Arizona Wildcats Basketball

Arizona is loading up on talent for the 2025-26 season, adding Real Madrid forward Sidi Gueye to a recruiting class that already includes Bryce James and Koa Peat.

Gueye told ESPN's Jonathan Givony he has committed to the Wildcats and praised head coach Tommy Lloyd as a key factor in his decision.

"Coach Lloyd is one of the top coaches in college, and he has coached many international players before," Gueye said. "He made me feel comfortable and showed me how I can improve and produce in his system."

Gueye, who won't turn 18 until Oct. 12, played in seven games for Real Madrid between EuroLeague and ACB during the 2024-25 season. He also started four games for the U18 team.

In 11 games between the two squads, Gueye averaged 3.5 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.0 blocks per contest. He only played a total of 110 minutes.

Givony noted Gueye's biggest selling point is elite defense thanks to a 7'4" wingspan that allows him to defend multiple positions.

Lloyd and his staff have done a good job of building a strong reputation for recruiting international players. The 2024-25 Wildcats roster had seven players born outside of the United States, with Anthony Dellorso (Australia), Motiejus Krivas (Lithuania), and Dwayne Aristode (Netherlands) set to return next season.

Per 247Sports' composite rankings, Arizona had the No. 2 ranked recruiting class in the country before adding Gueye. The group is headlined by Peat and Brayden Burries, both of whom are 5-star prospects and top-11 overall players in the 2025 class.

This group will be counted on to make up for the production being lost with players like Caleb Love and Trey Townsend exhausting their eligibility. Carter Bryant is testing the NBA draft waters while maintaining his eligibility.

The Wildcats also lost Henri Veesaar and KJ Lewis in the transfer portal.

Gueye will likely be a long-term developmental project, especially since Givony pointed out he figures to be one of the youngest players in college basketball next season.

If Gueye hits and the other incoming freshman hit as expected, the Wildcats figure to be in the mix for a national title during the 2025-26 season. They made the NCAA tournament as a No. 4 seed this season, losing to Duke in the Sweet 16.

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James' youngest son, Bryce James, announced Wednesday on Instagram that he has committed to play his college basketball at the University of Arizona.

LeBron was also quick to announce the news on his personal Instagram, congratulating Bryce on his commitment:

Like his older brother Bronny James once did, Bryce plays his high school basketball at Sierra Canyon School in Los Angeles.

Per 247Sports, the 6'4", 190-pound guard is a 3-star recruit who ranks as the No. 257 overall player and No. 46 shooting guard in the class of 2025.

James also received scholarship offers from Ohio State and Duquesne, and Bronny's former school, USC, expressed interest at one time as well, according to 247Sports.

Given that his father is one of the greatest basketball players of all time, Bryce has long been in the spotlight, but he is not as highly touted as Bronny was coming out of high school.

At the time, 247Sports rated Bronny as a 4-star recruit and the No. 28 overall prospect in the nation, and the expectation was that he would hit the ground running in the collegiate ranks at USC.

A heart condition caused Bronny to miss the first eight games of his freshman campaign, and one he returned to action, he struggled to establish himself as a key contributor, averaging 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game in 25 contests.

Despite his struggles, Bronny entered the 2024 NBA draft and went 55th overall to the Lakers, making him and LeBron the first father-son duo in NBA history to play in a regular-season game together.

It is possible Bryce could follow a similar path, but he appears to be even more of a project than Bronny, which means he could spend multiple years in school.

In Arizona, Bryce is joining an elite college basketball team that won the national title in 1997 and has reached the Final Four on four occasions.

The Wildcats reached the NCAA tournament in each of the past three seasons, and they have made the field 35 times since the 1984-85 season.

Arizona is off to an uneven 7-5 start so far this season, but it already has a big-time commit for next season in the form of wing Dwayne Aristode, a 5-star prospect and the No. 14 overall player in his class, per 247Sports.

Arizona men's basketball head coach Tommy Lloyd landed a major win on the recruiting trail Sunday.

ESPN's Jonathan Givony reported that forward Dwayne Aristode, who is from the Netherlands, committed to the Wildcats over finalists Duke, USC, Michigan State and the NBL Next Stars program.

The 6'8" Aristode is a 5-star prospect and the No. 18 overall player and No. 4 small forward in the class of 2025, per 247Sports' composite rankings.

Lloyd having success recruiting internationally is nothing new, as he helped land Domantas Sabonis (Lithuania), Ronny Turiaf (France), Rui Hachimura (Japan), Kelly Olynyk (Canada) and Mario Kasun (Croatia), among others, when he was an assistant coach at Gonzaga.

What's more, Arizona's roster coming into the 2024-25 campaign has plenty of international players in Motiejus Krivas (Lithuania), Anthony Dell'Orso (Australia), Henri Veesaar (Estonia), Conrad Martinez (Spain) and Emmanuel Stephen (Nigeria).

"The winning culture Tommy Lloyd has built at Arizona is remarkable," Aristode said. "They play fast and have the right balance between structure and giving players freedom."

While Aristode made his senior national team debut this summer as a 17-year-old, he has been playing high school basketball in the United States.

The first thing that jumps out about the prospect's game is his defense, as he can guard multiple positions and help protect the rim. However, 247Sports director of scouting Adam Finkelstein called his offensive game "a bit of a work in progress" that "has made consistent strides."

He can finish above the rim on lobs and play through contact while also bringing a solid if unspectacular shot from beyond the arc.

If Aristode can continue to take those strides on the offensive side while playing impressive defense, he will be an immediate difference-maker for the Wildcats. He is their first commit in the class of 2025 and could set the tone moving forward.

Lloyd brought in a solid mix of recruits and transfers as part of his 2024 class and now has some momentum in the 2025 class with the addition of a top prospect.

After testing the waters of the NBA draft, combo guard Caleb Love has decided he's not ready to end his college career just yet, announcing Wednesday that he is forgoing the 2024 NBA draft and will use his fifth year of eligibility to return to the Wildcats.

He maintained his college eligibility when he initially declared for the draft on April 16.

Love starred at North Carolina for his first three years in college and entered the transfer portal after his junior season. After initially committing to Michigan, he decommitted a month later and eventually found a home in Arizona, where he thrived.

During the 2023-24 campaign, Love started all 36 games and led the Wildcats with 18 points per game while adding 4.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.2 steals, leading the Wildcats to a 27-9 record and the Pac-12 regular-season title. He was named Pac-12 Player of the Year and was a finalist for the Wooden, Naismith, Robertson and Cousy national awards.

Arizona lost to Oregon in the semifinals of the Pac-12 tournament. After being named a No. 2 seed in the NCAA tournament, the Wildcats were bounced out of the Sweet 16 in an upset loss to No. 6 Clemson. Love had lackluster showings in both games, as he posted six points on 2-of-11 shooting against the Ducks and 13 points on 5-of-18 shooting in the loss to the Tigers.

A 6'4" and 205-pound guard, Love can impact the game both as a scorer and as a facilitator. He would have been an attractive player in this year's NBA draft class, but teams will have to wait another year to get a shot at bringing him into the fold.

With Love returning to Arizona, the Wildcats will be in great shape to make some noise immediately when they jump to the Big 12 at the start of next season.

After a stellar senior season at Arizona, combo guard Caleb Love is ready to explore the NBA draft process.

Love announced Tuesday that he will enter the 2024 NBA draft, but will maintain his eligibility at Arizona for next season.

Love spent the first three years of his college career at North Carolina and entered the transfer portal after his junior season. He initially committed to Michigan, but he de-committed a month later and eventually landed with Arizona, where he thrived.

During the regular season, Love started all 31 games and averaged 18.7 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.2 steals to lead the Wildcats to a 24-7 record and the Pac-12 regular-season title. He was named Pac-12 Player of the Year honors, and he was a finalist for the Wooden, Naismith, Robertson and Cousy national awards.

Unfortunately, Arizona lost in the semifinals of the Pac-12 Tournament. After being named a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament, the Wildcats were eliminated in the Sweet 16 in an upset loss to No. 6 Clemson. Love had poor showings in both games, as he posted six points on 2-of-11 shooting against the Ducks and 13 points on 5-of-18 shooting in the loss to the Tigers.

A 6'4", 205-pound guard, Love can impact the game both as a scorer and as a facilitator. He will be an attractive player in this year's NBA draft class, which is still without a clear-cut No. 1 prospect.

In the right situation, Love would be able to make an immediate impact if he decides to remain in the draft.

Arizona's NCAA Tournament run has come to an end earlier than expected.

The No. 2-seeded Wildcats were upset by the No. 6-seeded Clemson Tigers 77-72 on Thursday in the Sweet 16. It marks the program's second Sweet 16 exit in the last three years.

Wildcats guard Caleb Love failed to rise to the occasion in what was a disappointing performance as he finished with just 13 points, two rebounds, one assist and two steals. He went 5-of-18 from the floor and 0-for-9 from deep.

After the game, Love was slammed by college basketball fans for not elevating his game when the Wildcats needed it most:

Love spent the first three seasons of his college career at North Carolina before transferring to Arizona ahead of the 2023-24 season.

His performance throughout the year was a big reason why the Wildcats secured a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament, but now they have nothing left to show for their efforts following Thursday's loss.

While Arizona heads home, Clemson is moving on to the Elite Eight and will face the winner of Thursday's game between No. 1-seeded North Carolina and No. 4-seeded Alabama.

Caleb Love's 19 points helped Arizona outlast Dayton 78-68 in the NCAA tournament on Saturday to earn its second trip to the Sweet 16 in three years.

The Wildcats looked like they were going to cruise to an easy victory after taking a 17-point lead on Motiejus Krivas' dunk with 2:43 remaining in the first half.

Instead, Arizona closed the half by turning the ball over on four of its final five possessions. Dayton took advantage by going on a 10-0 run that got the deficit down to seven points.

The Flyers carried that momentum into the second half, eventually getting within three at 52-49 after Koby Brea's three from near the March Madness logo with 11:40 left in regulation.

Love's jumper on the ensuing possession helped slow down Dayton's momentum. It also propelled the Wildcats on a 14-2 run that gave them some breathing room.

Jaden Bradley had one the best moments of the game with a layup on a drive to the basket that saw him do a spin move that left Kobe Elvis wondering what happened.

Arizona head coach Tommy Lloyd was able to make adjustments in the second half. Love scored 13 points in the first 12 minutes, but was held to just six for the rest of the game.

Jaden Bradley picked up a lot of the scoring slack for the Wildcats in the second half. The sophomore guard had nine points, three steals, two assists and two blocks over the final 20 minutes.

Despite coming up short against a tough opponent, Dayton and head coach Anthony Grant earned a lot of love from fans for its effort on Saturday.

The biggest difference in the game was the benches for both teams. Bradley, KJ Lewis and Motiejus Krivas combined for 23 points on 7-of-11 shooting. The Flyers only got two points off the bench from Davon Bennett.

It didn't help that the Flyers connected on just 29.2 percent of their three-point attempts. This was a disappointing finish for the program, but they won 25 games for the first time since 2015-16. This was their first tournament appearance since the 2016-17 season.

Arizona will advance to the Sweet 16 next week where it will take on the winner of Sunday's matchup between No. 3 Baylor and No. 6 Clemson.

A balanced scoring attack and a shutdown defense in the second half propelled No. 2 seed Arizona to an 85-65 win over No. 15 Long Beach State in the first round of the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament on Thursday in Omaha, Nebraska.

LBSU led 35-34 with two-and-a-half minutes left in the first half after a Aboubacar Traore layup. Arizona then rolled off a 24-2 run to give itself a 58-37 advantage at the second-half under-16 timeout. The Wildcats cruised to victory from there.

All five Wildcat starters scored in double digits, led by Kylan Boswell's 20. He also added a team-high eight assists. Caleb Love contributed an 18-point, 11-rebound double-double to go along with five assists and two steals. Oumar Ballo posted an 11-point, 13-rebound double-double.

Arizona finished with more than twice as many assists (19) than turnovers (nine). The Wildcats also had 10 steals and eight blocks. In addition, their 13 three-pointers set a school record in the NCAA tournament.

Needless to say, Arizona authored an impressive second-half performance en route to the comfortable victory.

Arizona will now play the winner of No. 7 seed Dayton and No. 10 seed Nevada in the second round on Saturday.

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Five-star prospect Joson Sanon is headed to Arizona.

Sanon, a projected first-round pick in the 2025 NBA draft, told ESPN's Jonathan Givony that he has committed to Arizona and plans to reclassify to 2024.

He chose the Wildcats over a list of schools that included Kansas, Kentucky, UConn, Louisville and Indiana.

"I'm going to Arizona," Sanon said Wednesday. "I love the fit, the way they score, how they get you open. They play at a fast pace, and being in the center of a high-powered offense was attractive. I wanted to get locked in before things really get going with the transfer portal."

Sanon is the No. 11 ranked prospect and the No. 2 ranked small forward in the class of 2025, per 247Sports' composite rankings.

The Vermont Academy product told Givony that he intends to graduate high school this summer and reclassify to the 2024 prospect class, which is highlighted by Cooper Flagg, Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper.

Sanon recently helped his high school team win the NEPSAC AAA championship, and accomplishing the feat helped him make his decision to reclassify.

"I had a couple of benchmarks for this season that would help me decide if I'm ready to graduate high school early," Sanon said. "I wanted to win a championship, lead a team, be a primary scorer, and really lock in defensively. I'm physically strong enough for college. The next step is learning how to think the game better and adding to what I already do."

Arizona's 2024 recruiting class also includes four-star prospects in Carter Bryant (SF), Jamari Phillips (SG) and Emmanuel Stephen (C).

The Wildcats went 25-8 this season and enter the NCAA Tournament as a No. 2 seed in the West region. They begin their tournament run on Thursday against No. 15 Long Beach State.

While Arizona is "expected to retain much of its young core" heading into 2024, the program is "likely" to lose Pelle Larsson, Keshad Johnson, Ousmar Ballo and Caleb Love, according to Givony.

Sanon's commitment will help the program recoup some of the talent that could be lost.