0 in the Big 12 behind another balanced scoring effort from the Wildcats and an 84-77 win over the UCF Knights.

Arizona’s Jaden Bradley turned those phantom foul cries into points at the foul line down the stretch, finishing with 23 points, while Brayden Burries added 18, Moe Krivas tallied 17, and Ivan Kharchenkov and Tobe Awaka chipped in 10 points apiece.

With Koa Peat in early foul trouble, Arizona rode the 15 points, seven rebounds from Krivas in the first half to maintain a slim 41-39 lead. The Wildcats added 11 from Burries, who hit 5 of 7 field goals in the first twenty minutes.

Arizona led the rest of the way despite a hostile crowd…and, of course, those phantom fouls.

Arizona heads home still perfect. Way to go, Wildcats!

Bookemdanosports comes to an end 2/1/2026

 From the desk of Dan Price

After almost two decades, my long-running blog will come to an end on February 1, 2026.

It's time. With all the spam, AI, and all the craziness out there among us, it's time to let go.

I'll still putter around with my three Facebook pages and my Instagram account.

I'm 80 years old, and it's time to put Bookemdanosports to bed.

To all my readers: It has been quite a run. I thank you for all your support over the years.

Arizona remains unbeaten with 89-82 win over Arizona State at McKale

 Arizona Wildcats Basketball

Top-ranked Arizona improved to 17-0, 4-0 in the Big 12 with an 89-82 win tonight over Arizona State at McKale Center behind a career-best 25 points from Tobe Awaka and 24 points from Koa Peat. The Wildcats are one of three teams still unbeaten.

The Sun Devils kept the game close with a 23-point night from Moe Odum, including four long-range 3-pointers.

Peat grabbed 10 rebounds to finish with a double-double, while Ivan Kharchenkov scored 15 points and Jaden Bradley was again the floor general with 12 points, four assists, and two steals in 32 minutes.

Nebraska (17-0), from the Big 10 Conference, and Miami (Ohio) (18-0), from the Mid-American Conference, are the other two teams without a blemish.

Way to go, Wildcats!

Arizona wins, Michigan falls to Wisconsin

Koa Peat scored 20 points, while Anthony Dell'Orso and Jaden Bradley chipped in 17 points apiece as No. 1 Arizona remained unbeaten at 16-0 with an 86-73 hard-fought win over TCU today in Fort Worth, Texas.

On a day when #2 Michigan lost at home to Wisconsin, 91-88, Arizona rolled to a 43-27 halftime lead over TCU and then fought off the Horned Frogs for most of the second half, battling some cold shooting at times and some foul trouble.

The Wildcats were outscored in the second half 46-43, but Bradley made sure the Wildcats would remain No. 1 with all of his points coming in the final twenty minutes.

Way to go, Wildcats!

Tucson Old Timers baseball: The 59th season

 60-and-over Tucson Old Timers

The 60-and-over Tucson Old Timers (TOTS) have been around since 1968, and they recently completed their 58th season. A TOTS season lasts all 12 months. The players are not only the boys of summer, but the winter, the spring, and the fall.

According to the club historian, Danny 'Pigpen' Price, who doubles as the author of this blog (bookemdanosports), and has been a member of the amateur baseball organization for close to two decades, said the TOTS are simply the best senior baseball club in the country, maybe in the world, for that matter.

 Price is the club's elder statesman, an octogenarian to boot, and a walking encyclopedia if you were to ask him about the specifics of the club and what they are all about.

According to Price, since 1968, over 300 players have been lucky enough to wear the blue and white jersey, pay their annual dues, and join in on the fun. The games are played every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning -- a 9 AM start in the summer and 10 AM in the winter-- at Udall Park.

"We are one week into our 59th season," Price said. "We had fifty members take the field in 2025, and as a club, we amassed close to 3,000 hits for the year -- 2,977, to be exact. We keep track of everything, except the errors, that is."

As a club, the TOTS maintained a .404 team batting average in 2025 (2,977 for 7,364 at-bats), banging out 401 doubles, 44 triples, and 18 home runs -- 10 over the fence at Udall Park and eight inside-the-park homers. On the mound, 16 players threw a total of 1,706 innings and combined for 463 strikeouts.

Jon Beady, 64, dominated the batting stats in 2025. Beady led the club with the most at-bats (350), hits (237), runs-scored (179), eight home runs (over the left field fence), and he had the most RBI (162), while maintaining a .677 batting average.

Below (from A to Z) are the batting and pitching stats for the players in 2025 (minimum of 50 at-bats or 10 innings pitched). TOTS fans: look for your favorite player below.

Hitters

Ángel Durazo G52 AB157 R71 H106 Avg .675

Bob Daliege G115 AB149 R22 H37 Avg  .248

Bob Lockwood G52 AB166 R41 H70 Avg .422

Bob Long G101 AB213 R44 H79 Avg .371

Carl Schwanbeck G97 AB118 R18 H20 Avg .169

Che Guevara G30 AB71 R5 H14 Avg .197

Dan Gruniesen G60 AB204 R61 H106 Avg .520

Danny Price G80 AB228 R17 H37 Avg .162

Dave Byars G101 AB303 R30 H69 Avg .228

David Musavi G63 AB206 R45 H112 Avg .544

Doug Harding G62 AB191 R52 H79 Avg .414

Ernesto Escala G53 AB163 R24 H78 Avg .479

Gary Cuttler G35 AB94 R14 H35 Avg .372

Glen Vann G43 AB122 R31 H44 Avg .361

Herb McReynolds G79 AB194 R59 H69 Avg .356 

J.B Bulawin G97 AB333 R95 H128 Avg .384

Jerry Callen G97 AB213 R18 H37 Avg .174

Joe Opocensky G112 AB384 R86 H182 Avg .474

John Jarboe G23 AB56 R15 H30 Avg .536

John Mathews G69 AB184 R41 H108 Avg .587

John Misiaszek G41AB118 R24 H33 Avg .280

Jon Beady G116 AB350 R179 H237 Avg .677

Ken Nebesny G85 AB153 R18 H34 Avg .222

Mark Walton G44 AB129 R7 H14 Avg .297

Martin Pelger G67 AB212 R46 H103 Avg .486

Mike Dawson G112 AB349 R107 H176  Avg .504

Mike Steele G110 AB232 R43 H88 Avg .379

Pete Maldonado G41 AB52 R7 H11 Avg .212

Phil Ahern G48 AB158 R53 H78 Avg .494

Randy Livingston G107 AB324 R136 H195 Avg .602

Reed Palmer G56 AB154 R52 H76 Avg .494

Rick Bitzer G21 AB60 R6 H15 Avg .250

Sam Dean G71 AB231 R76 H103 Avg .446

Spiro Roberts G30 AB79 R20 H37 Avg .468

Steve Karthas G48 AB132 R28 H48 Avg .364

Steve Parks G99 AB131 R12 H22 Avg .168

Ted Roberts G115 AB70 R6 H13 Avg .186

Tim Tolson G111 AB356 R50 H172 Avg .483

Pitchers (minimum 10 innings)

Bob Daliege G15 IP88 W7 L4

Ernesto Escala G22 IP86 W7 L6

Gary Cuttler G12 IP28 W1 L1

Glen Vann G38 IP195 W15 L14

Herb McReynolds G17 IP62 W4 L6

Jerry Callen G4 IP18 W1 L2

Joe Opocensky G47 IP282 W22 L16

Jon Beady G12 IP38 W1 L7

Martin Pelger G13 IP71 W4 L4

Mike Dawson G55 IP315 W26 L17

Pete Maldonado G19 IP111 W7 L9

Randy Livingston G39 IP239 W13 L23

Reed Palmer G24 IP152 W14 L9

***Of course, many club members gave up their at-bats and played in the field, or umpired, or were on the board, or in management positions only. Those members included: catcher/first baseman Bill Misher, Pete Peters, Mark Rupert, and Brack Whitaker (see photos below)

And a big thank you to the manager, Bob Daliege, who did an excellent job in 2024-25 as the 'whistle blower' and brains of the outfit. Welcome back, Mike Dawson, who takes over as manager in 2026 with his new sidekick, Mike Steele.

Photos: Bob Daliege (top), Mike Dawson (bottom)

The TOTS home field at Udall Park:

  

Krivas pours in a career-high 25, Burries nets 28 in 101-76 win over KSU

 Arizona Wildcats Basketball

Motiejus Krivas scored a career-high 25 points, and Brayden Burries added 28 points as No. 1 Arizona rolled over Kansas State tonight at McKale, 101-76, to move to 15-0 overall and 2-0 in Big 12 play.

Krivas tacked on another double-double tonight, adding 12 rebounds to his stats, while Burries just missed a double-double, finishing with nine boards and four assists.

Koa Peat picked up a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Tobe Awaka played just 19 minutes but grabbed 11 rebounds and scored eight points. 

Arizona shot 49.3 from the field (34 of 69) but made only three 3-pointers tonight (3 of 16). They owned the glass with a 52-26 rebound advantage over KSU (9-6). The Wildcats scored 56 points in the paint and committed only eight turnovers.

Way to go, Wildcats!

Watch now: Tucson Old Timers bond over baseball

The Tucson Old Timers

The TOTS on Google

 The Tucson Old Timers on Google...

Click on the logo, and it'll take you to the world of senior baseball and the thousands of stories and photos by historian Dan Price and the 60-and-over Tucson Old Timers. This amateur baseball organization has been around since 1968. The 2026 season started on January 1, 2026.

Happy reading...

Arizona opens Big 12 play with win at Utah

 Arizona Wildcats Basketball

Arizona (14-0) took it to the Utah Utes (8-6) early in Salt Lake City today with a 58-point first half en route to a 97-78 win as the top-ranked Wildcats showed why they are deserving of the Number One ranking in the Associated Press College Basketball Poll.

Of course, 2nd-ranked Michigan is getting all the love east of the Rio Grande, but tell that to the Utes in the Jon M. Huntsman Center who witnessed the Arizona balanced attack for 40 minutes.

The Wildcats let up on the gas pedal in the second half as Tobe Awaka finished the day with another double-double. Awaka scored 18 points and grabbed 12 rebounds. Jaden Bradley was his usual self with 18 points and five assists, while Koa Peat scored 17 points, Ivan Kharchenkov made his first four shots of the game and ended up with 13, and Brayden Burries recorded his first double-double with 17 points and 11 boards.

Way to go, Wildcats! 

Holiday Bowl: SMU 24 Arizona 19

Holiday Bowl

San Diego, California

A tale of two halves.

Arizona (9-4), down 24-0 at the half, shut down SMU in the second half, 19-0, but allowed the Mustangs (9-4) to escape the Holiday Bowl in San Diego tonight with a 24-19 win.

Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita threw three touchdown passes in the second half. Fifita finished the night completing 28 of 43 passes for 265 yards, while running the ball for 73 yards on 13 carries.

Great season, Wildcats!

Note: Despite the loss, Arizona put together an exceptional season. The players played their hearts out in every game and never gave up, despite all the adversity on and off the field. An added touchdown here and there in the red zone during the course of the season could have produced an 11-win season. Case in point: BYU. Go, Wildcats from Bookemdanosports -- Dan Price, a diehard Wildcats fan.