Big XII coaches picked Arizona fourth in their preseason poll that was released on Thursday by the conference. Houston received 14 out of 16 first-place votes, with Arizona and BYU receiving the other two. Houston was first in the overall balloting, with BYU second and Texas Tech third, ahead of Arizona.
Houston 224 points to finish first in the Big XII preseason coaches poll, BYU was second with 204
points, followed by Texas Tech with 200 and Arizona with 179. Iowa State with 170 points in fifth place and Kansas with 163 in sixth were slightly behind Arizona.
There is a big drop off after Kansas to seventh place Baylor with 137 points. The Big XII Coaches poll from eighth through 16th is Cincinnati, Kansas State, TCU, West Virginia, Oklahoma State, Utah, UCF, Colorado and Arizona State.
Among the teams picked ahead of them, Arizona plays at Houston, hosts Texas Tech and plays BYU twice. Arizona also plays Kansas twice and will host Iowa State. Arizona State is the only other team Arizona plays twice in the Big XII in 2025-26.
The 2025-26 #Big12MBB Preseason Coaches Poll is official 📊 pic.twitter.com/CnIe8aiJbs
— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) October 16, 2025
Arizona begins Big XII play at Utah on January 3. Among the other teams picked to finish near the bottom half of the Big XII, Arizona plays at Central Florida, Colorado and TCU. Arizona will host Kansas State, Cincinnati, and West Virginia. Baylor is the other Big XII road game for Arizona, not previously mentioned.
The schedule for Arizona is mostly favorable, with the majority of games against teams they play once that are picked in the top half of the Big XII at home. All of the 2025-26 Arizona Big XII games will be on traditional networks, with the exception of Utah, which will air on Peacock.
Arizona returns guard Jaden Bradley, wing Anthony Dell'Orso and forward Tobe Awaka as starters in 2025-26. Center Motiejus Krivas is back after missing all but eight games in 2024-25 because of an injury. Five-star freshmen, guard Brayden Burries and Koa Peat, are expected to make major impacts for Arizona in 2025-26.