The offseason has officially arrived for the Arizona Wildcats following a historic 36-win campaign and the program’s first trip to the Final Four in 25 years.
College analyst Jeff Borzello foresees more of the same next year for head coach Tommy Lloyd, with the Wildcats taking the No. 5 spot in ESPN’s way-too-early top 25 rankings for the 2026-27 season.
He also predicts Arizona’s starting lineup to include junior center Motiejus Krivas, freshman forward Ivan Kharchenkov, freshman forward Dwayne Aristode, four-star guard Cameron Holmes and five-star guard Caleb Holt.
As Borzello mentions, freshman guard Brayden Burries and freshman forward Koa Peat are expected to declare for the NBA Draft. Seniors Jaden Bradley, senior guard Anthony Dell’Orso and senior forward Tobe Awaka have no more college eligibility.
However, he projects the Wildcats to maintain two-fifths of their previous starting five with Krivas and Kharchenkov returning for another season. The rest of the lineup is presumed to feature a reset of young talent.
Aristode, a five-star recruit from Arizona’s 2025 class, will look to work his way into an increased role after averaging 13.2 minutes per game as a freshman.
Holmes was the first commitment of the team’s 2026 class, remaining in-state after turning into the No. 29 overall recruit while at Millenium High School.
Out of the three new faces, Borzello believes Holt carries the highest expectations since he expects him to have “an immediate impact”. The five-star shooting guard and No. 4 player overall is the highest-ranked recruit to arrive in Tucson during the Tommy Lloyd era, and rounded out his pre-collegiate career by winning the McDonald’s All-American co-MVP award on March 31.
The analyst also makes a closing note that Bradley’s departure leaves a hole at the point guard position that Arizona needs to fill this offseason. The transfer portal window for college basketball opened on Tuesday, and Arizona has yet to make any official signings.
The four teams above Arizona in the top 25 ranking are 2025-26 national champions Michigan (No. 1), Duke (No. 2), Florida (No. 3) and national championship runner-up UConn (No. 4).
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