The Arizona Wildcats have seen their fair share of success through the years, especially under head coach Tommy Lloyd, approaching his fourth year at the helm.
All of that came in the now-defunct PAC-12, however, and the coach and his program now face a different set of challenges as they prepare for life as a member of the Big 12, one of the toughest conferences in college basketball.
Even as a newcomer, the Wildcats are expected to perform well this year, with many expecting the team to contend for the Big 12 Conference Championship.
Some have gone even farther than that with their predictions for this team, with Brian Hamilton of The Athletic predicting that Arizona will reach this year’s Final Four.
It would mark the fourth time during Lloyd’s tenure that the team has made the NCAA Tournament, though the Final Four would be the deepest they have made it.
The Wildcats made it to the Sweet 16 twice with Lloyd at the helm, in his first season and last year, and in his second season they were bounced in the first round.
It is a tradition of success that Lloyd has built within the program, and the coach looks to continue that in the coming campaign.
Star guard Caleb Love knows all too well that success, as he was a member of the North Carolina Tar Heels that made it to the National Championship Game in 2022, losing by only three points to the Kansas Jayhawks, a team that he is now in the same conference with.
Love knows all too well how quickly that success can come to a screeching halt, as he was also a member of the Tar Heels team of the very next year that became the first team in history to open a season as the preseason number one team in the country and miss the NCAA Tournament.
While the success is not expected to come to such a screeching halt for Arizona this year, it is still uncharted waters ahead for the program in its foray into the much stronger Big 12 conference.
With Lloyd at the helm, Love as a veteran leader among the roster, and the help of Carter Bryant, Motiejus Krivas, and KJ Lewis, three men expected to make a big impact as part of the starting five, the Final Four is certainly a possibility.
The Wildcats need to find their way into the NCAA Tournament first, though, and then they can worry about advancing to the Final Four.
