The Arizona Wildcats men’s basketball team is set to take the court for its first minutes of action against a different opponent this week as it takes on Saint Mary’s this Saturday at 2 p.m. (MST).
Before the exhibition game, the Wildcats have been ranked as the No. 13-ranked team in the FBS according to the AP poll that was released this week.
Whether or not the Wildcats can hold on to the high ranking remains to be seen, as they have to go through a gauntlet of elite-level teams, with the No. 3 Florida Gators, No. 12 UCLA, No. 4 UConn Huskies, No. 20 Auburn Tigers, and No. 15 Alabama Crimson Tide on the schedule. That’s not to mention the list of contenders that Arizona must play when it gets into the Big 12 schedule.
Head coach Tommy Lloyd discussed the current state of his team, its preparation for the Gaels and the challenges they may present.
Here are five interesting things that he had to say in the latest press conference.
On the decision to play St. Mary’s in an exhibition
“It’s a great program. I mean, it’s been one of the most consistent programs in the country for 10, 15, 20 years now. Randy’s a great coach, and we have a good relationship.. And then the relationship with Arizona goes before me. My relationship with him goes before me coming here. So, yeah, it just makes great sense. We played him a number of times.”
On scheduling tough opponents like St. Mary’s in the future
“For sure. I mean, but you also have an obligation to everybody in your roster to make sure they get opportunities in these games and you want guys to play. And, there’s a lot of great basketball being played at the Division II, the Division III, the NAIA, and JUCO level. So, I think it’s great for those kids to have an opportunity to play a program like Arizona as well, and I don’t think that should be lost.”
On being ranked in the preseason polls
“I have no problem with that. I mean, the other coaches voted on it. Everyone gets their vote and that’s the decision. That’s how the numbers shook out. Now, let’s go play basketball… I have not spent one second thinking about it, talking about it.”…