Arizona Football went into the season with high expectations and, well, has fallen woefully short of reaching them.
The team’s 5-game losing streak has sucked the life out of the season (and program) and now the rest of the games, save the finale against ASU, lack much importance.
It’s quite a bummer.
The good news is that the calendar has flipped to November and that means it’s time for a program that has never disappointed us: Arizona Basketball.
As we get set for the fourth year of the Tommy Lloyd era it is hoped that this one will be different than those that preceded it. Not in terms of regular season wins or conference titles, because they’ve done great there. And not when it comes to conference players of the year or notable nonconference victories, because they’ve had plenty of those, too.
But none of those seasons, or really any over the last two decades or so, have ended where Arizona and its fans want — and sometimes expect — it to.
The Wildcats’ Final Four drought is a dark cloud that hangs over every season. Every good thing that happens from November to March is viewed through the lens of “that’s great, but …” while every bad thing is proof the drought won’t end this season.
Maybe this year will be different?
Arizona basketball’s inaugural season in the Big 12 is as intriguing and exciting as as Arizona football’s was and well no we’re not going to go down that road.
Instead we can look at a team that returns last year’s Pac-12 Player of the Year in Caleb Love, who has had a full season and now offseason in Lloyd’s system.
There is also a backcourt that will include a more experienced Jaden Bradley and KJ Lewis as starters, which when combined with Love gives Arizona a trio that can score, yes, but really defend.
Newcomers Trey Townsend, Anthony Dell’Orso and Tobe Awaka all look like they’ll be able to contribute, with Townsend specifically seeming ready to show out after transferring from Oakland.
Add in the expected ascension of Mo Krivas, the return of Henri Veesaar and the ability of freshman Carter Bryant and Arizona once again has the appearance of a team that is ready to make some noise and, possibly, a deep NCAA tournament run.
Of course, they may also not be.
The exhibition slate told us about as much as the annual Red & Blue Game does. It was a bit of a Rorschach Test, wherein if you already thought Arizona was a great team then nothing in the 117-54 or 113-64 victories over opponents whose names do not matter will have done anything to change your opinion.
The team looked athletic, strong, long and had the ability to shoot the three.
Starting now, though, we get a nonconference schedule that not only counts, but provides a few chances to see the Cats face off against potential tournament teams, with No. 7 Duke being the headliner but also featuring a visit to Wisconsin and No. 22 UCLA in Phoenix. But after that the Big 12 will present an incredibly stiff test and be the perfect preparation for the postseason.
To wit: Arizona is ranked 10th in the AP Top 25 to begin the season and was picked to finish fifth in the Big 12. Kansas (1), Houston (4), Iowa State (5) and Baylor (8) are all ahead of Arizona, which is something that never would have happened in the Conference of Champions.
The result of this of course will likely be more regular season losses, and Arizona fans will have to get used to not thinking the sky is falling with every defeat. Last year’s Big 12 winner Houston lost three conference games, while Iowa State, Baylor, Texas Tech, BYU and Kansas lost five, seven, seven, eight and eight, respectively. The conference ended up sending eight teams to the dance, with the lowest seed being No. 9 TCU.
Arizona is a big boy who is now playing with the big boys.
Arizona football is 1-5 in the Big 12 with 3 games to go. Arizona men’s basketball will play 20 Big 12 games.
Which team loses more conference games?
— AZ Desert Swarm (@AZDesertSwarm) November 3, 2024
Whether the Cats will ultimately prevail, we do not know. But one thing we can be confident in, contrary to the disaster that is football, which we were hoping had finally turned the corner, basketball is exactly where we want it to be.
Sure, they aren’t the defending champs and yes, it would be nice to see the Cats get back to playing in the tournament’s final weekend. But Arizona basketball is part of the conversation for a reason.
The Cats have a loaded roster, a respected coach and now play in a conference that is known for basketball.
This is going to be fun!
