Shaking off a slow start as they adjusted to a quirky defense, Arizona showed no sign of slowing down in its first game as the nation's No. 1 team, racing to a 74-48 victory over New Mexico State on Wednesday night.
Arizona (10-0) labored out of the gate in its first game in a decade at No. 1, unsure of what to do against New Mexico State's unique defense.
Once the Wildcats figured it out, the rout was on.
Brandon Ashley showed off his improved perimeter shooting, hitting all three of his 3-point attempts while scoring 15 points. Kaleb Tarczewski didn't back down from Sim Bhullar, the Aggies' 7-foot-5 center, repeatedly finishing at the rim and making all five of his shots for 14 points.