The Arizona Rotation Adjustments That Defined Success

Arizona just had a fantastic regular season, as it went 32-2. The Wildcats capped off a great season with a Big 12 championship. This is the best record the program has had since the 2021-22 season.

The Wildcats earned the No. 1 seed in the West Region in the NCAA Tournament. They are arguably the best team in the entire country right now, and this may be the season head coach Tommy Lloyd gets over the postseason hump.

Big 12 Regular Season & Tournament Champs 🏆🏆 pic.twitter.com/l82Wafdsxc
— Arizona Basketball (@ArizonaMBB) March 15, 2026

Here are a few rotation changes that got the Wildcats where they are today.

Tight Rotation

Normally, a team plays more players throughout the season, but shortens the rotation once it comes to the big games. Lloyd has thrown out that mentality this season, as he has had a very tight rotation.

As such a coveted program that the Wildcats are, obviously, a lot of top prospects want to come play for Lloyd. To get on the court, let alone make the roster, you have to be the elite of the elite. Lloyd has really only played seven guys this season, with an occasional eight-man rotation.

It all starts Friday morning!!! pic.twitter.com/TUdif4fBxT
— Arizona Basketball (@ArizonaMBB) March 16, 2026

It has obviously worked, as the team has been at the top of the AP Poll for pretty much the entire season. If the Wildcats get knocked out early, the tight rotation may come up in talking points. For now, it is a huge reason why the Wildcats are a No. 1 seed in the tournament.

Dell’Orso Moved To Sixth Man

1️⃣ in the West pic.twitter.com/8oYKf0B0g1
— Arizona Basketball (@ArizonaMBB) March 15, 2026

The unsung hero of this team is, without a doubt, Anthony Dell’Orso. The natural step is to gain more minutes each year and hopefully become a starter. Dell’Orso has flipped that plan all around.

He is a senior and has started 86 out of 103 games in his first three years in college basketball, including starting 28 out of 37 games last year at this very same Wildcats program. Then this season rolls around, and he starts zero games. He is strictly a sixth man.

That had to be a shock to Dell’Orso, but that is what the team needed. They have their star guards in Jaden Bradley and Brayden Burries. The Wildcats needed a bucket getter off the bench, so Dell’Orso swallowed his pride and took on that role.

This was a huge change in the rotation for the Wildcats, and a big reason why the Wildcats had the amount of success they had this season. Dell’Orso saved the Wildcats in the Big 12 semifinals when he scored 26 points to defeat Iowa State.