The part of Brayden Burries’ game that impresses John Calipari isn’t what you’d expect

When Arkansas head coach John Calipari broke down the tape on Arizona combo guard Brayden Burries, it was not the freshman’s elite shot-making ability that impressed him.

Burries leads the Wildcats with 16.0 points per game, but the longtime head coach was instead impressed with his defensive movement. Calipari admitted he believes Burries is a “better defender” than a typical freshman should be, which he attributed to Tommy Lloyd, according to Jason Scheer of Wildcat Authority.

Burries is one of three freshmen in Arizona’s starting lineup, each a high-level defender. Forward Koa Peat embodies the team’s physicality on both ends of the court, while Ivan Kharchenkov has been one of the best perimeter defenders in the country all season long.

Burries is not the player anyone thinks of when considering Arizona’s defense. He is far from a liability, tying Jaden Bradley with a team-high 1.5 steals, but the Wildcats’ plethora of stout defenders often leads to him getting overlooked on that end.

As good as Arizona’s defense is, ranking third in defensive rating on KenPom, it will have its hands full with a scorching-hot Arkansas offense. Led by star point guard Darius Acuff Jr., the Razorbacks posted 94 points against Hawaii in the first round and 94 against High Point in the second, with Acuff scoring 60 points through the first two games.

Acuff rightfully receives all the attention, but freshman guard Meleek Thomas has been just as effective through two games. Thomas has 40 points in the last two games on an efficient 53.1 percent from the floor.

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