The Big 12 was the best conference from the beginning of the season. The league had tremendous depth, tons of lottery picks, legendary coaches, and the most complete teams. One team stood out from the rest and has looked and played like the best team in the country from the beginning of the year. The Arizona Wildcats are that team, and, in pure Arizona fashion, went ahead and won the league's conference tournament, just in case there was any doubt they wouldn’t make the NCAA Tournament.
Head coach Tommy Lloyd has made his fifth straight appearance as the coach of the Wildcats. It is Arizona's 40th appearance in the event. The Wildcats received their second one seed under head coach Tommy Lloyd, but this may be their best team under their current head coach. Arizona has only lost twice all season long and comes in as an overwhelming favorite to win the National Championship. Those are bold words, but why are they the favorite to win the National Championship?
Lottery Picks
Lottery Picks in Tucson are nothing new, and these two may not even be the best players in their draft class, but they are the perfect players for what Arizona is trying to do and have led them on the court every night. Coach Lloyd has built the team around his two star freshman, and it has paid off tenfold so far.
Brayden Burries was the prospect who many expected the most of when the season started. The freshman guard is the first option on the offensive end of the floor. Arizona doesn’t take many threes, but Burries takes the majority of them and also makes the majority of them. The three-point line is just an added wrinkle for Burries, though. He is elite at getting to the rim, where he usually finishes with a highlight reel dunk and is one of the most athletic players in this tournament.
Then there is Koa Peat, who was the higher-rated player, but I didn’t know what to expect. Peat does all of his work in transition and at the rim. He is also extremely athletic, and there aren't many players who can keep him in front of them, but he isn’t great defensively and doesn’t shoot. Peat is better than most players and will be a lottery pick, but is currently Robin to Burries being Batman.
Senior Leadership
Now that we know about the freshman lottery picks and how important they are to the success of Arizona, let's get down to the one player that takes the floor for the Wildcats who is irreplaceable. The player is Jaden Bradle,y who is the Senior point guard for Coach Lloyd and one of the most clutch players in the country.
Bradley started his career playing for Nate Oats at Alabama and was on the Crimson Tide teams with Brandon Miller when the Crimson Tide were also a top seed. He was great in Tuscaloosa but truly flourished in Tucson for Arizona. Bradley is an elite point guard who has taken his scoring to the next level this year.
Throw all of the percentages out the window when it comes to closing out a game, though, because Bradley is going to make sure he gets to the rim for tough baskets, will make a huge dagger three, and will make all of his free throws. It doesn’t matter what has to be done to win the game; count on Bradley to be the guy to get it done. He is irreplaceable, and the success of Arizona and how far they go in the tournament is going to be determined by his play.
Role Players
Arizona has everything you need to win a National Championship. A great coach, a star freshman, a senior leader point guard, and role players who have all accepted their roles and excel in them. It can’t just be the stars every night; that is when the role players need to step up and start scoring.
Anthony Dell’Orso is a senior sniper who has played his biggest games when the lights are the brightest. The most recent example was the Big 12 title game when he scored 27 points to help Arizona beat Houston. Dell’Orso is the type of player who will be quiet for a good portion of the game just to crush your hopes and dreams with a huge shot at the end of the game.
Tobe Awaka is one of the best glue guys in the country. He is a physical rebounder and an absolute presence inside the paint. His clear-outs help the guards get into the paint, and his elite rebounding gets Arizona out in transition. The Wildcats are the total package this year. It would be a huge shock if they didn’t at least make the Final Four.