12. Arizona (3-0)
After a fantastic first season under Tommy Lloyd, these Wildcats are looking the part of a top team again this season, at least early in the year. With some of those important players from last season gone, it would be unfair to expect exactly the same type of season from Arizona. But college basketball isn’t about what’s fair or not and it doesn’t really matter, because these Wildcats look the part of a top team again, and we’re not just talking about in the Pac-12.
After a pair of wins during the first week of the season, this high-power offense got the Wildcats to 3-0 with a 104-77 win over Utah Tech. Nearly all of the Wildcats’ offense came from their proficient starting five, led by Kerr Kriisa’s 24 points and 6 3-pointers. Cedric Henderson Jr. and Azuolas Tubelis both had 20 points while Oumar Ballo added 16 points and 11 rebounds.
The Wildcats are not only averaging 105 points a game this season but made every one of their 22 free throw attempts in this last win. The offense is a well-oiled and high-powered machine that doesn’t seem to be slowing down. It’s fair to wonder about the bench and depth behind these starters, and we might see if that’s an issue in this coming week. Arizona heads across the ocean for the Maui Invitational, beginning on Monday with a very winnable contest against Cincinnati.