The rotation Tommy Lloyd plays in the NCAA Tournament will be critical for Arizona making a deep run. In their 72-64 loss to Houston in the Big 12 Championship game on Saturday, six Arizona players played all but 14 minutes. Arizona needs deeper than a six man rotation to make a deep NCAA Tournament run.
After not starting for four games in February, forward Trey Townsend has returned to the starting lineup in four of the past five games. Starting guard Anthony Dell'Orso played only five minutes versus Houston and Townsend received six minutes of playing time versus the Cougars.
Backup guard Conrad Martinez played one minute versus Houston without scoring. Arizona has played primarily an eight-man rotation this season. Guards Jaden Bradley and Caleb Love have started every game and forward Tobe Awaka has started 33 of the 34 Arizona games in 2024-25.
Dell'Orso did not score, missing both of his shots, including one three-point attempt with a minus-seven versus Houston. Townsend missed both of his shots from the field and had two rebounds and a block with a minus 16 versus Houston. Carter Bryant and Henri Veesaar were the only Arizona players with a positive plus/minus versus Houston.
Caleb Love led Arizona with 39 minutes played versus Houston, Bradley played 39 and Veesaar 33. Veesaar will be a played to watch closely versus Akron in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Amani Lyles is the only starting frontcourt player for Akron and he is 6'7.
With Akron playing a four-guard lineup, Lloyd might have to utilize a smaller rotation versus the Zips. Veesaar will provide Arizona will a significant height advantage and is more mobile than most players his size at 7'0. Awaka played only 20 combined minutes in the Big XII quarterfinal versus Kansas and semifinal versus Texas Tech due to foul trouble.
"The moment we shower and leave this locker room, it's onto the next thing. We're excited to be participating in the NCAA Tournament. It's an honor."
— Jenna Fink (@jennamfink) March 16, 2025
Tommy Lloyd and the Wildcats are quickly shifting focus from their Big 12 Tourney title loss to March Madness: pic.twitter.com/PZ9rSB5Fis
Although Awaka is 6'8, he is not as mobile as Veesaar. Arizona needs both Awaka and Veesaar to stay out of foul trouble. Awaka leads Arizona averaging 2.9 fouls per game. K.J. Lewis and Veesaar averages 2.6. Lyles leads Akron averaging 2.6 FPG. With a limited rotation, Arizona needs to stay out of foul trouble.
At 6'8 and 225, Bryant is the most skilled big man Arizona has. Bryant is the best three-point shooter among the Arizona big man and the most mobile. In the three games in the Big XII Tournament, Bryant played at least 20 minutes in all three contests. Bryant will be critical for Arizona to make a deep NCAA Tournament run.
Bradley, Lewis and Love will be key players defensively versus a high octane Akron offense. Staying fresh and out of foul trouble will be key for Arizona versus Akron and continuing to advance in the NCAA Tournment. Lloyd has frequently adjusted his lineup to match the situation. Expect Lloyd to continue matching his rotation to opponents in the NCAA Tournament.