Three Things Arizona Hoops MUST Address Ahead of the Season

Welcome! To another edition of the Arizona Wildcats Insiders Podcast featuring your host Troy Hutchison, who will be delivering a daily podcast discussing everything happening surrounding Arizona athletics, giving you an inside look at all the programs on campus.

Mar 27, 2025; Newark, NJ, USA; Arizona Wildcats head coach Tommy Lloyd during the first half against the Duke Blue Devils during an East Regional semifinal of the 2025 NCAA tournament at Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Hutchison has been covering Arizona for the last seven years with his coverage spanning all-across UA’s campus from football and men’s basketball to Title IX sports. Plus, with so many former Wildcats playing at the next level in their prospective sports there will be moments where he will take a deep dive into the Cats excelling outside of Tucson.

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Friday marked the annual Red-Blue Showcase for Arizona basketball as head coach Tommy Lloyd enters his fifth season with the Wildcats after making the tournament all four of the previous seasons with three trips to the Sweet Sixteen, which includes last year’s 100-93 loss to No. 1 seed Duke.

Mar 27, 2025; Newark, NJ, USA; Arizona Wildcats guard Jaden Bradley (0) shoots the ball against Duke Blue Devils forward Cooper Flagg (2) during the first half during an East Regional semifinal of the 2025 NCAA tournament at Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images | Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images

This past season, Lloyd and his program entered a new era of Arizona basketball with the Wildcats leaving the Pac-12 and joining the Big 12 Conference. In UA’s first season in a new conference, the team went 24-13 while finishing third in the conference standings.

In the Big 12 Tournament, the Wildcats made it to the conference title game and fell 72-64 to Houston, which would go on to play for the National Title.

Following the end of the season, Arizona lost star guard Caleb Love to graduation and forward Carter Bryant to the NBA Draft, where he went No. 14 overall to the San Antonio Spurs.

Mar 23, 2025; Seattle, WA, USA; Arizona Wildcats guard Caleb Love (1) dunks the ball against the Oregon Ducks in the second half at Climate Pledge Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images | Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images

Plus, Arizona saw two key players in KJ Lewis and Henri Veesaar leave the program and transfer to Power 4 programs.

Despite that, Arizona will be fully loaded again with four key returners in Jaden Badley, Tobe Awaka, Anthony Dell’Orso, and Motiejus Krivas. Plus, Lloyd and his staff signed the No. 2 recruiting class, according to 24/7 Sports.

The atmosphere was rocking in McKale Center with fans excited to see the seven new freshmen and four key returning players with a team that will almost certainly be ranked in the Preseason AP Poll.

Grayson Rams guard Caleb Holt (3) shoots the ball during the second quarter of a City of Palms Classic quarterfinal game against the Columbus Explorers at Suncoast Credit Union Arena in Fort Myers, Fla., on Friday, Dec. 20, 2024. | Jonah Hinebaugh/Naples Daily News/USA Today Network-Florida / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

In attendance for the showcase was five-star guard Caleb Holt out of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., who has seen heavy interest from the Wildcats.

It was a good night for Arizona basketball that saw the Red Team walk away with a 45-44 win over the Blue Team.

Here at Arizona Wildcats On SI, we’ve broken down the three things UA needs to work on from the night that will be highly important come the start of the season.

Three Observations

Mar 13, 2025; Kansas City, MO, USA; Arizona Wildcats guard Anthony Dell'Orso (3) shoots the ball over Kansas Jayhawks guard Zeke Mayo (5) during the first half at T-Mobile Center. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images | William Purnell-Imagn Images

Shooting

Over the years, it seems the one thing that has been very inconsistent for Arizona has been shooting with a lack of a solid 3-point threat. Last season, UA had Anthony Dell’Orso hitting 41% from deep but only taking 3.3 attempts per game.

Outside of Dell’Orso, Arizona didn’t have a consistent outside shot and even though he is back for another season, the Wildcats could use someone to step up to help spread the floor.

Lockdown Defender

Mar 23, 2025; Seattle, WA, USA; Oregon Ducks guard TJ Bamba (5) battles against Arizona Wildcats forward Carter Bryant (9) in the second half at Climate Pledge Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images | Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images

Last season, Arizona had two lockdown defensive players in Carter Bryant and KJ Lewis, which are no longer with the program. So, one major thing that we didn’t see in the red-blue game is who will be the next defensive leader for the 2025-26 season.

Koa Peat

One of the top players in the 2026 recruiting class was forward Koa Peat, who is primarily a low-post scorer that can create off the dribble in the paint. However, Peat went 4 of 10 from the field and had a hard time knocking down his mid-range shot.

For Arizona to be a sound offensive team, Peat will need to develop his shot and become more consistent from 15 feet and in.

Please be sure to share your thoughts on the three areas the Wildcats need to improve ahead of the 2025-26 season. To do so, follow us on our X account by clicking on the link.