The Arizona Wildcats Men’s Basketball team was in action last night in front of fans for the first time since last season.
The team hosted its annual Red-Blue Showcase on Friday night as it prepared for the upcoming season. The event is a great opportunity for Arizona University Alumni and fans to come out and meet the team and watch them play a 20-minute exhibition.
This year, Team Red defeated Team Blue 47-44 after rallying back in the second half at the McKale Center. The comeback was led by last year’s Pac-12 player of the year, Caleb Love, who finished the night with 19 points, including the game-winning three-point shot.
On the Blue team, Anthony Dell’Orso, a transfer from Campbell University led in scoring with 15 points. That squad featured four of the five newcomers to the Wildcats for the upcoming season. They faced off against four of the top returners on the red side.
When asked about the team construction after the showcase, Wildcats head coach Tommy Lloyd said that it was his assistant coaches who set the rosters before the game. “I love my staff and give them a ton of freedom, so whatever they felt was comfortable with, I was gonna go with it.”
you’ve been waiting, and here they are…
📹 roll the highlights pic.twitter.com/vk4pWeHiZ0
— Arizona Basketball (@ArizonaMBB) October 5, 2024
Lloyd, who is entering his fourth season at the helm for the Wildcats, is looking to make his first Elite Eight with the program as they have been bounced from the tournament in the Sweet Sixteen in two of the last three seasons.
The showcase, or what Lloyd called an “extended scrimmage,” was the longest the team has had since practice officially began on September 23rd.
The showcase also featured a 3-point contest as well as a dunk contest before the scrimmage on Friday night. Love also shined in the pre-game festivities as he defeated Carter Bryant, one of Arizona’s freshmen, in the finals.
As for Bryant, the Riverside, California native, he expressed how the showcase was “surreal for me,” The Wildcats freshman stated that he had attended the Red-Blue at McKale four times before playing on the court this season in front of the fans.“For me to finally have the opportunity to compete in a Red-Blue game, it’s awesome.”
The Wildcats will play two exhibitions, one against Eastern New Mexico on October 21st and Point Loma a week later, before getting their 2024/25 season underway. They will open the regular season at home on November 4th as they host Canisius University.
