Where Arizona Falls in Latest NCAA Bracket Projections
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The Arizona Wildcats have been dealt a challenging hand to start the 2025-26 season. Coach Tommy Lloyd's sixth season at the helm in Tucson tips off against the defending national champion Florida Gators at the Hall of Fame Series in Las Vegas.
The Wildcats landed at No. 13 in the first AP Poll rankings after a Sweet Sixteen loss to Duke in the tournament in March. Lloyd has brought the Wildcats to the Sweet Sixteen in three of the past four seasons and has hopes to go much further this time around.
The Additions and Subtractions on the Roster
Arizona lost some key contributors from last season, but has reloaded nicely. Forward Carter Bryant was selected No. 14 overall by the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Draft, while guard Caleb Love graduated. Forward Henri Veesaar and guard KJ Lewis also departed through the transfer portal.
The Wildcats filled those roles with the No. 2-ranked recruiting class according to 247Sports, highlighted by 6-foot-8-inch forward Koa Peat and three-level scoring threat Brayden Burries. Both freshmen are expected to crack the starting five to begin the season.
ESPN's Joe Lunardi unveiled his latest projections for the NCAA Tournament in March, where Arizona landed with a 4-seed in the East bracket. They draw a matchup with UC Irvine, with the winner moving on to face either fifth-seeded Arkansas or 12th-seeded Akron.
The Wildcats' opponent in the season-opener, Florida, is the projected top seed in the East bracket. While Arizona takes the fourth seed in the East region, the other fourth-seeds are Gonzaga, Illinois and Texas Tech.
Arizona is one of eight Big 12 teams projected to make it to the dance. Alongside Arizona and Texas Tech, Houston cuts a projected top seed. BYU, Kansas, Iowa State, Cincinnati, and Baylor all make the tournament in Lunardi's latest projections.
While Burries and Peat likely slide into the first starting lineup of the season, the Wildcats do get some returning help from guards Jaden Bradley and Anthony Dell'Orso, as well as center Tobe Awaka. That provides a solid defender on the perimeter, a perimeter scorer, and a big man who pulled down 7.8 rebounds per game.
Awaka might be in a battle for the starting center role with fellow returner Motiejus Krivas. The 7-foot-2-inch big man has a reach advantage over Awaka and is a very capable defender. Krivas missed most of last season after having ankle surgery in early January.
The McKale Center will be home to several Big 12 battles this season that could decide their seeding come March. Arizona will host matchups with BYU, Texas Tech, Kansas and Iowa State, and they will also host a non-conference bout against Auburn.
Point guard play from Bradley and backup Evan Nelson, a transfer from Harvard, and a combination of experienced bigs like Awaka and Krivas will be vital to the team's success now and beyond this season. Their veteran experience will be key to integrating the prized recruiting class, leading to a top-four seed in the tournament, or even better.
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Logan Brown is an alumnus of the prestigious Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. He currently works as a General College Sports Reporter On SI. Logan has an extensive background in writing and has contributed to Cronkite Sports, PHNX Sports, and Motion Graphics.
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