Arizona men’s basketball’s roster for the 2026-27 season is to be determined, but college basketball media members and oddsmakers like the Wildcats’ chances of being among the sport’s best next year.
Arizona is featured in the top 10 of many way-to0-early rankings for next season. Tommy Lloyd has delivered in each of his first five seasons as the Wildcats head coach, so it’s little surprise that Las Vegas bookies and the national media are confident he’ll have Arizona competitive again.
Arizona has
the third-best odds to win the 2027 national championship on FanDuel Sportsbook at +1200, trailing co-favorites Duke and Michigan (+750). Arizona,
Arizona could bring back starters Motiejus Krivas and Ivan Kharchenkov as well as bench players including Dwayne Aristode, Sidi Gueye and Bryce James. Arizona’s recruiting class features five-star shooting guard Caleb Holt and four-star forward Cameron Holmes.
The Wildcats, like every team, will be active in the transfer portal.
For now, here’s where Arizona lands in way-too-early rankings. Write-ups are italicized.
ESPN: No. 5
Arizona was one of the best teams in the country all season before its national semifinal blowout loss to Michigan. The Wildcats are likely to lose freshmen Brayden Burries and Koa Peat to the NBA draft, and Big 12 Player of the Year Jaden Bradley and key bench players Tobe Awaka and Anthony Dell’Orso are out of eligibility. But coach Tommy Lloyd should bring back frontcourt starters Ivan Kharchenkov and Motiejus Krivas, and top-five recruit Caleb Holt should have an immediate impact. The Wildcats need a point guard out of the transfer portal.
The Athletic: No. 3
This is assuming both Ivan Kharchenkov and Motiejus Krivas return. That would ensure that Arizona has one of the best defenses in college basketball again. The key is whether or not coach Tommy Lloyd can land a stud point guard and some reinforcements on the bench. Lloyd is one of the best international recruiters in the game, so odds are he’s able to find his guy between the transfer portal or international portal.
Caleb Holt is one of the best high school prospects in this class and a perfect Brayden Burries replacement. Similar to Koa Peat, he has the built-in advantage of having played under Lloyd for USA Basketball. Also, do not be surprised if Sidi Gueye becomes a solid contributor after barely playing as a freshman. This is the Gonzaga way. Lloyd has a history of developing big men who wait their turn and excel once given the opportunity.
Sports Illustrated: No. 4
Tommy Lloyd has built a monster at Arizona, even if things ended ugly in its blowout loss to Michigan on Saturday. And while the Wildcats will lose a lot from this season’s team, the future looks bright. It’d be ideal to get back at least one of star wing Ivan Kharchenkov and big man Motiejus Krivas to go with a talented incoming group headlined by top-five recruit Caleb Holt in the backcourt. Expect the Wildcats to be aggressive in the portal market for point guards, specifically ones who’ve already had a track record of succeeding at the high-major level.
USA Today: No. 5
The departures of most of the key players from a team that dominated the Big 12 will be hard to replace. That’s the negative. The positive is there’s enough role players due back and some key arrivals already slated to join the program. The frontcourt could be formidable with Ivan Kharchenkov and Motiejus Krivas having eligibility. Dwayne Aristode will be expected to lead the backcourt in his sophomore season, and he’ll be joined by five-star freshman Caleb Holt.
Fox Sports: No. 5
A core group of returnees led by Ivan Kharchenkov is enough to justify a top-5 ranking here for Arizona. Dwayne Aristode is expected to break out and five-star shooting guard prospect Caleb Holt is legit. A couple of transfers are needed, but I trust coach Tommy Lloyd to have another stellar group.
