How Last Year’s Sweet 16 Loss Shifted Arizona’s Philosophy

Last year's loss to Duke helped set the Wildcats on their current path.

Mar 19, 2026; San Diego, CA, USA; Arizona Wildcats head coach Tommy Lloyd during a press conference ahead of the first round of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Viejas Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

A year after losing to No. 1 seed Duke in the Sweet 16, the Arizona Wildcats find themselves entering the NCAA Tournament as one of the favorites to contend for a National Championship. The Wildcats started the year 23-0 and have seemed like a true contender all year, but if it wasn't for that Duke game, Arizona may have been looking at a different reality.

The common college basketball adage says, "Experience wins in March." Yet, that Duke team was led by elite freshmen in Cooper Flagg, Kon Knueppel, Khaman Maluach, and Patrick Ngongba, while Arizona was the more experienced squad. But Arizona was the team going home, and Duke reached the Final Four, having beaten the Wildcats twice that season.

A year later, Arizona has found success by taking a page out of the Blue Devils' playbook, adding seven freshmen in the 2025 recruiting class, five of whom were at least four-star recruits and three of whom have become productive members of the regular playing rotation.

"When we played them at the end of the season, I didn't think they were young," head coach Tommy Lloyd recalled as he spoke with the media on Thursday. "I just thought they were really good, so we were able to get involved with some freshmen that we felt could be some impact players in college basketball, no matter what year or what class they were."

Mar 19, 2026; San Diego, CA, USA; Arizona Wildcats head coach Tommy Lloyd looks on during a practice session ahead of the first round of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Viejas Arena. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images | Denis Poroy-Imagn Images

Adjusting for Success

Boy, was he right. The freshmen who have played their way into the lineup have become more than just contributors during their debut seasons in Tucson. They're vital components of a well-oiled machine. Brayden Burries and Koa Peat are the Wildcats' leading scorers, and Ivan Kharchenkov may be one of the most underrated players in the country, averaging 10.1 points and 4.1 rebounds while becoming one of Arizona's best defenders.

However, it wasn't just the Duke losses that influenced the decision to pivot to landing more impactful freshmen. As teams continued to adjust to the whackiness of the transfer portal and the phasing out of COVID-eligibility, Lloyd considered the bigger vision he had for his program.

Mar 14, 2026; Kansas City, MO, USA; Arizona Wildcats forward Koa Peat (10) drives to the hoop past Houston Cougars forward Chase McCarty (24) during the first half during the men's Big 12 Conference Tournament Championship at T-Mobile Center. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images | William Purnell-Imagn Images

"For me, it was simple calculus," he explained. "One, I didn't think there would be as many quality transfers in the transfer portal, and two, I thought it was going to be overpriced. But the simplest answer for us is that we were able to get involved with freshmen that we really believed in from day one."

They've proved him right despite some struggles. Now, the challenge is bringing them back up to speed after a couple of tough games in the Big 12 Tournament, which saw Burries fade for the first time this season.

Mar 2, 2026; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats guard Brayden Burries (5) makes a three point basket during the first half of the game against the Iowa State Cyclones at McKale Memorial Center. Mandatory Credit: Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images | Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images

"He didn't play great, nor did Koa, and they were both able to put that behind themselves and bounce back and play great against a good Houston team in the championship game," Lloyd said. "These guys are really good players, and they're actually really mature beyond their years when it comes to being competitive."

Preparing Freshmen for March

There are a few upperclassmen who are still around from last year's team who know a thing or two about being competitive in March. They can help guide the freshmen through the experience, but while the freshmen haven't been through this before, there's a steady confidence that they'll be able to figure it out.

Mar 19, 2026; San Diego, CA, USA; Arizona Wildcats forward Tobe Awaka (30) during a press conference ahead of the first round of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Viejas Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

"I think they've done a great job of handling adversity and handling the ups and downs of the college basketball season," senior forward Tobe Awaka said. "They really just need to stay true to who they are and keep doing what they're doing."

Lloyd appears to have that confidence in his young players as well, but he's taking a simple approach to helping them adjust to the environment: drawing on past experiences that required a comparable amount of work and effort.

Mar 2, 2026; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats head coach Tommy Lloyd looks out to fans after they defeat the Iowa State Cyclones at McKale Memorial Center. Mandatory Credit: Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images | Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images

"I have a sense that our freshmen don't know what this is about," he said. "I told our freshmen, ... 'Let's just go win another state championship.' You win a state championship game by game. This just happens to have the word 'national' in front of it, but it's no different approach."

Arizona took a gamble to elevate its program. There's no doubt it was a big risk, yet, if its impressive group of freshmen can take to the NCAA Tournament as they have in college basketball and the Big 12 Conference, it just might pay off. The Wildcats definitely wouldn't have gotten this far without them.