Arizona men’s basketball still isn’t done building its 2026-27 roster, even after Tommy Lloyd and his staff put together what looks like a top-10 group on paper.
Lloyd said on Jon Rothstein’s podcast Tuesday that Arizona is still looking to add “maybe a piece or two,” with the power forward spot still the main area he wants to settle.
“I’m still trying to figure out exactly how the roster finishes off,” Lloyd said. ”(I want to) kind of lock into maybe a Plan A style of play.“
That four spot, Lloyd said, is the swing piece.
“The position that always swings that is kind of the four. And that’s the position we’re still trying to finalize right now. I think we have some good options.”
Arizona spent the offseason loading up on bigs while waiting on Koa Peat’s NBA Draft decision, and Peat ultimately chose to stay in the draft. The Wildcats’ current frontcourt mix includes Ugnius Jarusevicius, a 6-foot-11 forward who missed all but one game last season because of an injury, Idaho State transfer Evan Otten, a 6-foot-10 center, Dutch forward Endurance Aiyamenkhue, who is 6-foot-11, and Montenegrin big man Maksim Brnović, who stands 6-foot-10.
That group gives Arizona size and options, but none of those newcomers is being viewed as an immediate stand-in for Peat. The Wildcats also missed on another possible answer when Iowa State transfer Milan Momcilovic picked Kentucky over Arizona and Louisville.
For now, Arizona still has time this summer to keep working the roster. One possible wrinkle is the NCAA’s new eligibility guidance for international players. As Sports Illustrated’s Kevin Sweeney laid out, the NCAA wants to restrict schools from signing players who have been paid to play professionally overseas, and how strictly that gets enforced could shape Arizona’s next move.
Lloyd’s roster update was just one part of a broader conversation with Rothstein. He also discussed his choice to remain in Tucson instead of taking the North Carolina job, what has or hasn’t changed since Arizona reached the Final Four, and how next season’s schedule is coming together.
Still, Lloyd wasn’t interested in making any grand declarations about what comes next.
“I’m not going to set any limitations on us, I’m not going to make any crazy proclamations,“ Lloyd said. ”Let’s just put our heads down and get to work.“
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Arizonas offensive line is heading into a significant reset, and the middle of it is where the spotlight now falls. Zach Henning arrives with real experience after playing in all 13 games last season and starting the final four at center for Washington, giving the Wildcats a veteran option as they sort out the post-2025 picture up front.
Offensive line coach Josh Oglesby has already pointed to Hennings athleticism, his background in a multiple offense and the way he fits the room culturally, all of which matters when a team is trying to stabilize a position that touches every snap. The competition ahead will help define how Arizona wants to protect itself and operate in 2026, and Hennings role in that conversation is one worth watching closely. [Read more 🡒]