Tommy Lloyd and the Arizona Wildcats have been among the best regular-season teams in college basketball since he took over in 2021-22, with last year finally resulting in a deep run in March and the program's first Final Four appearance since 2001.
Expectations are even higher now as Lloyd enters his sixth season in Tucson, with a roster that only features two key returners from last year, but includes a bevy of new stars that make this one of the most talented teams in the country.
The preseason KenPom ratings were published on Sunday and Arizona will begin the campaign at No. 5 overall and second in the Big 12. Duke and Florida take the top two spots, with Houston and Illinois at No. 3 and 4.
Iowa State, Michigan State, Kansas, Alabama, and Texas round out the top ten, while Texas Tech is at No. 12 to give the Big 12 five top 12 teams - far and away the most of any conference.
Can Arizona make another national championship run?
Arizona was a crummy first half against Michigan away from making the national championship last year, and despite the losses of star freshmen Koa Peat and Brayden Burries, as well as Big 12 Player of the Year Jaden Bradley, the Wildcats are set to compete for another title in 2026-27.
Star center Mo Krivas and versatile forward Ivan Kharchenkov are both back for coach Lloyd and should compete for All-Big 12 and All-American honors this season.
Meanwhile, the Wildcats made strong additions around the dynamic duo, including 5-star freshman Caleb Holt - widely projected as a top three pick in the NBA draft - and transfer point guards Derek Dixon and JJ Mandaquit.
Add in Clemson fifth-year transfer RJ Godfrey - who is battling the NCAA for eligibility - and you have a roster perfectly suited to battle for the Big 12 championship and another No. 1 seed in the Big Dance.
How the Big 12 stacks up in KenPom's preseason rankings
Amazingly, KenPom's NetRtg data has the SEC as the top conference in the country, with the Big 12 coming in second despite having five top-12 teams.
All 16 teams in the Big 12 are projected in KenPom's top 100, although that's true of every power conference except the ACC, where Georgia Tech (101) and Boston College (114) just miss the cut.
After Houston (3), Arizona (5), Iowa State (6), Kansas (8), and Texas Tech (12) there's a decent gap, with Cincinnati (31), BYU (33), and Baylor (35) sitting in the top 40, while West Virginia (41), Oklahoma State (45), and TCU (49) make it so 75% of the conference is in the top 50.
The five teams not in the top 50 are UCF (57), Arizona State (71), Utah (84), Colorado (86), and Kansas State (96).
The road to another Final Four for Arizona starts on Tuesday, Oct. 13 in a home exhibition game against San Francisco (KenPom: 163) starting at 6:00 PM PT. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
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