The Arizona Wildcats enter their first Big 12 season considered one of the nation’s best teams after a second Sweet 16 appearance in three years.
Coach Tommy Lloyd has built another potential monster in Tucson entering this season. But the Big 12 is likely to pose a tougher schedule for the Wildcats than last year’s Pac-12 slate.
And, while Lloyd has taken his team to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament twice in his tenure, Arizona hasn’t been to a Final Four since 2001 or an Elite Eight since 2015.
Here’s a preview of the Arizona Wildcats’ upcoming season.
Odds
BetOnline’s opening odds gave the Wildcats +2000 odds to win the national title. Those were the fourth best odds among Big 12 teams.
Three Players to Watch
G Caleb Love: He spent time considering his future this offseason, thinking about whether he should head to the NBA. Caleb Love opted to return and he brings back his impressive numbers from a year ago, as he averaged 18 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.4 assists last season.
G Anthony Dell’Orso: The Campbell transfer should be able to make an immediate impact in his first season in the desert. With the Camels last season he averaged 19.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.9 assists.
F Trey Townsend: Oakland’s terrific NCAA Tournament run allowed Townsend to move on to a power conference program. He should start this season for the Wildcats after he averaged 17.3 points, 8.1 rebounds and 3.1 assists last season.
Biggest Strength
Perimeter play. Love brings great experience. Holdover guard Jaden Bradley could be the team’s best 3-point shooter this season. Dell’Orso and Townsend both have the ability to work the outside as well. In the Big 12, many teams play four guards, or forwards that can play as guards. The Wildcats have the depth to compete.
Biggest Weakness
It’s possible the Wildcats’ starting center could be a freshman, Emmanuel Stephen, a 7-footer from Glendale, Ariz., who was a Top 125 recruit. He’ll have to beat holdover backup Motiejus Krivas, who averaged five points and four assists a season ago. The loss of Oumar Bello to the transfer portal creates a void and it’s not clear who will capably fill it.
Season Prediction
Lloyd is starting to reach that point where the Sweet 16 isn’t enough for this program. The Wildcats are closing in on a decade without an Elite Eight berth and that 2001 Final Four berth is a distant memory. This team fits into the upper echelon of the Big 12 right away. I’m projecting a range of 21-24 wins going into the Big 12 Tournament, mostly based on the brutality of this league.
You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard.
