Why Arizona Will Win March Madness

The 2022 Arizona Wildcats season was one of the best in school history. First-year head coach Tommy Lloyd led the Wildcats to a 31-3 overall record and a No. 1 seed in the south region of the March Madness tournament. Arizona went 18-2 in conference play and took home the Pac-12 Conference championship. 

One of Arizona’s strengths this season was playing at home as the Wildcats went undefeated at the McKale Center. Unfortunately for the Wildcats, they will not have the opportunity to play another game on their home court this season. Either way, the Wildcats have a strong roster and are scorching hot coming into the tournament. 

The Wildcats are a dominant team that has the pedigree to win the entire tournament. 

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Reason No. 1: Top-Tier Coaching

What Lloyd has done in his first year at Arizona is nothing short of remarkable. Lloyd has big shoes to fill after Arizona fired Sean Miller after 12 seasons, and in year one, Lloyd proved he belongs. 

It took just one season for Lloyd to cement his spot as a Pac-12 champion and he led the Wildcats to an undefeated record on their home floor. Yes, Lloyd inherited a talented bunch of players, but he also did a great job adjusting his game plan to his players’ strengths. Not to mention, Lloyd worked the transfer portal very well and secured players that seamlessly fit what he was trying to build. 

Lloyd opted to push the tempo with his team and the results speak for themselves. Arizona finished third in the country in points per game, first in assist per game, and fifth in rebounding. The Wildcats also finished eighth in blocks, which is another testament to their hustle and how hard they play for their first-year head coach. 

Reason No. 2: A Strong Roster

Arizona scored at a prolific rate this season and their fast-paced playstyle was only possible due to the talent they have on their roster. Sophomore Bennedict Mathurin led the Wildcats in scoring this year, averaging 17.4 points per game. Mathurin was complemented by sophomore big man Azuolas Tubelis who averaged 14.5 points per game and 6.4 rebounds per contest. 

Lloyd did a great job finding players in the transfer portal to complement some of the stars Arizona had returning from last season. Senior transfer Justin Kier averaged 20 minutes a night off the bench for the Wildcats and Utah transfer sophomore Pelle Larsson logged 20.5 minutes per game off the pine as well. 

This roster is deep, experienced, fast and talented. This bunch is playing with confidence, and it is expected that they make a deep tournament run. 

Reason No. 3: Experience 

All four of Arizona’s leading scorers this season are sophomore or above. The Wildcats will trot out an experienced bunch of players every time they step on the floor. The Wildcats are also a deep roster with nine players that log meaningful minutes constantly. 

Being led by sophomores is an advantage for Arizona since they have players who understand the moment. It also helps that the players who are leaders off the court also lead the team on the court. This team is prolific at running their style of offense and teams will have trouble keeping up with this group of experienced players.