Breaking Down Where Arizona Sits in Big 12 Preseason Standings

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.

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 23, 2025; Seattle, WA, USA; Arizona Wildcats head coach Tommy Lloyd works the sideline against the Oregon Ducks in the second half at Climate Pledge Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images | Steven Bisig-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.

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

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.

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

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 17 days from now.

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.

The 2025-26 #Big12MBB Preseason Coaches Poll is official 📊 pic.twitter.com/CnIe8aiJbs
— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) October 16, 2025

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, and No. 19 Kansas.

Now, ahead of the start of the season, the Big 12 has released its Preseason Predictions, voted on by the coaches of the conference.

Below are the top five teams in the Big 12 preseason standings, with the full list from the conference as well:

Top Five Big 12 Standings

Mar 15, 2025; Kansas City, MO, USA; The Houston Cougars and head coach Kelvin Sampson react after defeating the Arizona Wildcats in the Big 12 Conference Tournament Championship game at T-Mobile Center. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images | William Purnell-Imagn Images

1. Houston

2. BYU

3. Texas Tech

4. Arizona

5. Iowa State

Jan 27, 2025; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats guard Caleb Love (1) shoots a half court shot at the buzzer to tie the game against the Iowa State Cyclones at McKale Center. Mandatory Credit: Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images | Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images

Last season, the Wildcats finished third in the conference and managed to go 14-6 with a road record of 6-4 in the Big 12, which is considered one of the toughest conferences in the nation.

The Wildcats would go on to get to the Big 12 Tournament title game but fell to top-seed Houston in a gritty 72-64 game, where Arizona ran out of gas in the final five minutes.

Feb 15, 2025; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats guard Jaden Bradley (0) makes a lay up while Houston Cougars guard L.J. Cryer (4) fails to block him during the second half at McKale Center. Mandatory Credit: Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images | Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images

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 picked to finish fourth in the Preseason Big 12 Standings and your excitement level for the upcoming season. To do so, follow us on our X account by clicking on the link.