The Arizona Wildcats enter their second season in the Big 12 hoping to close the deal on winning their first league tournament title after falling just short to Houston last March. Coach Tommy Lloyd has a young, but undeniably talented team that is seeking a run to the Final Four. Here is a preview of the upcoming season.
Arizona Wildcats
2024-25: 24-13, 14-6 in Big 12, tied for third place. Reached Big 12 championship game before losing to Houston. Reached Sweet 16 of NCAA Tournament before losing to Duke.
Head coach: Tommy Lloyd is entering his fifth season. The former Gonzaga assistant is 112-33. He has never led his team to less than a finish for third place in league action.
Big 12 history: Arizona made its Big 12 debut last season. Before that, the program was a long-time member of the Pac-12 Conference, where it won nine conference tournament titles and the 1997 national championship under late coach Lute Olson.
2025-26 Schedule: Click here for the full Big 12 men’s schedule.
Arizona 2025-26 Roster Preview
Gone: Caleb Love (17.2 PPG), KJ Lewis (10.8 PPG), Henri Veesaar (9.4 PPG), Trey Townsend (8.2 PPG), F Carter Bryant (6.5 PPG), Conrad Martinez (1.6 PPG), Emmanuel Stephen (1.3 PPG), Sven Djopmo
Returning: G Jaden Bradley (12.1 PPG), F Tobe Awaka (8.0 PPG), C Motiejus Krivas (7.9 PPG), G Anthony Dell’Orso (7.2 PPG), G Addison Arnold (was on two-year mission), G Jackson Cook (redshirt last year)
Incoming transfers: G Evan Nelson (9.1 PPG at Harvard), G Jackson Francois (from Missouri)
Incoming freshmen: F Koa Peat (No. 10 in ESPN 100), G Brayden Burries (No. 12 in ESPN 100), F Dwayne Aristode (No. 37 in ESPN 100), G Bryce James (four-star), F Mabil Mawut (NR), F Sidi Gueye (international), F Ivan Kharchenkov (international)
Projected Starting Lineup
G Jaden Bradley: Wildcats’ leading returning scorer from last season.
G Evan Nelson: Has experience to run point and hits nearly 40% from 3-point line.
F Koa Peat: Top recruit came to play right away. Like to play on wing
F Tobe Awaka: Energetic forward who can start or come off bench, depending on matchups.
C Motiejus Krivas: Played all but eight games due to an injury.
Starting Lineup Crashers
G Anthony Dell’Orso: Started two-thirds of last year’s games. Could be full-time if streaky shooting becomes more consistent.
G Brayden Burries: Certainly, he’s talented enough to push the veteran guards on this team.
Lineup Competition
That projected starting lineup should be set in sand, not stone. Lloyd has put together a freshman class that has three players that can compete for playing time right away. Under the right circumstances, two could start. At least one other could contribute heavily. Bradley, honestly, feels like the only starting lineup lock. Lloyd has enough height to run different bigs based on matchups. Nelson’s percentage from distance is a nice complement to Dell’Orso. There’s a good chance Lloyd uses 10 players in non-conference to work out rotations. The Wildcats have the potential to be a deep team, though it may not look that way early.
Early Prediction
Lloyd hasn’t missed the NCAA Tournament in four seasons. Barring major injuries, the Wildcats will make it a fifth straight season. This will be a young team, especially if Peat, Burries and Aristode play a healthy amount of time. There’s a mix of players that could challenge for the Big 12 crown and, under the right circumstances, get to the Final Four. Like last’s team, the Wildcats may absorb some losses in non-conference. But, they should be ready come January.
