Dominance in The Desert

Tucson- For years Arizona has been a consistently good program on the court. They have reached the NCAA tournament in each of the first four years of the Tommy Lloyd era. However, this year expectations were mounting for Lloyd and the Wildcats to get over the hump and become a truly great team.

Early Success

The 2025-26 Arizona Wildcats (12-0) have met expectations and then some. The non-conference schedule was looked upon as a challenge. However, they have roared and are currently sitting undefeated. They have already toppled five Top 25 teams and are playing some outstanding basketball. 

Unorthodox Success

The early-season success of the Cats’ has been attributed to some things that don’t always go with successful teams. For starters in this modern era of high volume three point attempts they rank 348th nationally in attempts per game and 295th in makes per game. However, that doesn’t tell the full story as they are top 50 in the country in terms of percentage by shooting almost 38% from behind the arc. They also have heavily relied on multiple freshmen which is not common in this era of the NIL and Transfer portal. Sometimes, they go long stretches of playing big-boy basketball by having two centers and a 6’9 forward. Most college teams rely upon veteran-players and an alpha guard leading, which makes it all the more surprising that this team is doing so well. 

Determination

Lloyd has placed a lot of trust in his guys and believes deeply in his team’s preparation and skillset. Coach Lloyd could not be prouder of his guys. After a recent win, a 68-45 decision against a solid San Diego State team (7-4) he said,”I’m just proud of the way our guys hung with it. That can be a little bit frustrating when teams are heavy in the gaps, and you’re missing a few shots you wanna make, but we hit the ones at the right time.” This Arizona team just continues to find ways to win even when they don’t have their best. A few weeks back they beat a really good Alabama team by putting up 96 and last weekend they beat SDSU scoring just 68. They are one of just six unbeaten teams remaining in college basketball, with the others being: No. 2 Michigan, No. 3 Iowa State, No. 11 Vanderbilt, No. 13 Nebraska, and Miami Ohio. This could finally be the year it all comes together for Arizona.

Next Up

The No. 1 Wildcats will look to continue their success with one final non-conference tuneup against South Dakota State before opening up conference play in the new year.