Arizona Wildcats Men’s Basketball Viewed as One of Best in Country Entering Season
The Arizona Wildcats have done a wonderful job of cementing themselves back among the elite in men’s college basketball under head coach Tommy Lloyd.
The end of the Sean Miller era was a rocky one, as they missed the NCAA Tournament in 2019 and 2021; it was canceled in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Facing issues off the court as well, the program was heading in a bad direction, but Lloyd didn’t allow things to spiral.
In his three seasons as the helm, the Wildcats have won at least 27 games each campaign. They have earned a No. 1 seed and two No. 2 seeds in the tournament, but haven’t found as much success in March as they would have hoped.
Despite the regular season success and strong seed, they haven’t advanced beyond the Sweet 16 since 2015. For a program with as rich of a history as Arizona has, that is quite a drought.
But, that is a streak that could come to an end this season as they have one of the strongest teams in the nation.
Coming into the year, they are the No. 10 ranked team in the nation. They will be battle-tested once the tournament comes around as the Big 12 features several elite teams that will create a gauntlet of a schedule.
Ahead of them in the rankings are four of their conference opponents; the Kansas Jayhawks, Houston Cougars, Iowa State Cyclones and Baylor Bears. Whoever comes out on top will have earned it.
All of them should have championship aspirations this season in the opinion of Myron Medcalf and Jeff Borzello of ESPN. Kansas landed in their tier of being national championship favorites; the other four are Final Four contenders.
“Iowa State's Tamin Lipsey, Gonzaga's Graham Ike, Auburn's Johni Broome and Arizona's Caleb Love were all members of an AP All-America squad or an honorable mention last season. They've all returned to their respective schools -- allowing those teams to make a run to San Antonio,” wrote Metcalf.
Having a player as talented as Caleb Love leading the way will give Arizona a chance to win every time they step on the court. He is the most recognizable name, but isn’t the only one returning from last season’s squad.
KJ Lewis, Jayden Bradley and Motiejus Krivas are also back. Trey Townsend (Oakland Golden Grizzlies), Tobe Awaka (Tennessee Volunteers) and Anthony Dell’Orso (Campbell Fighting Camels) all joined the program from the transfer portal as well.
Don’t forget about star freshman Carter Bryant, who is already being viewed as a potential NBA Lottery pick in 2025.
This is an incredibly talented team. It will be up to Lloyd to help the team mesh to reach their potential, as they have what it takes to make a deep run in March.
