Arizona’s Brayden Burries gets Devin Booker comparison with 25-point game against Kansas

Arizona freshman guard Brayden Burries was cooking in the first half against No. 9 Kansas. As Burries walked into a 3-pointer late in the half, ESPN analyst Fran Fraschilla said Burries reminded him of Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker.

Burries is a 6-foot-4 freshman from California. With his Wildcats’ undefeated season on the line at Allen Fieldhouse, Burries led Arizona with 12 points in the first half and finished with 25. No other Arizona player had more than 14.

Burries was Arizona’s leading scorer in the second half as well, scoring another 13 points. He added five rebounds, four steals and four assists.

Monday was the fourth time this season Arizona’s freshman has scored at least 25 points in a game, and it was his fifth straight game shooting at least 50% from the field.

Burries now has at least three steals in seven games this season and has at least four assists in seven of the last 10 games.

However, despite Burries’ efforts, the Jayhawks were too much to handle in the second half, and the Wildcats suffered their first loss of the season, 82-78.

Brayden Burries’ first-half production

The freshman shot 5-of-7 from the field, including 2-of-3 from 3-point range.

It felt like every time the Wildcats needed a basket, Burries was there to provide.

“He’s a gifted scorer,” Fraschilla said on the broadcast Monday. “He shoots the three. He’s got the pull-up. He’s got good finishes at the rim.”

Fraschilla added that Burries probably won’t be at Arizona next season because he’ll be drafted into the NBA.

Similarly, Booker played just one season at Kentucky. He averaged 10 points in 21.5 minutes per game in his All-SEC freshman year before the Suns drafted him 13th overall in the 2015 NBA draft.

Burries is averaging 15.3 points in 28.7 minutes played per game this season and could be set for a similar path as Booker if he keeps playing this way.

The freshman’s first bucket on Monday gave Arizona a 6-0 lead less than two minutes into the game, and his first 3-pointer extended the Wildcats’ lead back to six after the Jayhawks had cut it to three points.

Quick 6-0 run and Kansas needs a timeout!@BraydenBurries pic.twitter.com/ZRvtgOmNke

— Arizona Basketball (@ArizonaMBB) February 10, 2026

Arizona led for much of the first half. Kansas brought the game to a tie three times, but never took the lead.

Two of the three times the Jayhawks tied the game, Burries was there to put the Wildcats back on top. He broke a tie at 38 with a jumper, and he broke a tie at 40 with a pull-up 3-pointer.

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