Arizona outscored Alabama 57-34 in the second half, had a 52-32 rebounding advantage and Brayden Burries scored a career high 28 points as the Wildcats earned a 96-75 win in Birmingham. Burries took over in the second half with Jaden Bradley and Koa Peat limited by foul trouble.
Arizona trailed 41-39 at halftime. The Wildcats shot 33.3 percent from the field in the first half and made five of 17 three-point attempts. Arizona stayed in the game with a 24-19 rebounding advantage and an 11-2 edge on the offensive glass in the first half.
Peat had three fouls in the first half and Bradley was called for his third 3:02 into the second half. Burries scored 20 points in the second half on eight of nine from the field, made all four of his three-point attempts, had four rebounds and one assist.
Arizona outscored Alabama 44-20 in the paint, had four turnovers while forcing 15, had a 15-2 edge in second chance points, 22-3 in offensive rebounds and 25-15 in bench points. Mo Krivas had 14 points and 14 rebounds and Tobe Awaka finished with seven points and 15 rebounds.
Bradley finished with 13 points, five rebounds and seven assists. Anthony Dell'Orso scored 13 and Ivan Karchenkov 10 as the other Wildcats in double figures. Peat finished with six points and one rebound. Peat had his only rebound and three of his six points in the final five minutes.
Arizona went on a 9-0 run after Alabama scored the first two points of the second half and never trailed again. The Wildcats had a 14-1 run, with 11-0 as part of that in the middle of the second half to put the game away. Burries had a stretch midway through the second half where he scored 13 consecutive points.
Arizona returns home to host Abilene Christian on Tuesday and will play San Diego State next Saturday in Phoenix. Arizona improved to 9-0 with the win and Alabama fell to 7-3 with the loss. The Associated Press Top 25 and USA Today Coaches Poll will be released on Monday.