The 2024–25 Arizona Wildcats men's basketball team represented the

University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it ...

during the

2024–25 NCAA Division I men's basketball season The 2024–25 NCAA Division I men's basketball season began on November 4, 2024. The regular season ended on March 16, 2025, with the 2025 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament that began with the First Four on March 18 and ended with t ...

. The team was led by

Tommy Lloyd Tommy Lloyd (born December 21, 1974) is an American college basketball coach who is the current head coach at the University of Arizona of the Big 12 Conference. His 61 wins in the first two seasons are the most for any head coach in NCAA Divis ...

in his fourth season as head coach. The season marked the Wildcats' 51st season at

McKale Center McKale Memorial Center is an athletic arena in the southwest United States, located on the campus of the University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona. As the home of the university's Wildcats basketball team of the Big 12 Conference, it is primari ...

Tucson, Arizona Tucson (; ; ) is a city in Pima County, Arizona, United States, and its county seat. It is the second-most populous city in Arizona, behind Phoenix, Arizona, Phoenix, with a population of 542,630 in the 2020 United States census. The Tucson ...

, and their first season as members of the

Big 12 Conference The Big 12 Conference is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States. It consists of 16 full-member universities (3 private universities and 13 public universities) in the states of Arizona, Colorado, Florida ...

Previous season

The

Wildcats The wildcat is a species complex comprising two small wild cat species: the European wildcat (''Felis silvestris'') and the African wildcat (''F. lybica''). The European wildcat inhabits forests in Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus, while th ...

finished the 2023–24 season 27–9, 15–5 in

Pac-12 Conference The Pac-12 Conference is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the Western United States. It participates at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I level for all sports, and its Co ...

play, winning their 18th and final Pac-12 regular season title and overall 1 seed in the Pac-12 tournament. They lost their semifinal match up against eventual tournament champion

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

75–68. The Wildcats were invited to their 34th NCAA tournament appearance, receiving the number 2 seed in the West Regional. They lost in the Sweet Sixteen to number 6 seed Clemson 77–72.

Offseason

Coaching staff changes

Former assistant coach Riccardo Fois accepted an assistant coaching job with the

Sacramento Kings The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Confere ...

in the

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

. TJ Benson was promoted to assistant coach after spending the previous three seasons as a Special Assistant to the Head Coach/Recruiting Coordinator for the program. Ken Nakagawa was promoted to assistant coach after spending the previous three seasons as the Director of Advanced Scouting. Rem Bakamus was promoted to assistant coach after spending the previous three seasons as the Director of Player Development.

Departures

Due to

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

, the NCAA ruled in October 2020 that the 2020–21 season would not count against the eligibility of any basketball player, thus giving all players the option to return in 2022–23. Additionally, any players who have declared for the

2024 NBA draft The 2024 NBA draft was the 78th edition of the National Basketball Association's annual NBA draft, draft. Unlike recent years, the 2024 draft took place over two nights. This was the first NBA draft to be held on multiple nights since the draft ...

—including seniors, who must opt into this year's draft—have the option to return if they make a timely withdrawal from the draft and end any pre-draft relationships with agents. Thus, separate lists will initially be maintained for confirmed and potential departures.

Acquisitions

Recruiting classes

2024 recruiting class

2024 overall class rankings

2025 recruiting class

2025 overall class rankings

Red and Blue game

Arizona announced on August 20, 2024 that the Wildcat cats would host their annual Red-Blue Game at the

on October 4, 2024.

Richard Jefferson Richard Allen Jefferson Jr. (born June 21, 1980) is an American former professional basketball player who played small forward. He played for eight teams in his 17-season career in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Jefferson playe ...

and

Channing Frye Channing Thomas Frye (born May 17, 1983) is an American former professional basketball player. A power forward- center, he played college basketball for the Arizona Wildcats. He was selected eighth overall by the New York Knicks in the 2005 NBA ...

are serving as the hosts for the game for the second year in a row. The game is being streamed on

ESPN+ ESPN+ is an American over-the-top subscription video streaming service available in the United States, owned by ESPN Inc., which is a joint venture between the Walt Disney Company (which owns a controlling 80% stake) and Hearst Communicati ...

. The night began with a three-point contest featuring

Carter Bryant Carter Bryant (born 1964) is an American toy designer, artist, and inventor. He is best known for inventing the Bratz fashion doll and his previous work as a Barbie product designer for Mattel. Early life Bryant was born in Missouri in 1964. He ...

, Anthony Dell'Orso, Liam Lloyd and

Caleb Love Caleb Khristopher Love (born September 27, 2001) is an American basketball player. He played college basketball for the North Carolina Tar Heels and the Arizona Wildcats. High school career Love attended Christian Brothers College High School in ...

. Dell'Orso and Love made the finals with Love winning the shootout making 17 of 25 three pointers. The second event of the night featured a dunk contest featureTobe Awaka, Jaden Bradley,

and KJ Lewis. Bryant and Lewis advanced to the finals with Carter Bryant winning with a total score of 59 points out of 60. The dunk contest was judged by Jefferson, Frye and former player Corey Williams. The night ended with the team splitting into two squads, Team Blue & Team Red. Team Red defeated Team Blue, 47–44.

lead all scorers with 19 points, followed by Anthony Dell'Orso on Team Blue with 15 points.

Preseason

Big 12 Preseason Poll Pre-Season All-Big 12 Team ;First Team ;Second Team * Player of the Year:

Hunter Dickinson Hunter Ryan Dickinson (born November 25, 2000) is an American basketball player. He played college basketball for the Michigan Wolverines and the Kansas Jayhawks. Dickinson was named a consensus second-team 2021 NCAA Men's Basketball All-America ...

, Kansas * Co-Newcomer of the Year:

Jeremy Roach Jeremy Hunter Roach (born November 1, 2001) is an American college basketball player for the Baylor Bears of the Big 12 Conference. He previously played for the Duke Blue Devils. High school career As a freshman in 2016–17, Roach averaged 11.1 ...

, Baylor &

Coleman Hawkins Coleman Randolph Hawkins (November 21, 1904 – May 19, 1969), nicknamed "Hawk" and sometimes "Bean", was an American jazz tenor saxophonist.Yanow, Scot"Coleman Hawkins: Artist Biography" AllMusic. Retrieved December 27, 2013. One of the first ...

, Kansas State * Freshman of the Year: V. J. Edgecombe, Baylor

Award watch lists

Listed in the order that they were released

Personnel

Roster

Roster below is based on the 2024–25 roster with outgoing players removed and incoming players added. The roster will undergo multiple changes as players leave via the NBA draft or transfers and players are added via the transfer portal and recruiting. Source: Note: Players' year is based on remaining eligibility. The NCAA did not count the 2020–21 season towards eligibility.

Schedule

The Wildcats non-conference schedule was announced on September 9, 2024. Arizona has confirmed games against Duke at McKale Center, Wisconsin in

Madison Madison may refer to: People * Madison (name), a given name and a surname * James Madison (1751–1836), fourth president of the United States * Madison (footballer), Brazilian footballer Places in the United States Populated places * Madi ...

, and has been confirmed to play in the 2024

Battle 4 Atlantis The Battle 4 Atlantis is an early-season college basketball tournament. It takes place at Atlantis Paradise Island on Paradise Island in The Bahamas, on the week of the US holiday of Thanksgiving. For sponsorship purposes, the tournament is of ...

, which includes Gonzaga, Indiana, Louisville, Providence, West Virginia, Oklahoma and Davidson. Due to the tournament format, Arizona will be guaranteed one game in the 2025 Big 12 tournament. , - !colspan=12 style="", Exhibition , - !colspan=12 style="", Non-conference regular season , - !colspan=12 style="", , - !colspan=12 style="", , - !colspan=12 style="", Source:

Game summaries

This section will be filled in as the season progresses. ---- Source:

Eastern New Mexico Eastern New Mexico is a physiographic subregion within the U.S. state of New Mexico. The region is sometimes called the " High Plains", or "Eastern Plains (of New Mexico)", and was historically referred to as part of the "Great American Desert". T ...
(exhibition)

Point Loma Point Loma ( Spanish: ''Punta de la Loma'', meaning "Hill Point"; Kumeyaay: ''Amat Kunyily'', meaning "Black Earth") is a seaside community in San Diego, California, United States. Geographically it is a hilly peninsula that is bordered on the ...
(exhibition)

Canisius Canisius may refer to: People * Saint Peter Canisius (1521–1597), Dutch Jesuit Catholic priest * Theodorich Canisius (1532–1606), Jesuit academic, half-brother of St. Peter Canisius * Henricus Canisius (1562–1610), Dutch canonist and histor ...

Old Dominion

at
Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

Duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of Royal family, royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobi ...

vs Davidson (
Battle 4 Atlantis The Battle 4 Atlantis is an early-season college basketball tournament. It takes place at Atlantis Paradise Island on Paradise Island in The Bahamas, on the week of the US holiday of Thanksgiving. For sponsorship purposes, the tournament is of ...
)

vs
Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...
(Battle 4 Atlantis Semifinal)

vs
West Virginia West Virginia is a mountainous U.S. state, state in the Southern United States, Southern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.The United States Census Bureau, Census Bureau and the Association of American ...
(Battle 4 Atlantis 3rd place game)

Southern Utah Dixie is a nickname for the populated, lower-elevation area of south-central Washington County, the southwest corner of the State of Utah, bordering nearby Arizona to the south, and Nevada to the west. The area lies in the northeastern Mojave ...

vs
UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the C ...
(
Rivalry A rivalry is the state of two people or groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each participant ...
)

Samford

Central Michigan Central Michigan, also called Mid Michigan, is a region in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, Lower Peninsula of the United States, U.S. state of Michigan. As its name implies, it is the middle area of the Lower Peninsula. Lower Michigan is said t ...

TCU TCU may stand for: Education * Tanzania Commission for Universities, regulatory body for Universities in Tanzania * Texas Christian University, a private university in Fort Worth, Texas ** TCU Horned Frogs, the athletic programs of the school * Tok ...

at
Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...

at West Virginia

UCF

Baylor

at
Texas Tech Texas Tech University (Texas Tech, Tech, or TTU) is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas, United States. Established on February 10, 1923, and called Texas Technological College until 1969, it is the flagship institution of the five- ...

at
Oklahoma State Oklahoma State University (informally Oklahoma State or OSU) is a public land-grant research university in Stillwater, Oklahoma, United States. The university was established in 1890 under the legislation of the Morrill Act. Originally known ...

Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...

Iowa State Iowa State University of Science and Technology (Iowa State University, Iowa State, or ISU) is a public land-grant research university in Ames, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1858 as the Iowa Agricultural College and Model Farm, Iowa State be ...

at
Arizona State Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public research university in Tempe, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 as Territorial Normal School by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, the university is one of the largest ...
(
rivalry A rivalry is the state of two people or groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each participant ...
)

at BYU

Texas Tech

at
Kansas State Kansas State University (KSU, Kansas State, or K-State) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Manhattan, Kansas, United States. It was opened as the state's land-grant college in 1863 and was the first public inst ...

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

at Baylor

BYU

Utah Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...

at Iowa State

Arizona State (rivalry)

at
Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...

Kansas (Big 12 Quarterfinals)

Texas Tech Big 12 Tournament (Big 12 Semifinals)

Houston (Big 12 Championship)

Akron (round of 64)

Oregon (round of 32)

Duke (Sweet 16)

Awards and honors

Midseason awards watchlists

Final awards watchlists

Postseason

Rankings

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:2024-25 Arizona Wildcats men's basketball team Arizona Wildcats men's basketball seasons

Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...

Arizona Wildcats men's basketball The Arizona Wildcats men's basketball team is the college basketball, intercollegiate men's basketball program representing the University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona. They compete in the Big 12 Conference, Big 12 of NCAA Division I and are coac ...