The Arizona Wildcats are no stranger to success on the hardwood, especially throughout the young tenure of Tommy Lloyd as head coach.
Lloyd has built a track record of success within the program and looks to continue that in the coming season, the Wildcats’ first as a member of the Big 12 conference.
On paper, the Big 12 looks to be the toughest conference in college basketball, containing the Houston Cougars, the Kansas Jayhawks, the Baylor Bears, and many other NCAA Tournament mainstays, but Arizona is going to do whatever it can to prove that it belongs among the best of the best.
Despite the challenges that lie ahead for the Wildcats, one college basketball insider has made a favorable prediction for the basketball program in the year ahead.
“While I love Houston, I’m not quite as high on Kansas this year and think Iowa State has potential variance on the offensive end,” writes Sam Vecenie of The Athletic, “I’d have Arizona at No. 2 in the league.”
Finishing as the conference runner-up would be a boon for this basketball program and a feat that is sure to have Arizona earn a high seed in the NCAA Tournament.
The Wildcats have a talented roster, led by sixth-year senior guard Caleb Love, as well as the history of success that Lloyd brings to the table.
“All Tommy Lloyd teams do is compete at the top of their leagues,” Vecenie says on Lloyd’s track record of success, “in his three years at Arizona, the team finished first, second and first in the Pac-12.”
A Tommy Lloyd-led team has never finished lower than second in their conference, let that sink in for a minute.
Yes, it may be a small sample size of only three years and with only one team, one that has been a perennial power long before Lloyd signed on as head coach, but he does still have to recruit the right guys to the program and utilize the proper rotations on a nightly basis.
It is a tough task ahead for Lloyd to have his guys ready to compete with the likes of the Cougars or the Iowa State Cyclones, but if any man is suited for the job, it is Lloyd.
It is sure to be an exciting year to come in college basketball, for Arizona and the sport as a whole.
And should the Wildcats do what everyone expects them to be capable of, it may last much longer than what the schedule currently indicates.
