Why Lloyd Stays Cautious Amid Arizona's Impressive Start

The Wildcats' head coach downplayed the stakes for his team.

Jan 10, 2026; Fort Worth, Texas, USA; Arizona Wildcats forward Koa Peat (10) and forward Ivan Kharchenkov (8) celebrate during the game between the Horned Frogs and the Wildcats at Ed and Rae Schollmaier Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The Arizona WIldcats men's basketball team sits atop the college basketball world with the No. 1 ranking in the latest AP Poll and its best start in over a decade at 16-0. It's tied for the longest wiinning streak in the nation and could take further steps toward history on Wednesday.

A win over in-state rival Arizona State on Saturday would give the Wildcats a 17th consecutive win for the seventh time in program history. A team can get easily carried away with a run like that, even if it doesn't expect it to continue indefinitely. After all, the last team to go completely unblemished though the entirety of a college basketball season was Indiana in 1976.

Jan 10, 2026; Fort Worth, Texas, USA; Arizona Wildcats guard Jaden Bradley (0) brings the ball up court against TCU Horned Frogs guard Liutauras Lelevicius (3) during the game between the Horned Frogs and the Wildcats at Ed and Rae Schollmaier Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

A different internal mindset

While fans and media around the team may be beginning to consider the possibility of this Arizona team making a similar run, it's not even on the Wildcats' radar.

"This team has been really strong at being in the moment and being process-oriented," head coach Tommy Lloyd said as he met with the local media on Tuesday. "Those are the things that we're trying to focus on. We're not getting enamored with the results or obsessed with outcomes.

"We're digging into processes because we understand that doing the process right -- more than your opponents -- usually allows the outcome to come out in your favor. We're really keeping it simple and just staying in the moment and enjoying being with each other and enjoying the journey."

Lloyd Takes From Experience

He's not taking the bait from the media, but don't let that make you think Lloyd is superstitious about putting his team in that rarified air. He's been there before, and he insists it's all about business as usual.

"Superstition has nothing to do with the game," he added. "The clocks going to have two-zero-colon-zero-zero up there, and the ball's going to to go up, and that's what has to do with the game. When the ball gets tipped, we're going to play basketball. Nothing before or superstion stuff has anything to do with it."

Jan 10, 2026; Fort Worth, Texas, USA; Arizona Wildcats forward Koa Peat (10) drives to the basket past TCU Horned Frogs forward Xavier Edmonds (24) during the second half at the Ed and Rae Schollmaier Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Lloyd was part of the coaching staff at Gonzaga when the Bulldogs made their attempt to join the Hoosiers. The Zags went 31-0 during the 2020-21 season, only to lose the national championship game against Baylor.

"I'm not going to sit here and compare out team to that," Lloyd explained. "That's not fair for this team. This team is going to create its own journey. We'll see the twists and turns that takes place, and we'll deal with them as we come upon them."

Feb 8, 2020; Moraga, California, USA; Gonzaga Bulldogs head coach Mark Few and assistant coach Tommy Lloyd look on during the first half against the Saint Mary's Gaels at McKeon Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

There will be twists and turns abound in the Big 12, but ultimately, how the Wildcats respond when things go south will determine how successful this season really is. For now, they'll just enjoy the ride.