Three Strengths of Arizona Basketball Heading into 2025-26
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Arizona basketball held its annual Red-Blue Showcase as head coach Tommy Lloyd entered 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.
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.
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.
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 strengths for Arizona that should give the team a boost as the start of the season inches closer.
Three Strengths
Point Guard Play
- Arizona will be led by veteran point guard Jaden Bradley, who will be one of the top returning points nationally after averaging 12.1 ppg, 3.7 apg, 3.4 rpg and 1.8 spg while shooting 47% from the field.
- This will be the third season in the Arizona system for Bradley, who will be expected to take on a large role in the offensive game plan.
- Plus, unlike last year, the Wildcats now have a legitimate option at the backup point guard spot with the addition of transfer guard Evan Nelson, who played three seasons at Harvard, where he played in 68 games and averaged 8.2 ppg, 2.9 rpg and 2.8 apg while shooting 46% from the field.
Rebounding
- Last season, Arizona averaged 39.7 rebounds per game, which placed the Wildcats 16th nationally and 20th in defensive boards, collecting 27.4 against their opponents.
- This season, Arizona welcomes back forward Tobe Awaka, who has established himself as one of the better rebounders in the Big 12, averaging 7.8 rebounds per game while stacking up nine double-double performances throughout 37 games played.
Leadership
- Yes, Arizona is welcoming in the No. 2 recruiting class that features seven freshmen and will rely on them to be key contributors early on and in the starting lineup. However, the Wildcats still have the right mix of upperclassmen who have been through the grind of a college basketball season.
- The Wildcats will have guards Bradley and Anthony Dell’Orso leading the underclassmen in the backcourt and then have Awaka and Motiejus Krivas leading the young frontcourt.
Please be sure to share your thoughts on our three strengths of the Wildcats’ coming into the 2025-26 season. To do so, follow us on our X account by clicking on the link.
Troy Hutchison grew up attending Arizona athletic events, which gave him a unique perspective and knowledge of the athletic department's rich history. He attended UA and began covering the Wildcats in 2018. As the Arizona Wildcats Beat Writer on SI, he is set to deliver wall-to-wall coverage to give fans an in-depth perspective.
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