Arizona’s place in the preseason AP Top 25 says plenty about how the national view has shifted entering 2026-27: Tommy Lloyd’s Wildcats are back near the very top.
The AP poll released Monday morning put Arizona at No. 5, trailing only Florida, Duke, Illinois and UConn. Michigan State, Texas, Tennessee, Virginia and Houston fill out the rest of the top 10.
That ranking keeps Arizona squarely in the conversation after the Wildcats were among the last four teams standing in the 2025-26 season. The expectations haven’t exactly cooled off since then.
The roster, though, looks very different. Arizona does return two key pieces in center Mo Krivas and forward Ivan Kharchenkov, both of whom averaged just over 10 points per game last season and were named preseason All-Big 12 nominees. From there, the supporting cast turns over quickly.
The headliners among the newcomers are 5-star freshman guard Caleb Holt, North Carolina transfer point guard Derek Dixon and, if he gets cleared, Clemson transfer forward RJ Godfrey. Godfrey stands out as the biggest swing piece on the board. If the 6-foot-7 forward is eligible, he gives Arizona a serious frontcourt anchor next to Krivas and lets Kharchenkov slide into his more natural small forward role.
His presence would also ease the load on a batch of new frontcourt options that includes Montenegrin forward Maksim Brnovic, Idaho State transfer Evan Otten and Nebraska transfer Ugnius Jarusevicius.
The backcourt has its own promise. Dixon, Holt and Kharchenkov give Arizona a strong core there, while Washington transfer JJ Mandaquit and freshman wing Cameron Holmes have both shown well through the exhibition slate.
There have been some preseason bumps, too. Arizona has already gone 2-0 in exhibition play against San Francisco and San Diego State, but the defense against the Dons and the outside shooting against the Aztecs left the group looking a little uneven.
The Big 12 is well represented at the top of the poll. Six league teams landed in the preseason Top 25, with Arizona and Houston in the top 10.
Kansas, Iowa State and Texas Tech check in at Nos. 17, 18 and 19, and BYU holds the No. 25 spot. TCU also received votes, earning 17 and landing 31st.
Arizona’s non-conference schedule includes four ranked opponents: UConn at No. 4, Arkansas at No.
12, St. John’s at No. 13 and UCLA at No.
The season opener comes against UCLA on Monday, Nov. 2 at 8:0 PM MST at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The game will air on TNT.
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Arizona Already Has A New NBA Draft Obsession This Season
The early buzz around Arizonas next NBA pipeline is already loud enough to follow all season, with CBS Sports analyst Adam Finkelstein tabbing three Wildcats as potential first-rounders in the 2027 draft. Freshman guard Caleb Holt is drawing top-five attention, while returner Mo Krivas and newcomer Ivan Kharchenkov are also showing up on the first-round radar based on their scouting outlooks before the season even tips off.
For Arizona, that kind of forecast is the sort of thing that can shape the conversation around every game, practice and lineup choice. Holt arrives with the kind of star-powered upside that gets people talking immediately, Krivas brings the value of a familiar face with a rising profile, and Kharchenkov adds another layer as a versatile piece who could push himself into lottery territory if the pieces fall into place. [Read more 🡒]
Arizonas Fast Start Just Raised The Stakes For The Entire Season
Arizonas 5-1 start has put the Wildcats in a position they have not enjoyed in years, with the larger goal now looking less like a slogan and more like a path they can actually chase. The program is trying to echo the success of its 2014 run, when a fast start carried it into the national conversation, and this seasons early momentum has given the fan base reason to think bigger as Homecoming arrives.
Iowa State is next, and the timing matters because the stretch ahead is not easing up. Arizona is already tucked into the middle of the Big 12 race, with Texas Tech and Utah still looming, and every week from here can reshape the outlook. A win Saturday would also lock up bowl eligibility for the second straight season, a basic but important marker as the Wildcats try to turn an encouraging opening into something lasting. [Read more 🡒]
Arizona Is Back In The National Title Conversation Early
The 2026-27 preseason AP Top 25 is out, and it immediately puts Arizona back where it wants to be in the national conversation. Florida sits at No. 1 after collecting most of the first-place votes, but the Wildcats open the year firmly among the sports elite, part of a poll that also features Kentucky nearing its 1,000th AP appearance, Vanderbilt back in the preseason Top 25 for the first time since 2015 and Purdue's 79-week run finally ending.
For Arizona, the larger point is how early the respect has returned. The Wildcats are slotted behind Florida, Duke, Illinois and UConn, which is the kind of company that tells you the expectations are real before a game is even played. Preseason rankings do not decide anything, of course, but they do set the tone, and Arizona enters the season with the sort of national profile that keeps title talk close at hand from the start. [Read more 🡒]