The offseason is here for most Arizona sports, with the 2025-26 season in the books and the 2026-27 seasons still a few months away.
What better time than now to press pause and check the pulse of each Wildcat program?
Over the next few weeks we’ll take a look at each of the UA’s men’s and women’s athletic programs to see what shape they’re in, as well as the prospects for the near future. We’ll break down each team and evaluate how it has performed under the current coaching staff, comparing it to how it looked
beforehand, and assess how it fits into the Big 12 Conference.
First up: Men’s basketball under Tommy Lloyd
How it looked before
Sean Miller won 302 games in 12 seasons in charge of Arizona, taking the program to the Elite Eight three times in the first five years while winning numerous conference titles. But Miller couldn’t get over the hump to the Final Four, and the tail end of his tenure was mired in controversy surrounding things that are completely legal nowadays in college basketball.
Oh, the irony.
After self-imposing a postseason ban in 2020-21, in anticipation of stiffer penalties by the NCAA by its investigation of the program, Arizona parted ways with Miller. But rather than go after a sitting head coach, which most schools of the UA’s ilk would do, it instead chose to give Lloyd his first head job.
The hope was that Lloyd’s involvement in turning Gonzaga into a perennial mid-major powerhouse, albeit as an assistant, would translate into success at the power-conference level.
Taking Stock 2026
The offseason provides a great opportunity to evaluate each of Arizona’s athletic programs under its current leadership. Check back each day for another sport breakdown.
Tuesday, June 16: Men’s and women’s track and field
Sunday, May 31: Football
Monday, June 1: Volleyball
Tuesday, June 2: Soccer
Wednesday, June 3: Triathlon
Thursday, June 4: Cross country
Friday, June 5: Men’s and women’s swimming
Saturday, June 6: Men’s basketball
Sunday, June 7: Women’s basketball
Monday, June 8: Gymnastics
Tuesday, June 9: Beach volleyball
Wednesday, June 10: Women’s golf
Thursday, June 11: Women’s tennis
Friday, June 12: Men’s tennis
Saturday, June 13: Baseball
Sunday, June 14: Softball
Monday, June 15: Men’s golf
Where things stand now
So far, oh so damn good.
Arizona is coming off its first Final Four appearance in 25 years, reaching the national semifinals in April. Lloyd’s first four teams had all shown promise, with three getting to the Sweet 16 and three winning either a conference regular season or tournament crown (or both), but the 2025-26 squad put it all together.
A 23-0 start, which began with a coming out party in Las Vegas with a win over defending NCAA champion Florida, was followed up by sweeping the Big 12 titles and then going through the West Region to get to Indianapolis.
Lloyd is 148-36, his win total the most by anyone in their first five years as a Division I head coach. That success made him a top candidate for a blue blood opening, with North Carolina reportedly offering a very big package before Lloyd announced on the eve of the Final Four he’d agreed to an extension with Arizona through the 2029-30 season. That deal came with it almost complete autonomy from athletic director Desiree Reed-Francois, instead answering directly to school president Suresh Garimella on all matters related to spending and revenue sharing.
Arizona is expected to have at least another NBA Draft lottery pick later this month in Brayden Burries, with Koa Peat also likely going in the first round as well. And the UA was able to keep Motiejus Krivas and Ivan Kharchenkov from turning pro, bringing back two starters from the Final Four squad.
Life in the Big 12
Arizona is 34-8 against conference opponents since joining the Big 12 two seasons ago, beating everyone at least once. Iowa State, Kansas and Texas Tech are the only places the Wildcats haven’t won, and though it’s not the same as Vegas the ability to win in Kansas City during the Big 12 Tournament (5-1 with one title) shows that they belong in this league.
To further illustrate how valuable Arizona is to the Big 12, last season its schedule was backloaded to ensure it was playing in as many meaningful (read: Big Monday and marquee Saturday time slot) matchups as possible. Expect the same in 2026-27 as all the network partners are going to want to highlight the defending conference champs and Final Four participants.
The only downside to the Big 12 is that it went back to an 18-game league schedule last season after being at 20 in 2024-25, which means only three home-and-home opponents. ASU, BYU and Kansas were the trio last time out, and that’s likely to be the case again this winter which means not getting Iowa State or Texas Tech at McKale Center.
Where things stand now
Was this a fluke or the start of a trend? Shortly after losing to Michigan, Lloyd put himself on the spot by setting a goal of making five Final Fours over a 10-year span.
“Who knows, maybe you guys will use that against me saying that someday, but I’m gonna dream big and work my ass off to make that happen,” Lloyd said.
Considering this game after a disappointing loss, one where many fans wondered if he had been distracted by the UNC saga, it had to feel good for Wildcat Nation to hear that. But saying it is one thing and doing it is another.
Miller looked on the precipice of getting to the Final Four but couldn’t do it, and Lute Olson got there four times but that was over 14 seasons and there was six years between the first two (with a couple of embarrassing first round losses in there). It might be hard for Lloyd to come close to his goal, but it won’t be for lack of trying.
