Two of the premier programs in the West certainly won’t tip-toe into the season as No. 5 Arizona takes on No. 22 UCLA in the Hall of Fame Series on Monday night in Las Vegas.
The Wildcats reached the Final Four last season before falling to eventual national champion Michigan, while the Bruins were eliminated by UConn in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Former Pac-12 heavyweights Arizona and UCLA are playing for the third straight season since their exoduses from the conference. The Bruins won 57-54 in Phoenix during the 2024-25 season, and the Wildcats prevailed last season 69-65 at Inglewood, Calif.
Not surprisingly, Arizona (36-3 last year) is the preseason favorite to win the Big 12 and also boasts the preseason player of the year in 7-foot-2 center Motiejus Krivas.
“Preseason accolades don’t mean anything,” Wildcats coach Tommy Lloyd said after Friday’s 82-67 home preseason victory over San Diego State. “We’re a program that’s way more based on the substance of what you do over the course of the season, and postseason awards. Those are the meaningful ones. So we haven’t even talked about it as a team, and we’re on our own journey right now, and we’re not defending anything.
“No one can take away from us what we did last year, and the only way you can go do something this year is you got to go do it. So we’re looking forward to that challenge of going out and competing for a Big 12 championship with a lot of really good teams. By no means do we think we’re a step ahead of anybody.”
Arizona lost key players such as Big 12 Player of the Year Jaden Bradley, Brayden Burries and Koa Peat from last season’s powerhouse squad.
But Krivas and forward Ivan Kharchenkov, both of whom averaged 10.4 points a game last season, are back to lead the way. Krivas (8.2 rebounds per game) said he isn’t all that pumped up about being called the Big 12’s best player in October.
“I wouldn’t say it’s anything,” he said. “Team awards and awards at the end of the year are more rewarding.”
The top newcomer is shooting guard Caleb Holt, a McDonald’s All-American billed to be among the first selections of the 2027 NBA Draft.
“He’s one of the best young off-ball defenders I’ve ever been around,” Lloyd said of Holt.
Meanwhile, UCLA (24-12 last year) is projected to finish fourth by the Big Ten media.
The Bruins return guard Trent Perry (12.6 points per game), swingman Eric Dailey Jr. (11.6) and big man Xavier Booker (7.3 ppg, 43 blocked shots). UCLA also added Texas Tech transfer guard Jalen Petty, who made 69 3-pointers while averaging 9.9 ppg last season.
The Bruins lost big man Tyler Bilodeau and point guard Donovan Dent, but Dailey said he believes his team will be more than OK.
“We believe in our system. We believe in Coach,” Dailey said. “We believe in the program, and all the guys that stayed truly believe that. We’re here for a real reason, and we’re here to put on a show for UCLA and be the next wave of Bruins that makes something shake.”
Of course, Cronin and the Bruins have seen that the conference is a bona fide gauntlet.
“It’s just hard to win. You have really great players, great coaches and great road environments,” Cronin said. “The actual games are hard. The guys in this league play hard. It’s a bunch of big, strong and tough guys. It’s certainly not for the weak.”