Arizona Wildcats 🏀 rank #13 in the preseason AP poll ranking

[WILD]

https://x.com/ArizonaMBB/status/1977787840487731633?t=aPCTKjlWQXQS3c9931a4fw&s=19
https://x.com/CBBcontent/status/1977769598247465382?t=9Oq7K-WPQuJA1cD8kj2q3g&s=19
https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/46576442/ap-mens-college-basketball-2025-26-preseason-top-25-poll-reaction-starting-line-biggest-game-teams

[Deb]

AZ will play the #3, 4, 12, 15 and 20 teams in OOC. Also SDSU which is prob top 30.

Can't wait.

[KansasCityCats]

The tough schedule should help the younger players prepare for a tough conference schedule, which includes three more Top-10 programs (a 4th could easily be included by the holidays).

[arxpert]

13 is way too high. We should be unranked by my metrics, but if I were being Generous I would say we are around #23-25. Just on the fringe for the gipper.

13 makes no sense. Nothing about this team is "good" innately outside of some newcomers that have some hype surrounding them. These days, players like that usually look out for themselves and their futures so I do not put all eggs into the basket that we will have some superstar Freshmen domination wire to wire. We will have to find out what this team is in short order too.

[KansasCityCats]

Outside of the hype, the "good" is four returning veteran starters and a Harvard transfer that shoots 40% from deep.

[arxpert]

Outside of the hype, the "good" is four returning veteran starters and a Harvard transfer that shoots 40% from deep.

Don't they all just magically shoot 40% from deep until Tommy gets his hands on them and diminishes their roles, values, and abilities to assimilate them in to a system that doesn't work with a slow 7'2" 250lb ogre who can't run the floor nor play defense at all.

To even ask this team to perform a Standing Dunk is like pulling teeth. Krivas can't do it. Awaka can't do it. I don't think Koa is nearly big and strong enough to dictate the game like Lebron out there either though I believe in him. He looks to be about 6'5" on a good day, but maybe can push around some SGs in lesser competition.

I will evaluate what happens more than my predictions, but from where I am standing it will come down to Bradley and Burries able to hit about 6 to 10 3's per game, control getting the ball to the rim and live at the line.

I don't see anyone averaging more than 4 assists, but hopefully someone can emerge and facilitate the inside-out game properly and maybe we get some alley oops.

At least we won't have to watch Caleb Love get denied by the Rim on easy run out Dunks all season anymore.

[KansasCityCats]

Delly's 3PT% increased above 40% after he transferred.

Bradley, Larsson, Ramey and Henderson did the same (although Bradley obviously dropped considerably last season).

Lloyd knows how to produce points.  That's never been an issue under his tenure.

[arxpert]

Delly's 3PT% increased above 40% after he transferred.

Bradley, Larsson, Ramey and Henderson did the same (although Bradley obviously dropped considerably last season).

Lloyd knows how to produce points.  That's never been an issue under his tenure.

Any coach that declares "play NBA style" will get into high scoring games. NBA Style is predicated on no defense. Arizona doesn't play defensive under Tommy. We do score though. I think anyone can score for Tommy though. Tommy has a problem that is unsolvable with how he has constructed his rosters. He wants to play up tempo, but he has a slow team. We will never be able to outrun our pace. Opponents have him figured out.

Allow the 2pt attempt, deep in the lane, then open with the Half court in-bound pass. That creates a minimum of 4 vs 3 in transition and 5 vs 4 for at least the first 5-8 seconds. Then any half-court team will just force us into long defensive sequences where our "bigs" end up stuck in mismatches galore. Scoring against us means our In-Bound either has to wait for a Krivas or Awaka to jog down the floor or we go into a mismatch the inverse way.

The only solution to this is to have our Bigs become "Jokic" with Outlet passes.

I don't see it happening.