"Michigan, Iowa State and Arizona are much better than we realized," according to Myron Medcalf of ESPN as part of his "5 early lessons of men's basketball season: Real vs. pretend contenders, more" posted on Wednesday.
Arizona has started the season with eight consecutive wins for the second time in three years. Upset wins over Florida in Las Vegas and at Connecticut, plus victories over UCLA and Auburn, have elevated Arizona to first in the Associated Press Top 25.
Arizona is fifth in KenPom and sixth in the ESPN Basketball Power Index and the NCAA NetRatings through its first eight games of the season. Arizona has accomplished the eight consecutive wins without a transfer contributing or a reliance on the three-point shot.
Arizona is 325th, making 6.0 three-point shots per game, 362nd attempting 16 threes per game and 42nd making 37.5 of its shots from beyond the arc. Harvard transfer Evan Nelson is the only player Arizona signed out of the 2025 portal. Nelson has played 28 minutes in five games and has not scored.
"After his colleagues had been peppered with questions at Big 12 media day, Arizona's Tommy Lloyd sat on the stage in Kansas City, Missouri, and acknowledged the lack of interest in his team at that same juncture. "No other questions? Really?" Lloyd said. "OK."Myron Medcal, ESPN
Since that moment in October, Arizona has shocked college basketball. The Wildcats earned their first No. 1 ranking in the AP Top 25 since 2023 this week thanks to early wins over No. 5 UConn, No. 18 Florida, No. 21 Auburn and No. 25 UCLA. Sensational freshman Koa Peat (15.9 PPG, 5.5 RPG) leads a squad that has averaged 88.5 points."
Arizona is exceeding the Big XII Preseason Poll
Arizona was picked fourth in the Big XII preseason coaches poll. Houston was picked first in the Big XII coaches poll, followed by BYU and Texas Tech. Houston is 8-1 with their only loss to Tennessee in the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas over Thanksgiving weekend. The Cougars are currently seventh in the AP Top 25.
BYU is 8-1 with its lone loss to Connecticut in Boston and the Cougars are currently 10th in the AP Top 25. Texas Tech is 7-2 with losses to Illinois and Purdue and is currently 16th in the AP Top 25. Arizona plays at Houston, hosts Texas Tech and plays BYU twice during the 2025-26 regular season.
Peat leads Arizona in scoring and is third in rebounding. Peat is one of three true freshman starters for Arizona and one of four in the eight-man rotation. True freshman Brayden Burries is third on Arizona, averaging 11.3 points per game, 2.9 rebounds and 2.4 assists.
The four early-season wins should be critical for Arizona when the NCAA Tournament committee meets in early March. Arizona's wins over Connecticut and Florida were quadrant one, while the victories over Auburn and UCLA are quad two.
College basketball metrics and where wins and losses are placed in NetRatings will continue to evolve throughout the season. Playing in the Big XII, Arizona should have one of the toughest schedules nationally by the end of the regular season.