INDIANAPOLIS—When Lute Olson made his first Final Four with Arizona in 1988, in his fifth season at the school, it was another six years before he’d make it back. In between were annual NCAA Tournament appearances but never beyond the Sweet 16, and twice in a row his Wildcats were bounced in the first round.
Who knows how long it will take for Tommy Lloyd to return the UA to the Final Four, if ever. But now that he’s gotten a taste, the hunger for another bite (and a bigger one) will serve as motivation.
It already has.
“Like I’ve always said, in this business, as a coach, you’ve got to be tough enough to take disappointment and show back up,” Lloyd said after losing to Michigan. “And we’re going to show back up. And we’re going to try to do this again but see if we can do it a little bit better.”
The program’s first Final Four appearance in 25 years was the fifth overall. Olson led Arizona to the first four in a 14-year span and Lloyd hopes to surpass that, saying his goal is to get there five times in 10 years.
“Maybe you guys will use that against me saying that some day, but I’m going to dream big, and I’m going to work my ass off to try to make it happen,” Lloyd said.
Lloyd’s tenure at the UA has been stellar, his 148 wins the most in Division I history in a coach’s first five seasons. And he’s locked up for the next five, an extension through 2030-31 announced on Friday after North Carolina tried to lure him away.
What can we expect from the Wildcats in Year 6 under Lloyd? Here’s a breakdown of what comes next:
The departures (certain, likely and possible)
Arizona says goodbye to four scholarship seniors, three of whom combined to play 264 games. Jaden Bradley’s 112 in a Wildcat uniform are the most of any player in the Lloyd era, while Tobe Awaka and Anthony Dell’Orso each logged 76 and both made the selfless move from starters to reserves this season to provide the team with experience off the bench.
Bradley, who will be added to the Ring of Honor sometime soon after winning Big 12 Player of the Year, finishes 35th on the school career scoring list. Awaka was the Big 12 Sixth Man of the Year, giving the UA a major physical presence off the bench, while Dell’Orso hit 100 3-pointers in his two seasons in Tucson and had some huge games in the second half of the season, particularly when injuries had massively shortened the rotation.
Those three and Tucson native Evan Nelson are out of eligibility, but they aren’t the only ones whose Wildcat careers are over. Freshmen Brayden Burries and Koa Peat will almost certainly be 1-and-done, both projected to be first-round NBA draft selections and possibly lottery picks.
Burries scored the 2nd-most points by a UA freshman, with 626, behind only Deandre Ayton, and was also top-3 in field goals, 3-pointers and steals. Peat is just the third UA freshman with 500 points, 200 rebounds and 25 blocks in a season. As much as fans would love to see one or both return for another season, it ain’t happening.
Fellow freshman Ivan Kharchenkov could join them, depending on how NBA scouts evaluate the the 6-foot-7 Euro wing. He started all 39 games for Arizona, and though he only averaged 10.4 points and 4.3 rebounds his athleticism and defensive intensity are an enticing combo. The expectation is he will at the very least put his name into the draft process.
The same is likely for 7-2 junior center Motiejus Krivas, who had a breakout year after his sophomore season was cut short due to injury. Krivas is the first player in school history with 400 points, 300 rebounds, 70 blocks, 40 assists and 25 steals, and though his offensive game can definitely use more polish his rim protection and ability to defend the paint without fouling might be enough for a draft evaluation that favors leaving over coming back.
As for potential transfers out, Dwayne Aristode might be the most likely to move on. The freshman wing showed flashes of his upside, making 30 of 65 3-pointers and tying the freshman record with six against NAU, but was often the odd man out of the 8-player rotation. He’s in line for a much bigger role in 2026-27 but, depending on who Arizona adds to the roster, might be inclined to look elsewhere for a more certain role.
The returners
If Kharcenkov or Krivas don’t enter the draft, or do so while maintaining their eligibility, both are expected to return to Arizona rather than go into the NCAA transfer portal, but that’s honestly a big if. It’s a safer bet to say none of the top seven will be back for next season.
And after Aristode, the other potential returners are ones with little or no college experience.
Sidi Gueye got into 26 games as a freshman, the 6-foot-10 forward playing just 90 minutes and most of that was in garbage time. Gueye did log some very valuable minutes when Peat was out with his leg injury in January and showed an ability to block shots and finish lobs, but he still needs a lot more development before he can be considered a key contributor.
The other two members of Arizona’s 2025 recruiting class, guard Bryce James and center Mabil Mawut, both redshirted. Assuming neither decides to transfer they should both have a chance to part of the equation in 2026-27.
The additions
As of now, Arizona has signed one recruit for next season and has a commitment from a second, and both could start right away depending on who else gets added. Cameron Holmes is a 6-6 wing from Goodyear who could be the successor to Kharchenkov at the 3, while 5-star guard Caleb Holt is the heir apparent to Burries.
Holt, who can sign starting April 15, recently was named co-MVP of the McDonald’s All-American Game in Phoenix.
Every other domestic prep recruit the UA has offered has signed or committed elsewhere including 5-star point guard Brandon McCoy Jr., who announced he was going to Michigan in the middle of the Final Four game. Expect at least one international prospect signee, if not more, as Arizona inked Gueye, Kharchenkov and Mawut last spring and summer.
The transfer portal will play a much bigger role in next season’s roster construction than the just completed one, when Nelson was the only addition. The main priority is point guard, and among the top targets for the Wildcats will be Oregon’s Jackson Shelstad and Colorado’s Isaiah Johnson.
Shelstad, who only played 12 games as a junior because of injury, scored 25 against Arizona in the second round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament and 21 in the 2024 Pac-12 tourney semifinals, while Johnson had a career-high 28 against the Wildcats in the regular season finale last month.
Arizona will also need to reload its frontcourt, even if Krivas returns, and will probably also seek out some dedicated perimeter shooters even though Lloyd prefers 2s over 3s.
The NCAA transfer portal officially opens Tuesday, for 15 days, though hundreds of Division I players have already announced their intentions to enter and behind-the-scenes legwork is already being done on potential additions.
The schedule
The NCAA increased the number of regular season games to 32 starting next season, regardless of whether a team competes in an MTE. That means 14 nonconference slots to fill in addition to the 18 Big 12 Conference contests.
Arizona will participate in the Maui Invitational for the ninth and likely final time, as the event like many similar ones has unfortunately fell victim to the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas which gives out huge chunks of NIL compensation just for entering. The Wildcats have won the Maui tourney three times, including in 2022, and will have a good shot at a fourth against the field of BYU, Clemson, Colorado State, Ole Miss, Providence, VCU and Washington.
The UA has the back end of two home-and-home series on tap, with UConn coming to McKale Center and the Wildcats visiting Auburn. There’s also the season opener Nov. 2 against UCLA in Las Vegas, part of a doubleheader along with Gonzaga facing Purdue.
That leaves eight openings on the schedule. Expect at least six of those to be home games, most if not all against mid- and low-major opponents. Another home-and-home could get announced, and the UA figures to once again play a neutral-site game in Phoenix.
As for the Big 12 schedule, no word on if the conference will keep the same three home-and-away matchups as last season. If that’s the case then in addition to ASU, BYU and Kansas the home slate would include games against Baylor, Colorado, Houston, TCU, UCF and Utah and the other road games would be at Cincinnati, Iowa State, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech and West Virginia.
