NCAA Basketball: Way-too-early top 25 power rankings for 2023-24 season

2022-23 season record: 28-7 (14-6 Pac-12)

Expected losses: Courtney Ramey, Kerr Kriisa, Cedric Henderson, Adama Bal

Despite the surprising first-round loss to 15-seed Princeton, Arizona still had a successful season overall, thanks to the frontcourt duo of Azuolas Tubelis and Oumar Ballo. They were the best pair of big men in the country, combining to average 34.0 ppg and 17.7 rpg.

The issue for the Wildcats was the backcourt and its inconsistencies, which plagued them overall. There’s going to be some turnover now, as Ramey and Henderson have no eligibility left, while Kriisa has entered the transfer portal. The one guard left in the main rotation is Pelle Larsson, who averaged 9.9 ppg and 3.1 apg.

The key for the team is the new guards that’ll come into the rotation. Freshman point guard Kylan Boswell played in 35 games and recovered from a preseason injury and had four games of at least 10+ points off the bench. That included back-to-back 14-point games against both UCLA and USC. He’ll be taking over from Kriisa to run the offense, while top-50 commit KJ Lewis is another newcomer to the backcourt.

Ballo is a 4th-year senior, while Tubelis is a potential pro prospect. If either leaves, Arizona will take a nosedive down the rankings. But if they’re back and Boswell is a breakout performer, they’ll be a top-10 caliber team once again.