Why Arizona Must Heavily Pursue Big Men in Transfer Portal
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The NCAA Transfer Portal is a week old, and already, college hoops has seen several key players declare for it and sign with teams that both value and need their skill sets to be successful in the 2026-2027 season.
The Arizona Wildcats, fresh off a Final Four appearance in Indianapolis, are also looking to sign players off the portal to fill open spots that have been left open by players who have declared for the draft, gone to the portal, or run out of eligibility.
Arizona has seemingly filled out its guard dilemma after senior Jaden Bradley departed from the program and is now heading to the NBA Draft. Brayden Burries is most likely also going to the draft after leading Arizona in points scored. JJ Mandaquit has signed on to the team, and Derek Dixon has committed. Now, the Wildcats must fill out other spots to form a complete team and replicate their success in the 2025 season.
Arizona's Forward Problem
Now that the Wildcats have solved their guard problem, they must decide who they will sign at forward. The problem came after Freshmen Dwayne Aristode and Sidi Gueye entered the portal. Arisotde, a 4-star recruit, averaged 3.8 points and was a part of the eight-man rotation.
Gueye, another four-star recruit out of Senegal, did not see the floor as much as Aristode but still showed flashes of being a solid player at the college level. The 6-foot-11 forward/center saw a slight uptick in minutes when both Koa Peat and Aristode were out of the lineup.
The Wildcats will need to act fast to fill the holes left by Gueye and Aristode if they are to find quality players that will keep them at the top of the college basketball world. While Gueye and Aristode have officially departed, others have yet to decide.
Power forward Koa Peat is more than likely headed to the NBA Draft, and small forward Ivan Kharchenkov is undecided. Peat is coming off a season where he averaged 14.1 points and 5.6 rebounds while shooting 52.8 from the field. Kharchenkov scored 10.4 points and 4.3 rebounds. His defensive skills made him a highly valuable player for Arizona.
The same goes for Motiejus Krivas, Arizona's elite center and Big 12 All-Defensive Team member. The Big 12 Sixth Man of the Year, Tobe Awaka, is also stepping away from Arizona after running out of eligibility.
Why Arizona Needs Quality Forwards
Besides Arizona needing to fill roster spots before the portal closes, there are several reasons the Wildcats need quality bigs on their team. One key factor is that attacking the paint and dominating teams on the glass is their exact identity.
Arizona didn't become a top-10 team in rebounds per game and rebounding margin for nothing. It is from exceptional coaching and elite-level big men and forwards who match what Tommy Lloyd was looking for.
The Wildcats have thrived on getting near the basket and scoring in the paint to wear down their opponents. Dominating on the glass has also been a major factor in the Wildcats' success this season.
Grabbing players such as Massamba Diop or Bryson Tiller will put Arizona right back to where it was, and that is a team that is well-equipped to make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament.
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Nathaniel Martinez and a set of shoulder pads at 7 years old. He later graduated from Pima Community College in 2023, where he began writing for the Pima Post. He is working to achieve a Bachelor’s in Mass Communication and Media Studies.