The focus for Arizona right now is all on their nationally-ranked football program, however, in a few short months, their top 10 preseason basketball team will take the court.
It’s an exciting time for Wildcats fans as, on paper, Arizona has a real chance to win the NCAA Tournament.
Returning Caleb Love and other impact players, the Wildcats have a set core. Love initially entered the NBA draft but withdrew in May.
Trey Townsend, a transfer from Oakland, should also be a big piece to their roster.
Everything looks good, and that’s always important, but it’s also fair to worry about Arizona.
Their lack of success in the NCAA Tournament hasn’t been ideal, as they’ve failed to reach the Elite Eight in each of the past three years since Tommy Lloyd took over as head coach.
Outside of their loss to Houston in 2022, Arizona should’ve taken care of business against Clemson and Princeton.
Two Sweet 16 runs can’t be ignored, as it isn’t tough to get there, but for a program of this caliber, the expectation is to compete for a championship.
As Arizona enters the season, Jeff Borzello of ESPN wrote that tournament struggles are the biggest question surrounding the Wildcats, and he questioned if Arizona can get past their March Madness “bugaboo.”
“The Wildcats have been a 1- or 2-seed in each of the past three NCAA tournaments, but they have yet to reach the Elite Eight, losing to 5-seed Houston, 15-seed Princeton and 6-seed Clemson. While their record (and seeding) might take a hit moving to the Big 12, playing in the best league in the country should prepare them better for single-elimination hoops.”
It’s a fair question, and something many analysts around college basketball can point to.
Entering the Big 12 will likely make things more difficult. Outside of the top-end Big East teams, there isn’t another conference comparable to the Big 12 in the country.
Not that the Pac-12 was a bad conference, but the Big 12 is different.
Playing Houston, Kansas, and others on a regular basis will be difficult. Still, it’s a welcoming challenge as they look to get prepared for the NCAA Tournament.
Their out-of-conference schedule doesn’t do them many favors in terms of easier opponents. Arizona will play Wisconsin, Duke, UCLA, and others.
If they take care of business in the Big 12 and during the out-of-conference games, they should be a top-two seed again.
This time, hopefully things will end differently than they have in the past.
