Arizona is coming off a 24-13 season, which ended in the Sweet Sixteen in March against the Duke Blue Devils. Tommy Lloyd’s fourth season in Tucson featured a veteran roster filled with talent. Now, many of the guys who made that team special have departed.
Caleb Love graduated, Carter Bryant was selected 14th overall by the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Draft, and other contributors such as KJ Lewis and Henri Veesaar transferred to Georgetown and North Carolina, respectively.
Lloyd’s fifth campaign is highlighted by a couple of talented freshmen, forward Koa Peat and guard Brayden Burries, as the coach looks to improve upon his 112-33 record in Tucson.
With Love out of town, the main guard responsibilities shift to Jaden Bradley, who shined defensively a season ago. The senior guard averaged 12.1 points per game last season and 1.8 steals per game defensively in 37 games, all of which he started.
Bradley was surprisingly snubbed from the Big 12’s preseason all-conference team, which featured 10 players, none of whom were Wildcats.
The Defensive Mentality
His defensive mentality will continue to serve Arizona well, but as the most experienced guard on the roster this season, alongside Harvard transfer Evan Nelson, Bradley will be heavily relied upon offensively as well. He shot 46.7% from the field a season ago, making 32.1% of his threes…