Matt Norlander of CBS Sports has Arizona eighth in his "College basketball rankings: Houston, Purdue, Kentucky, Duke and more headline 2025-26 Top 100 And 1 teams." Norlander referenced the returning corps and two elite freshmen as the reason for optimism for Arizona.
Arizona returns starters, forward Tobe Awaka, guard Jaden Bradley and wing Anthony Dell'Orso and center Motiejus Krivas is back after missing all but eight games in 2024-25 following season-ending surgery after eight games.
Norlander also mentioned the losses of Caleb Love, Carter Bryant and Trey Townsend, who concluded their collegiate careers and the transfers of K.J. Lewis to Georgetown and Henri Veesaar to North Carolina following the 2024-25 season.
Norlander acknowledged Bryant, Love, Townsend, Lewis and Veesaar is a lot to lose from a team that won 24 games and reached the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament. Arizona is one of three Big XII teams Norlander has in his top eight, all of which he said should have the personnel to win a national championship.
"8. ArizonaMatt Norlander, CBS Sports
The most critical pieces coming back are all above-average defenders: Jaden Bradley, Tobe Awaka, Motiejus Krivas and Anthony Dell'Orso is a really good core to work with. Bradley and Awaka could be top-20 defenders nationally, while Krivas should be strong as ever after going down with an injury last December. And those four are bringing back 35 points per game, too, which will combine with two freshmen who will be huge contributors.
Koa Peat is a top-10 prospect in the Class of '25, a power forward with a great motor, good defensive instincts and one-and-done possibilities. On some nights, Peat may be Zona's MVP. On others, it could be the fidgety Brayden Burries, a five-star guard who should be a beautiful fit in Lloyd's schemes. But it all starts with Bradley, who I think is on the short-short list of best/most complete players to not get preseason All-America honors."
Arizona's Biggest Big XII Competition
Norlander mentioned his top-ranked team, Houston and Kansas, who he surprisingly has seventh nationally as the other two Big XII teams that have the personnel to win a national championship. Darryn Peterson, the top-ranked 2025 prospect, and Flory Bidunga is why Norlander is high on Kansas.
Under Kelvin Sampson, Houston will always be elite. Houston and Sampson return Emmanuel Sharp, Milos Uzan and JoJo Tugler as the foundation for a run at their third consecutive Big XII title in as many seasons in the conference, plus the potential of the first title in program history.
Arizona Defensive Outlook
Bradley finished 40th nationally in 2024-25 with 65 steals. Awaka was third nationally, averaging 0.40 rebounds per minute. Arizona needs Dell'Orso to continue to improve defensively. Krivas has averaged 2.4 blocks per 100 possessions during his Arizona tenure.
When Arizona head coach Tommy Lloyd plays a jumbo lineup of Awaka, a 6'8, 235-pound freshman, five-star freshman forward Koa Peat and Krivas on the front line together, the Wildcats should dominate the boards and be strong in the post defensively.
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Arizona backcourt
Five-star freshman guard Brayden Burries provides Arizona and Lloyd with an athletic and potentially stout defensive backcourt. Burries is a combo guard who can play the point or off the ball as a scorer. Expect Bradley and Burries to start in the backcourt with Dell'Orso on the wing.
Dell'Orso should get a lot of open three-point attempts with Bradley and Burries drawing attention and penetrating to the basket. Harvard transfer Evan Nelson projects in the rotation behind Bradley, Burries and Dell'Orso.
Strong Freshmen Class
International freshmen Dwayne Aristode from the Netherlands and German national Ivan Kharchenkov will likely fill out the Arizona rotation. Awaka, Bradley, Dell'Orso and Krivas provide Arizona with a nice mix of experience with the freshmen.
Arizona should be more balanced and versatile in 2025-26. The entrance of Burries and Peat should also provide Arizona with more talent. As Norlander mentioned, Peat could be one-and-done and it should be expected that Burries will be two if they live up to their projections.