On the very first night of the college basketball season, the then No. 13-ranked Arizona Wildcats made a huge statement, beating defending national champion Florida and introducing the world to freshman sensation Koa Peat, a do-it-all 6-foot-8 forward from Chandler, Ariz.

That was just the start.

And now, in just two weeks, they've already won three games against ranked teams with absolute blue blood running through their veins. They beat then No. 3 Florida — a three-time NCAA champion — 93-87 on Nov. 3 in Las Vegas. Then they got No. 15 UCLA — the game's best 11-time NCAA champ — 69-65 last Friday at the new Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif.

Wednesday night's win might have been the best. The Wildcats traveled across the country to take on Connecticut — the current No. 3 team in the country — in their cramped and loud band box of an arena, the iconic Gampel Pavilion. It was loud and crazy — and it didn't matter one bit. The Wildcats stayed calm, cool and collected in the frenzied final few minutes and won 71-67 against the six-time NCAA champs, with all of them coming since 1998.

That's one hell of an impressive run. It's only the third time ever that a team has two top-3 wins in the first five games of a season, and the first since Kansas in 1989-90.

“Coming here was a special trip. I’ve never been here before. And just the amount of respect I have for UConn basketball over the years. I mean, literally, they dominated the sport,'' Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd said. "I’m in my 27th or 28th year, and they’ve always been in the mix. And when I was at Gonzaga all those years we had I think it was like three overtime games in a row with them, some crazy deal like that.

"And it was just so cool to be a part of that. I appreciate Danny (Hurley) for being up for this. I know scheduling is tough, and I have a ton of respect for him and the program. First off, you schedule the game a while back, not knowing you’re both going to be ranked in the top five. It’s pretty cool when you’re on a collision course and it actually hits like that. Just a great opportunity for our program to have kind of a marquee win in a tough place.”

Peat had 16 points and 12 rebounds, and dominated inside on both ends of the floor. They outrebounded UConn — who was playing without center Tarris Reed — 43-23 and had 13 offensive rebounds. Peat had five of those, a boy among men playing like a man among boys.

Connecticut coach Danny Hurley was impressed with Peat.

"The way he carries himself on the court, he plays like a 10-year NBA vet," Hurley said of Peat. "He knows his identity. He's all over the glass. He's just a classy, classy player. And he's going to be a great NBA player."

Lloyd was impressed with Arizona's physicality, and was convinced that was the difference in the game. Especially on the road, you've got to be the aggressor — and the Wildcats certainly were. They never backed down, even in a hostile environment.

“That’s how we’re built,'' Lloyd said. "As you look at the landscape of college basketball, if you’re not up for the physical fight, it’s going to be tough. It’s going to be tough to be a team that wins consistently at a high level. It’s going to be tough to win on the road. It’s going to be tough to win in the NCAA Tournament. It’s gonna be tough to make a deep run.

"We want to build our team with guys that are capable of playing physical basketball, and we play a way that I think kind of allows us to kind of accentuate their mobility and their athleticism, but at the same point, we’re here for the hits, and we have no problem with body to body contact.”

Arizona is 5-0 now and — in my book — the best team in the country. They've made their statement on the floor, and no one has that three-game resume so far. This is no disrespect to Purdue, the current No. 1, or even Houston.

Arizona has the wins, three of them, and all damn impressive. They were all close, which is even more tantalizing to me. They are proving they can win tight games, and do it in style. 

“My whole mindset coming into this game was, we’ve gotten off to a good start this season. And let’s be honest, the Florida game could have went another direction. The UCLA game could have went another direction,'' Lloyd said. "So let’s not act like we’ve got all the world’s problems solved, but we’re having a lot of incredible experiences, and we have a new team, a young team, with some great veteran leadership.

"I was really looking forward to getting through this game, no matter what the result was, and having an incredible two weeks where we can get better. We need to take a step as a program. This win here isn’t going to mean we’re going to be a great team in January or February, but the next two weeks of practice and our preparation will have more say in how we’re going to be down the line. We’re going to get on the plane, we’re going to get home really late, we’re going to take tomorrow off, and then we’re just going to get back in the gym, and it’s going to be the normal process, and we’re really, really going to double down on getting better the next couple of weeks.”

Lloyd can already see something special in this team. It's a roster that's not built for November, it's built for March. 

Built for, shall we say, the Madness.

“We prepare to try to win every game, and we’re fortunate that a lot of years it’s worked out. But like I said, the journey is long, and I think this team’s built for the journey,'' said Lloyd, who's had his fill of March disappointments. "So we’re not going to overreact, we’re not going to act like we’re anointed ultimate success, long term. We got to go have a couple good weeks of practice, and we got to get better.

"And that’s the only mindset we can have, is that growth mindset, and that’s something this group has talked about for the past three or four months, as we’ve been kind of identifying what we want our culture to look like and feel like.”

The Wildcats also have the benefit of having an unfazed point guard in senior Jaden Bradley. He led the way with 21 points Wednesday, made a huge layup in the final minute to get the Wildcats the lead and made 8-of-9 free throws.

He's at his best when Arizona needs him the most. He had 27 against Florida, too, and made 9-of-10 free throws.

He's a gamer, and a winner.

“Most of our games have been down to the wire, down to the stretch,'' Bradley said. "The coaches drew up a great set, and we were able to get a ball screen. My guys gave me great space, and I was able to make the layup.”

Peat may be a freshman and despite his enormous talent, he's learning along the way. Every coach will tell you there's nothing better than having a senior point guard, and the Wildcats have one in Bradley.

This is a team that can win it all. They are getting tested in November, but they will also get tested often in January and February during a tough Big 12 schedule. They have ranked games against Alabama and Auburn in December and for now, seven of their Big 12 games are against ranked teams.

Surely, some losses will come. But judging from what we've seen so far, I won't be a bit surprised to see Arizona in Indianapolis in April for the Final Four.

They're that good. 

I don't have a vote in the Associated Press top-25 poll this year, but if I did, I'd have the Wildcats at No. 1 right now.

It's simple for me, very simple. They've earned it on the floor. 

Tom Brew is the National Editor-in-Chief at Roundtable Sports. You can follow him in Twitter (X) @tombrewsports

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