Since taking over Arizona, head coach Tommy Lloyd has been one of the most successful up-and-coming coaches in college basketball going 112-33 over the course of the last four seasons making the NCAA Tournament each season and leading the program to three Sweet Sixteen appearances.
This past season, Lloyd and his program entered a new era of Arizona basketball with the Wildcats leaving the Pac-12 and joining the Big 12 Conference. In UA’s first season in a new conference, the team went 24-13 while finishing third in the conference standings.
Mar 23, 2025; Seattle, WA, USA; Arizona Wildcats head coach Tommy Lloyd works the sideline against the Oregon Ducks in the second half at Climate Pledge Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images / Steven Bisig-Imagn Images
In the Big 12 Tournament, the Wildcats made it to the conference title game and fell 72-64 to Houston, which would go on to play for the National Title.
Following the end to the season, Arizona lost star guard Caleb Love to graduation and forward Carter Bryant to the NBA Draft where he went No. 14 overall to the San Antonio Spurs.
Plus, Arizona saw two key players in KJ Lewis and Henri Veesaar leave the program and transfer to Power 4 programs.
Despite that, Arizona will be fully loaded again with four key returners in Jaden Badley, Tobe Awaka, Anthony Dell’Orso and Motiejus Krivas. Plus, Lloyd and his staff signed the No. 2 recruiting class according to 24/7 Sports.
We are inching closer to the start of the college basketball season with Arizona tipping off its schedule against defending national champions the Florida Gators in Las Vegas 43 days from now.
As we are getting closer to the opening tip, Arizona held a media event with players available to the local media to talk about what they’ve been doing during the offseason and about the upcoming 2025-26 season.
One of the players Arizona Wildcats On SI talked to was returning guard Dell’Orso, who will be entering his second year with the program. There were five takeaways that stood out from his interview.
Mar 23, 2025; Seattle, WA, USA; Arizona Wildcats guard Anthony Dell’Orso (3) celebrates after defeating the Oregon Ducks at Climate Pledge Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images / Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images
Mar 23, 2025; Seattle, WA, USA; Arizona Wildcats guard Anthony Dell’Orso (3) reacts after a play against the Oregon Ducks in the first half at Climate Pledge Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images / Steven Bisig-Imagn Images
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