NCAAMB Games of the Weekend: November 14-16

emeredith55
15 hours ago
5 min read

by Elias Meredith 11/17/25 Sportz Nation

FRIDAY: 5 ARIZONA VS

15 UCLA

Former PAC-12 conference members faced off in the Hall of Fame Series at the Intuit Dome. The first game this season in the NBA’s newest arena did not disappoint, as fans from both schools packed the stands to support their respective teams. The atmosphere gave the game a March-like feel in November. Senior guard Anthony Dell’Orso led all scorers with 20 off the bench as the Wildcats defeated the Bruins 69-65 to remain unbeaten.

Dell’Orso is embracing a new role for the Wildcats this season, and is thriving. The Melbourne, Australia native is serving as the Wildcats sixth man. The Arizona coaching staff is doing this in an effort to allow him to play more freely, with the second unit as the main scoring threat on the floor. It showed in the first half of the game, with him having 13 first half points, with nine of those points coming via the three ball.

Dell’Orso is not the only upper class man leading scoring efforts for his club. UCLA senior forward Tyler Bilodeau led the scoring charge for the Bruins with 19 points.

Bilodeau’s offensive explosion in the second half contributed to the Bruins eight-point lead, with seven minutes left in the half.

That is when the Wildcats got on a run of their own. Closing the game on a 20-8 run. Senior guards Jaden Bradley and Anthony Dell’Orso were responsible for 18 of the 20 points in the Wildcat run. With this victory, the Wildcats defeated the Bruins for the fifth time in the last six matches.

Key to Victory: Jaden Bradley

The key to the Wildcats overcoming UCLA’s scoring run was the offensive explosion by Jaden Bradley. Bradley would score 13 of his 15 total points in the last seven minutes of the game. The Rochester, New York native, who has always been known for his defense, is stepping up offensively for the Wildcats this year, and is averaging career-high in scoring and scoring efficiency.

Next for Arizona: Wednesday, November 19 vs 5 UCONN at 7PM EST

Next for UCLA: Tuesday, November 18 vs Sacramento State at 10:30 EST

SATURDAY: 7 BYU VS

3 CONNECTICUT

Two top ten ranked teams faced off Saturday night in the finale of the Amica Insurance Hall of Fame Series Boston at TD Garden. The UCONN Huskies held off a strong BYU comeback, defeating the Cougars 86-84.

In the first ten minutes of the first half, both teams came out hot offensively, attacking the paint with bad intentions. A more traditional start to the game, with both teams scoring the majority of their baskets in the paint. The first three point make was not until nearly eight minutes into the first half.

The Huskies started to pull away midway through the first half, where they went on a 13-2 run powered by the play of junior guard Silas Demary Jr. In the run, he was responsible for nine of thirteen points, giving them momentum to finish the first half strong.

It would be more of the same for UCONN to start the second half until freshman guard and NBA draft prospect AJ Dybantsa got back on track. After a first half where he went 1-6 from the field, in the second half he was much more efficient, becoming the engine of BYU’s comeback effort.

Dybantsa would score 16 of his 25 points in the second half with help from teammates Richie Saunders, Robert Wright III, and Dawson Baker, who also finished with double digits, and contributed to cutting the twenty point deficit down to as low as two.

The Cougars had an opportunity to tie the game. Down by three, with the time winding down after sixth-year senior guard Dawson Baker drilled a clutch three to cut the Husky lead down to two.

Sophomore guard Robert Wright III, who has been uncharacteristically loose with the ball game long, committed a costly turnover. His career-high sixth turnover of the game gave the Huskies the ball back up by three with ten seconds remaining. The Huskies still made it interesting. Junior guard Solo Ball made 1 of 2 free throws, but BYU was not able to respond quickly enough as they scored their final point with time expired.

Silas Demary Jr. would be named the Amica Insurance Hall of Fame Series Boston MVP after dropping 21 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds, and adding 2 steals in the victory. The senior duo of Alex Karaban and Tarris Reed Jr. also had 21 a piece in the victory.

Key to Victory: Bend, don’t break

The UCONN Huskies showed their championship pedigree in this game. They were able to withstand the late game run by BYU by stepping up when needed. They remained aggressive in the paint, scoring their points either from driving the paint or from the free throw line. This was an early signature win for UCONN, who looks poised to make a deep NCAA tournament run this year, after a disappointing end to last year.

Next for UCONN: Wednesday, November 19 vs 5 Arizona at 7PM EST

Next for BYU: Friday, November 21 vs 24 Wisconsin at 4 PM EST

SUNDAY: 1 HOUSTON VS

22 AUBURN

This game made an early bid for the game of the year. In a game that provided little room for either team to breathe, the one-seed Houston Cougars held off a late Tiger scoring run, defeating the Auburn Tigers 73-72 to remain undefeated.

Houston freshman guard Kingston Flemings was the star of the first half. The San Antonio native scored 18 points in the first half. Drilling his only three of the game to give his club a four point lead going into halftime.

In the second half, the Tigers hung around with the Cougars. Defensively, what helped them was holding Flemings only to four second half points. Offensively, they used ball movement to get high percentage shots in the paint. Auburn’s last eight of their ten points were scored in the paint, and they were all assisted on.

The Cougars offense would remain afloat despite the absence of Flemings in the second half. Four players scored in double digits in the victory.

Key to Victory: Houston’s signature defense

Throughout the years, the Kelvin Sampson-led Houston Cougars have always been known for its defense, and their defensive prowess was tested in the last thirty seconds of the game. After a KeShawn Murphy dunk that cut the Cougar lead to one, the Cougars defense was tested two more times with a one point lead. They stood tall, rejecting the Tigers at the rim on back-to-back possessions, and that would propel them to a nail-biting victory.

Next for Houston: Thursday, November 20 vs Rider 9:00 EST

Next for Auburn: Wednesday, November 19 vs Jackson State 9:00 EST

Thank you for reading!

Elias Meredith (@EAM_55)