Breaking Down Arizona Basketball AP Poll Ranking

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.

Dec 7, 2024; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Southern Utah Thunderbirds forward Jamari Sibley (14) and center Malik Lamin (32) battle for the rebound with Arizona Wildcats center Motiejus Krivas (14) during the second half at McKale Center. Mandatory Credit: Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images | Aryanna Frank-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.

Since taking over Arizona, head coach Tommy Lloyd has been one of the most successful up-and-coming coaches in college basketball going 112-33 over the course of the last four seasons making the NCAA Tournament each season and leading the program to three Sweet Sixteen appearances.

Mar 8, 2025; Lawrence, Kansas, USA; Arizona Wildcats coach Tommy Lloyd watches game play during the second half against the Kansas Jayhawks at Allen Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images | William Purnell-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 to 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 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

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.

We are inching closer to the start of the college basketball season with Arizona tipping off its schedule against defending national champions in the Florida Gators in Las Vegas 19 days from now.

Six teams ranked in the Preseason AP Top 25... in case you were wondering if that's good:
✅ T-Most In Big 12 history (2024)
✅ T-Most of any conference this year
✅ Most top-10 teams of any conference this year

Big 12 Basketball is A Different League. pic.twitter.com/S8D5suaZTf
— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) October 13, 2025

With the season right around the corner, the Preseason AP Poll has been released with the rankings loaded with Big 12 and SEC teams with both conferences seeing six teams ranked in the poll.

Arizona managed to make the cut coming in at No. 13, marking the fifth time the Wildcats have been in the preseason poll under Lloyd.

In the Big 12 the ranked teams are No. 2 Houston, No. 8 BYU, No. 10 Texas Tech, No. 13 Arizona, No. 16 Iowa State, No. 19 Kansas.

Dec 20, 2023; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats guard Caleb Love (2) shoots the ball against Alabama Crimson Tide forward Grant Nelson (2) during the second half in the Hall of Fame Series at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports | Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Arizona has a loaded non-conference schedule with five ranked teams on the slate in No. 3 Florida, No. 4 UConn, No. 12 UCLA, No. 15 Alabama and No. 20 Auburn. Plus, the Wildcats will face off against San Diego State, which has been a tough West Coast program over the last 20-plus years.

Please be sure to share your thoughts on the Wildcats ranking in the Preseason AP Poll and your excitement level for the upcoming season. To do so, follow us on our X account by clicking on the link.