Since his team retired its Pac-12 big-dog status nearly two years ago, Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd has been OK with starting in the back seat.
He expressed as much even on Saturday, when the Wildcats clinched a share of the Big 12 title by beating Kansas 84-61 at McKale Center — and eliminating what has historically been the league's marquee team from the race.
If there was an ounce of entitlement, it wasn’t visible.
“The Big 12 is a monster. We all know that,” Lloyd said. “We know that we're going to be given nothing.”
They haven’t been.
Before its first run through the Big 12 last season, Arizona men's basketball was picked to finish fifth by the league’s coaches. The Wildcats finished in a third-place tie, then advanced to the conference tournament championship game before losing to national runner-up Houston.
This year, the Wildcats were picked to finish fourth in the conference and, throughout a conference-record-breaking 23-0 start, picked up only one outright Big 12 Player of the Week award, given to freshman guard Brayden Burries on Feb. 2.
Now they lead the league by two games, with two left to play.
At 27-2 overall and 14-2 in the Big 12, Arizona can only be tied by Houston (24-5, 12-4) or Texas Tech (22-7, 12-4). Houston will face Baylor on Wednesday and Oklahoma State on Saturday, while Texas Tech finishes with TCU on Tuesday and BYU on Saturday.
But those games won't matter to Arizona if the Wildcats either beat Iowa State at McKale on Monday or win at Colorado on Saturday. A win against either team gives them the outright title, their first conference title since they captured the Pac-12 regular-season championship on the way out of that imploding conference in 2023-24.
The Wildcats can earn their way out of the Big 12's back seat now.
“It’s awesome, but the job's not done,” Lloyd said. “I don't think you set a goal at the start of the year, 'Let’s tie for the Big 12 championship.’ Let's see if we can win it. … Let's focus on Monday and see if we can get it done and if we can’t, we'll take a breath and see if we can get it done Saturday.”
The first try might be more difficult than it looks. While the Wildcats have returned to full strength for the first time in two weeks, getting forwards Koa Peat (lower leg injury) and Dwayne Aristode (illness) back Saturday against Kansas, they’ll be facing an Iowa State team with plenty of motivation.
Not only did the Cyclones lose at McKale Center last season after Caleb Love hit a 60-foot bomb at the regulation buzzer, but they were also stung at home by Texas Tech on Saturday.
The Cyclones’ 82-73 loss to the Red Raiders was their first loss all season at Hilton Coliseum, and also put them in danger of slipping from a double to a single bye in the Big 12 Tournament.
Iowa State (24-5, 11-5) is tied for fourth place with Kansas (21-8, 11-5) but the teams have split two-regular season games, so if they end up tied and Arizona ends up winning the league, Iowa State's fate would hinge on what it did against the Wildcats: An Arizona win over Iowa State could then slip the Cyclones to the No. 5 seed and make them play an extra conference tournament game.
Also, the Cyclones are pretty good. Ranked No. 4 in the Associated Press Top 25 poll last week, Iowa State had its own unbeaten start of 16-0 that included a then-shocking 81-58 win at Purdue on Dec. 6.
They have one of the nation’s best overall players in forward Joshua Jefferson and also one of the nation’s best point guards in Tamin Lipsey. Iowa State is tough inside and ranks eighth nationally in 3-point percentage (39.0).
“I'm sure they're going to come in here hungry on Monday,” Lloyd said. “They're a unique team to play against at both ends of the floor. We're gonna have to dig deep.”
But the Wildcats have a few advantages of their own.
Among them, rest and health. Not only was Iowa State assigned the difficult turnaround from a home game Saturday to a road game on Monday — while the Wildcats had Sunday to rest and prepare at home — but the return of Peat and Aristode gives Lloyd a full complement of options.
Arizona guard Dwayne Aristode (2) forces his way along the baseline, seeing action for the first time in weeks in the second half against Kansas in Tucson on Feb. 28, 2026.
Lloyd didn’t play Aristode in the first half Saturday, when UA went on an early 19-0 run over the Jayhawks to take a lead they never fully lost, and gave him only three minutes after halftime. But Lloyd indicated he could have played him more.
“Dwayne's good,” Lloyd said. “I just settled into a rhythm with those guys. I just didn't find an opportunity to put him in the game. Maybe another good day of practice, and we'll get him back at it.”
Meanwhile, Peat played 23 minutes, collecting 12 points, seven rebounds and five assists, saying afterward it “felt great” to be back on the floor with his teammates, especially in a high-level game.
Peat entered Saturday's game averaging 27 minutes, though Lloyd said he wasn’t on a minutes restriction.
Arizona forward Koa Peat (10) collides with Kansas guard Melvin Council Jr. (14) in their Big 12 game in Tucson on Feb. 28, 2026.
"Obviously we want to see how he feels day-by-day, so we'll take a look and see how he feels" Sunday, Lloyd said of Peat. "Obviously it looked like he had some fresh legs today. I noticed him out there breathing a little harder a couple times, but he looked pretty good to me."
Also probably to Arizona’s advantage Monday: It will be the final home game for Arizona seniors Jaden Bradley, Anthony Dell’Orso and Tobe Awaka (plus anybody else leaving for the NBA or transfer portal, of course).
Then there’s the obvious motivation: Arizona has to win the conference title outright at home, getting the chance to snip down the nets and celebrate with 14,000 or so fans after their final home game.
The alternative, barring Houston and Texas Tech losses, is having to beat Colorado at its mile-high arena on Saturday, then celebrating with maybe 500 or 1,000 Denver-area UA alums just before midnight hits, since that game doesn’t even start until 9 p.m. Or just racing out of the place to catch the charter flight home to get in bed before 3 a.m.
No doubt, beating Iowa State on Monday is the Wildcats' preference.
Arizona guard Brayden Burries (5) yells into the crowd after a swerving run to the bucket resulted in a basket against Kansas in the first half of their Big 12 game at McKale Center on Feb. 28, 2026.
“I think it would be great,” Burries said. “To be able to win on your home floor and in front of your fans, with your teammates, that would be great for us.”
