Arizona’s roster churn has become part of the story in the portal era, but so has the way former Wildcats keep turning up across the college basketball map. Tommy Lloyd’s program has leaned on transfers like Jaden Bradley, Caleb Love, Keshad Johnson, Oumar Ballo and Tobe Awaka in recent years, and this year’s group could get another lift from Derek Dixon, JJ Mandaquit and possibly Clemson transfer RJ Godfrey if he’s cleared for eligibility.
At the same time, nine former Arizona players are set to suit up for Division I teams elsewhere in 2026-27.
One of them is Anderson, who started his college career at Arizona as a 4-star center in 2022-23. He played 15 games for the Wildcats and averaged 1.4 points in 3.6 minutes per game before moving on to Boise State and then Murray State.
At Murray State last season, he appeared in 31 games and averaged 1.5 points and 1.7 rebounds. Now he’s back home in Arizona, playing for Shane Burcar at Northern Arizona, and he’ll see the Wildcats on Tuesday, Nov. 10, in Tucson.
Aristode arrived at Arizona with plenty of expectations as a member of the program’s 2025 “big 3” recruiting class, but Ivan Kharchenkov wound up taking the lead role among that group. The 6-foot-8 Dutchman still gave Arizona useful minutes, averaging 3.8 points and shooting 46.2% from three across 35 games last season.
Rather than stay and chase a larger role as a sophomore, he entered the portal and landed at Oregon. There, he’s playing for Tony Stubblefield after Dana Altman’s surprise retirement.
Aristode started two of Oregon’s three exhibition games and averaged 7.3 points and 4.3 rebounds while shooting 36.4% (4-11) from three.
Borovicanin spent two seasons at Arizona as a 6-foot-9 Serbian forward, putting up 1.9 points in 34 games before transferring to New Mexico. He averaged 5.9 points and 4.6 rebounds for the Lobos, then followed Richard Pitino to Xavier and broke out in a big way as a senior.
Last season, he posted 10.8 points, 7.4 rebounds and 4.2 assists while shooting a career-best 34.9% from three. He’s also the lead plaintiff in the Borovicanin vs.
NCAA lawsuit in Ohio and remains eligible after the stay request was reversed by the Ohio Supreme Court two weeks ago. He played in Xavier’s final two exhibition games and had eight points, nine rebounds and 10 assists in 35 minutes against Kent State last Friday.
Sven Djopmo, a 6-foot-2 French guard, left Arizona this offseason after two years as a deep reserve. He appeared in 21 games, scoring 12 points with five rebounds and four assists in 35 total minutes. He’ll now play in the MEAC for the Eagles, who open on Tuesday, Nov. 3, at Virginia Tech.
Gueye is headed to Santa Clara in the WCC after appearing in 26 games for Arizona last season and averaging 1.3 points in 3.5 minutes. Under Herb Sendek, he started in an exhibition game against Stanford a few weeks ago, then came off the bench against Utah State and finished with eight points, five rebounds and a 3-for-3 shooting line, even though he fouled out in 12 minutes.
KJ Lewis spent two seasons in Tucson and became a steady scorer before moving on. As a sophomore, he averaged 10.8 points and 2.9 assists, then transferred to Georgetown and put up 14.9 points for the Hoyas.
He’s now back out west at USC, where Eric Musselman expects him to play a major reserve role behind Rodney Rice and Alijah Arenas. Lewis averaged 22 minutes in USC’s two exhibition games, posting 6.5 points and 4.5 rebounds while shooting 33.3% from the field and 16% (1-6) from three.
Conrad Martinez was a reserve guard for Arizona for two seasons, appearing in 41 games from 2023-2025 while averaging 1.3 points in 4.4 minutes. He transferred to High Point last season and helped the Panthers get to the NCAA Tournament as a No. 12 seed, where they upset No.
5 Wisconsin before losing to No. 4 Arkansas.
Martinez averaged 8.8 points, 3.3 assists and 1.4 steals there, and he’s set to fill a similar role again as a senior in 2026-27.
Murauskas spent one year at Arizona before moving on to Saint Mary’s, where he developed into one of the WCC’s top players. He earned WCC First Team honors last year after averaging 18.4 points and 7.7 rebounds, then followed Randy Bennett to Arizona State this offseason.
That sets up a reunion with Arizona when the Wildcats and Sun Devils meet in Tucson on Jan. 16.
He already flashed that level in an exhibition win over New Mexico on Sunday, scoring 31 points with nine rebounds on 8-12 shooting, including 7-10 from three and 8-8 at the free throw line.
Stephen is now at his third school in his third college season after starting at Arizona in 2024-25. He played eight games for the Wildcats and scored 10 points with 10 rebounds in 24 minutes, then moved to UNLV for 2025-26, where he started 13 of 24 games and averaged 3.5 points and 4.2 rebounds for Josh Pastner. The 6-foot-11 Nigerian will now play for Cal State Northridge in the Big West, which opens Wednesday, Nov. 4 at Wichita State.
In Other News...
Arizona Suddenly Has A Real Chance To Shake Up The Big 12
Greg McElroy is seeing a real opening for Arizona as it heads into a pivotal Big 12 matchup with No. 13 Texas Tech. The Wildcats have won five straight and their passing game has looked sharper as the season has gone along, which has changed the feel around a team that is suddenly sitting in the thick of the conference race. With both clubs tied at 3-1 in Big 12 play, this one carries the kind of late-season weight that can reshape the standings in a hurry.
Texas Tech, meanwhile, is coming off a loss to Cincinnati and has questions at quarterback, which only adds to the uncertainty around a game that already feels like a swing point for both teams. Arizona has earned enough recent momentum to make this more than just a road test, and the bigger issue now is whether the Wildcats can keep that rhythm against a Red Raiders team that still has plenty of talent and the home crowd behind it. [Read more 🡒]
Arizona May Be Walking Into A Bigger Week 9 Opportunity Than Expected
Week 9 is shaping up to be an interesting one for Arizona, with the Wildcats landing in a game that has drawn plenty of attention on the betting and analytics side. Texas Tech is the team getting the markets backing, but the numbers being used in the matchup breakdown point toward a contest that may be more favorable to Arizona than the early perception suggests.
Arizonas profile has been strong enough in the key efficiency categories to make this a live upset spot, especially in net success rate and passing efficiency. That creates a real tension in a game where the spread may be telling one story and the underlying metrics another, leaving the Wildcats with a chance to turn a tricky conference matchup into something bigger if they can translate those edges on the field. [Read more 🡒]
Arizonas Surge Faces Its Toughest Big 12 Test Yet
Arizonas rise has put it squarely in the thick of the Big 12 race, and now comes the kind of road game that can tell you a lot more about where this team really stands. Both the Wildcats and Texas Tech enter at 6-1, tied for second in the league, with Arizona riding a five-game winning streak and already punching its ticket to bowl season. The trip to Lubbock comes with the usual conference-layer stakes, but also the sense that this is one of those Saturdays that can reshape the pecking order in a hurry.
Texas Tech is getting some help back in the backfield, and Arizona will have to account for a Red Raiders team that has been one of the leagues more disruptive opponents. Coaches on both sides have pointed to the depth of the conference and the way big individual performances can swing these matchups, which is a reminder that this is less about early-season momentum than about who can hold up when the schedule tightens. For Arizona, the challenge is to keep the surge going against a contender that is built to punish mistakes. [Read more 🡒]