Pac-12 Basketball: Preseason power rankings for 2022-23 season

The Wildcats will be without two of the best players in the country last season in leading scorer and Pac-12 Basketball Player of the Year Bennedict Mathurin, as well as the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year in center Christian Koloko. And yet head coach Tommy Lloyd has a roster that’s capable of getting another high seed for the NCAA Tournament.

Flying under the radar in the frontcourt last year was starting forward Azuolas Tubelis, who was second on the team with 13.9 ppg and 6.2 rpg. He dealt with injuries at times, which affected his consistent scoring outputs but Tubelis is more than capable of being a focal point of the offense this season in place of Mathurin.

The bigger question will be whether or not Oumar Ballo can replace Koloko enough but the Gonzaga transfer and former top-60 prospect proved he can play in the power conference. He’s a big body and a solid defender in his own right. He’ll likely start and Tubelis is also able to play minutes at the five-spot as well.

Arizona likely will go as junior point guard Kerr Krissa goes. When he plays well, such as his triple-double last season versus Utah, they’re good enough to beat anyone. But he also shot under 35% from the field and can literally shoot them out of games. He’ll have a larger role in the offense scoring-wise but that may not be a great thing. It’s a good thing that the backcourt has plenty of depth, including returning all-around guard Pelle Larsson, as well as Texas transfer and double-digit scoring guard Courtney Ramey.

This is a team on the national radar with a high ceiling but potential low floor but it’s clear that the Wildcats are a cut above most Pac-12 programs. Few can compete with the firepower on this roster, especially when Kriisa has a good game.