What to watch for when Arizona men’s basketball opens Big 12 play at Utah

The calendar has flipped to 2026 but Arizona remains unbeaten, one of six Division I schools without a loss. The Wildcats’ 13-0 start is its best since 2013-14, when they won their first 21 games.

Going unbeaten through one of the toughest nonconference slates in the country is something to be proud of, and it’s why the UA has been No. 1 in the last three Associated Press polls. But this season, like all others, will ultimately be judged more on how things go in March (and hopefully April) than November and December.

Advertisement

And the real road to the postseason begins Saturday when Arizona opens its second season of Big 12 Conference play at Utah (8-5).

A 5-0 start to the Big 12 season helped set the tone for the Wildcats to earn a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament and reach another Sweet 16. They last lost their league opener in 2022-23, which happened to be in Salt Lake City.

Here’s what to watch for when Arizona and Utah open Big 12 play:

Continued improvement

Arizona has won its last eight games by at least 20 points, tied with the 1928-29 team for the longest streak in school history. That run included wins over ranked Auburn and Alabama teams, the latter in Birmingham, and a 68-45 win over San Diego State where the offense struggled for much of the night yet it still ended up being a blowout.

Advertisement

“I feel like the month of December, we got a lot better,” UA coach Tommy Lloyd said. “I feel like we’ve really improved since the UCLA game. I think we’re a different team, and that’s exciting, because that’s what the build should be about.”

The way the Big 12 schedule is set up, Arizona isn’t scheduled to play a team projected by KenPom.com to finish in the top half until late January. Utah is the lowest-ranked team in the conference, at No. 126.

“I feel good going into Big 12 play now, but we’re 0-0 now going into that,” freshman Koa Peat said. “We’re going to keep getting better each and every day.”

Freshmen firsts

Arizona has played…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/watch-arizona-men-basketball-opens-090000273.html

Author :

Publish date : 2026-01-02 09:00:00

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.