One of the factors behind senior wing Anthony Dell'Orso’s late-season re-emergence may not have anything to do with confidence, a reversion to the statistical mean, his form or anything at all on the floor, really.
It could just be because his folks are around.
That possible correlation was visible immediately after Linda and John Franchi touched down last month from Melbourne, Australia, to begin a United States tour that was designed around the Arizona basketball schedule.
Their first stop: Houston, where Dell'Orso scored a then-season high 22 points to help the Wildcats beat Houston on Feb. 21, a day when they didn’t have forwards Koa Peat or Dwayne Aristode available. The win put the Wildcats alone in first place in the Big 12, and they clinched the league title nine days later.
Standing in a dimly lit cement corridor inside Houston's Fertitta Center after that game, they had to watch Dell'Orso limp out of the Wildcats’ locker room with a boot over his left foot, to protect an ankle injury he suffered toward the end of that game. Then they only could see him during short breaks from the ensuing rehabilitation over the next three days before the Wildcats played at Baylor.
Arizona guard Anthony Dell'Orso (3) reacts as UA trainer Justin Kokoskie helps him up in the second half against Houston, Feb. 21, 2026, in Houston.
But the second part of that trip also gave them a chance to see plenty of central Texas for the first time, and eventually the two 3-pointers Dell'Orso hit in UA’s 87-80 win over the Bears in Waco.
Last weekend, Linda and John also watched Dell'Orso tie his career-high of six 3s made (on nine attempts) in a riveting Big 12 Tournament semifinal matchup between Iowa State and Arizona, and took in the Wildcats' on-court celebration when they beat Houston again to win the Big 12 Tournament title a day later.
Anthony Dell'Orso poses with his stepfather, John Franchi (left) and mother, Linda Franchi, while Arizona celebrated its Big 12 Tournament title on March 14, 2026, in Kansas City.
The evidence so far: Dell'Orso was shooting 31.3% from 3-point range (just 28.6% in Big 12 games) and averaging 8.5 points before his parents showed up, but shooting 36.8% from 3-point range and averaging 10.4 points over the eight games Linda and John have witnessed.
While Dell'Orso has expressed consistent confidence over his two seasons at Arizona, no matter how his shot is looking, even he paused when asked if there was a possible correlation.
“It might be,” Dell'Orso said. “It might be the luck of having mom around.”
It’s a two-part deal for Linda, Dell'Orso’s mother, and John, Dell'Orso’s longtime stepfather. They get to see him play out the final month-plus of his college basketball career, and also see parts of the United States they haven’t: First Texas, then after two big home games against Kansas and Iowa State in Tucson, Colorado for UA’s regular-season finale on March 7.
Arizona guard Anthony Dell'Orso (3) looks to shoot over Iowa State forward Milan Momcilovic during the second half, March 2, 2026, in Tucson.
Last weekend, they were dropped straight in the nation's heartland to watch the Big 12 Tournament in Kansas City, while they’re now off to California to watch Dell'Orso and the Wildcats play in the NCAA Tournament. First in San Diego and then up the Pacific coast, if UA advances, to the West Regional in San Jose.
The Franchis declined to speak at length about their excursion, saying they wanted to keep the focus on their son, but made it clear they’re having a good time.
There's no doubt Dell'Orso is glad they made it.
“It's awesome,” Dell'Orso said. “Obviously they've been planning this. This is the highlight of their year to come out here and watch games. I love having them here.”
Bilas picks Wildcats
In making his annual picks all the way through the NCAA Tournament bracket, ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Bilas picked Arizona to win the NCAA title.
He has them beating LIU, Utah State, Arkansas and Purdue to win the West Region, then Iowa State and Michigan State in the Final Four.
Of the potential West Elite Eight game, Bilas said Arkansas guard Darius Acuff is “gravity” in how he can pull defenders to him and then kick it out, but said “Arizona is more talented all-around, and the Wildcats escape from this challenging matchup.”
Bilas said UA is “simply bigger and more talented” than Purdue and that UA coach Tommy Lloyd would not be satisfied with just reaching the Wildcats’ first Final Four in 25 years.
KC flights coming?
A day after UA coach Tommy Lloyd said Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark assured him he would work toward securing nonstop flights between Tucson and Kansas City around the Big 12 Tournament, Kansas City mayor Quinton Lucas confirmed he would work with Yormark on it, too.
“We regularly see increased KCI flight capacity for Chiefs away games and now World Cup,” he posted on X. “Excited to enhance accessibility for ArizonaMBB fans!”
After UA beat UCF before a quiet Kansas City crowd on March 12, Lloyd speculated in his postgame press conference that the lack of nonstop flights — and the option to wait a week for NCAA Tournament games in San Diego — probably kept UA fans away.
Yormark "came up to me — he’s a forward thinker — and he was like ... 'we can get that done,'" Lloyd said of the nonstop flights. "I'm like, 'Really?' I think that was pretty cool.”
For UA, nonstop flights could help mitigate to the fact that the Big 12 Tournament is contracted to stay in Kansas City until 2031. UA was known for drawing dominant crowds at Pac-12 Tournaments in Las Vegas until the Wildcats moved out of that league after the 2023-24 season.
'El Jefecito' in tourney
Longtime Arizona fans might have another reason to cheer for former Wildcat guard Conrad Martinez, because he'll be playing for High Point in a first-round game against longtime UA tournament nemesis Wisconsin on Thursday in Portland, Oregon.
A junior from Spain who spent the previous two seasons with the Wildcats, drawing the nickname "El Jefecito" (little boss) from Lloyd, Martinez has been averaging 9.3 points and 3.4 assists while averaging 22.5 minutes off the bench behind all-conference point guard Rob Martin.
Although both UA and High Point are in the West Region, the Panthers would have to win two games in Portland, beating Wisconsin and either Arkansas or Hawaii, to meet UA in the Sweet 16 game at San Jose if the Wildcats also advance there.
Big 12 tournament telecasts draw well
ESPN said its broadcast of the Big 12 Tournament final between Arizona and Houston averaged 3.1 million viewers, the most-watched Big 12 championship game on record, and a number that was up 39% from last season’s championship between the same two teams.
The entire Big 12 Tournament averaged 1.1 million viewers, ESPN said.
