Arizona hosted No. 23 Wisconsin on Saturday in what was supposed to be another chapter in what has been a thrilling series. Two teams operating at drastically different speeds made for a matchup of wills. It was neck-and-neck through the game’s first 11 minutes and 10 seconds.

Then, with the score tied at 23-23, Arizona erupted for a 20-2 run and turned a showcase into a statement. The top-ranked team in the country went on to outscore Wisconsin by eight more points in the second half and run away with a 98-73 win.

The Wildcats (8-0) became the first team since the 2015-16 season to put 90 points on the board against the Badgers.

Arizona played with an edge, its collection of players informed by coach Tommy Lloyd and the rest of the city about the significance of another matchup with Wisconsin. The Badgers stunned Arizona in the Elite Eight in 2014 and then beat the Wildcats again in the same round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament.

Lloyd thought it was his team’s most complete performance of the season.

“I just love this group. I love the force we play with, I love the depth we have. Obviously, I love the physicality. It’s been one of the best groups I’ve ever been around at executing a game plan, and that’s been really cool,” he said after the game. “When you’ve got players that walk in and take it serious and go out and make it happen? I mean, that makes us look good. And it’s all about them.”

Arizona hit 58% of its shots from the field and made 12 of its 26 3-pointers. In the first half, Arizona hit eight triples. Pelle Larsson, who finished with a career-high 21 points, made each of his three attempts from beyond the arc in the first half.

A defense can plan for Caleb Love (20 points, 7-13 FG) to get hot and it can be aware of Kylan Boswell (10 points, nine assists), but when the 3s start raining in from all over the floor, it gets a little tough to settle on a defense.

Larsson hit one during the 20-2 run. Jaden Bradley hit one. Love hit two. Everything else was in the paint.

“It felt more like 50-2,” said Wisconsin coach Greg Gard after the game.

According to KenPom, Arizona is top-10 this season in adjusted offensive efficiency, adjusted defensive efficiency, offensive rebounding rate for and against, and free throw rate against. And that’s while facing three top-30 teams in the first month of the season.

The Wildcats have opened the campaign with an offense that flows from its defense and a defense that benefits from an ultra-efficient offense.

“Our defense was great two years ago, maybe maybe better or as good as our offense. Last year, our defense was good, not great. I think we’re back in the great category now,” Lloyd said. “You don’t just show up and assume you’re gonna play a great defensive game. You’ve got to go make it happen.”

Arizona is doing the little things right now.

“I told our guys today I don’t need any heroes. I don’t need anybody to stand out above anybody else,” Lloyd said. “At the end of the day, I want people to say that Arizona basketball team kicked some ass, and that’s what we’re fighting for.”