Don’t book those tickets to Indianapolis just yet, but maybe look into hotel prices for early April.

Arizona never trailed in an 81-68 exhibition win over Saint Mary’s on Saturday afternoon at McKale Center, a game that doesn’t count for anything but provided the first real glimpse of what Tommy Lloyd has at his disposal this season.

“I told our guys if you’re able to lead a team like that for 40 minutes, kind of weather a storm and a few runs, I mean, that’s a good place to start,” Lloyd said. “We shot 53 percent and turned the ball over seven times. That’s a winning formula. We held them to 39.3 percent and they turned the ball over 12 times. That’s a winning formula.”

Jaden Bradley led the way with 23 points, 15 in the second half including eight during a game-sealing 16-2 run down the stretch. Anthony Dell’Orso had 13 points, Motiejus Krivas had 11 with 17 rebounds and two blocks and freshmen Brayden Burries and Koa Peat each scored 10 on 5-of-7 shooting.

Arizona was without senior Tobe Awaka and freshman Sidi Gueye, both of whom sat out while nursing injuries. Lloyd said Awaka could have played if it were the regular season but it was “prudent” to hold him out.

That resulted in Krivas playing 33 minutes, 11 more than in any regular season game prior to having foot surgery last December.

“The minutes were probably a little heavy, we want to build to that, but the situation called for it,” Lloyd said. “It was good because it made us dig deep and try things we probably wouldn’t have had to try.”

The game wasn’t devoid of mistakes for Arizona, which was 4 of 16 from 3 (Dell’Orso missed six of seven attempts) and went 13 of 25 from the line. Better to have those happen in an exhibition, particularly against an opponent that has made the last four NCAA tournaments, than in the games that start to count in a couple weeks.

“You can’t simulate game reps in practice,” Dell’Orso said. “You can try, but you never get it unless you play against tough people. That’s the best preparation you can ask for. That’s exactly why we’ve scheduled these people, and that’s why our nonconference schedule is the way it is. We’re going into a league that everyone knows just one of the best leagues in best leagues in the in the country, and you have to be equipped with the right tools to be able to handle that. We don’t shy away from any opponent, and we’re expected to go play big guys and beat them.”

Arizona led 37-30 at halftime thanks to 59.3 percent shooting while the Gaels shot 33.3 percent. But while the first half was fairly free-flowing, despite 20 fouls called, the second half was far more stunted with whistles.

Burries picked up three fouls in the first 2:38 after halftime, sending him to the bench with five—the limit was six for the exhibition—while Saint Mary’s was in the bonus after only a few minutes. Throw in whistles for minor injuries toPeat(twice) and Dell’Orso and action was stop and go for a while.

It was 49-46 UA before an 8-point burst that began with Krivas dunking in transition and then, continued with an Evan Nelson corner 3 off a dish from Bradley and finished with a 3-point play by Bradley to make it 57-46 with 10:41 to go.

Saint Mary’s cut it to 63-60 with 5:55 to go before Arizona pulled away. Nine straight points included five in a row from Bradley with a steal in the middle.

Arizona held Saint Mary’s without points for nearly three minutes to start the game, going up 6-0 and never trailing in the first half. A Dell’Orso dunk keyed an 11-0 run to put the Wildcats up 30-18 with 5:08 left in the first half.

The Gaels got as close as 33-28 with a 5-0 run late in the first half but Dell’Orso hit a midrange jumper just before the buzzer to put Arizona up seven at the break.

The UA plays its second exhibition on Oct. 27 against Embry-Riddle ahead of the regular season opener Nov. 3 in Las Vegas against defending NCAA champ Florida.

“We should be a better team, regardless of opponent, the next time you guys see us,” Lloyd said.