NCAA Tournament 2024: Ranking the starting lineups of each Sweet 16 team

9. Arizona (2-seed)

Oumar Ballo (Senior – Center)

Once considered just a frontcourt project, Ballo is a former Top 100 prospect from Mali who saw little time at Gonzaga before following Tommy Lloyd to Arizona three seasons ago. Ballo is having another monster season as Arizona’s paint presence, averaging 12.9 points and 10.0 rebounds for the Pac-12 champions. He was one of the Pac-12’s most efficient players, led the league in field goal percentage, and clearly has a monster presence as a rebounder and shot blocker.

Kylan Boswell (Sophomore – Guard)

A young guard originally from Illinois, Boswell has taken a great step forward in his second collegiate season, averaging 9.8 points and 3.7 assists per game for the Wildcats. He’s handled his new role nicely as a sophomore, sliding into a starting role after Arizona lost major pieces last season. Boswell dropped 20 points and 8 assists against Long Beach State in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament and has made nearly 39% of his 3-pointers on the year.

Keshad Johnson (Senior – Forward)

Possessing more postseason experience than the rest of the roster, Johnson came to Arizona this year after four seasons at San Diego State, including a trip to last season’s national title game. This season has seen him average 11.7 points and 5.7 rebounds, putting up the best numbers of his career as a member of the Wildcats’ starting lineups. He’s provided a pair of 13-point efforts in the Big Dance and makes his presence felt in a plethora of ways on the court.

Pelle Larsson (Senior – Guard)

Now in his fourth collegiate season, Larsson (who spent his freshman year at Utah) is having the most productive year of his career, averaging 12.9 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 3.7 assists as a full-time starter for the Wildcats. He’s shot the ball really well in recent weeks in the postseason and was one of the Pac-12’s most impactful players on both sides of the ball. In fact, Larsson is over 50% from outside the arc since the end of the regular season.

Caleb Love (Senior – Guard)

Certainly a sparkplug for the Wildcats, Love is a former 5-star recruit who came to Arizona by way of North Carolina, where he was a major presence the last five seasons. However, Love is having the best season of his career as a senior out west, averaging 18.1 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 3.5 assists in a leadership role for these Wildcats. He’s had a couple of heroic scoring efforts on the year, helmed the Wildcats to that final regular season title in the Pac-12 and has totaled 37 points in their first two games in the Big Dance.