Leif Thulin makes a compelling case for why the Arizona Wildcats should be ranked #1 in college basketball and are favorites to capture the Big 12 Conference regular season title. Despite impressive victories over UConn, UCLA, and Florida, Leif argues Arizona's most encouraging sign isn't their current resume but their massive ceiling for improvement with three freshman starters.

The episode breaks down Arizona's elite interior scoring identity, comparing their defensive construction to Duke's 2025 championship team. Leif analyzes the Wildcats' favorable early Big 12 schedule, projecting a potential 7-0 start that would position them perfectly for a conference title. He provides detailed tier rankings of Big 12 competition, examining Houston's offensive questions, Texas Tech's three-point reliance, BYU's ball movement concerns, and Kansas's limitations around Darryn Peterson. The discussion highlights Mo Krivas' rim protection as the defensive anchor enabling Arizona's top-10 national defense.

0:32 Arizona Should Be Number One

2:35 Teams Improve From November to March

4:36 Arizona's Interior Scoring Identity

7:08 Defense Wins Close Games

10:50 Arizona's Top Two Seed Potential

13:54 Arizona's Easy Big 12 Start

16:56 Freshmen Have Room to Grow

21:02 Houston's Reliance on Freshmen

25:05 Texas Tech and BYU Analysis

28:37 Iowa State's High Floor Low Ceiling

30:09 Arizona's Balanced Basketball Formula

Arizona Wildcats basketball, Big 12 Conference championship, Tommy Lloyd coaching, Jaden Bradley, Motiejus Krivas, Tobe Awaka, Anthony Dell'Orso, college basketball rankings, AP Poll predictions, NCAA tournament seeding, Arizona defense strategy, freshman impact players, Houston Cougars rivalry, Iowa State Cyclones, Kansas Jayhawks, Texas Tech Red Raiders, BYU basketball, non-conference victories, UConn Huskies matchup, UCLA Bruins game, Florida Gators win, interior scoring offense, rebounding dominance, March Madness projections, college basketball analytics, Pac-12 to Big 12 transition, national championship contenders, Arizona basketball podcast, college hoops analysis

#arizonawildcats #collegebasketball #arizona #arizonabasketball #ncaabasketball #cbb #ncaam #big12 #kansasbasketball #houstonbasketball

Follow & Subscribe on all Podcast platforms…
🎧 https://link.chtbl.com/LOAZWildcats?sid=YouTube

Locked On College Conferences, HBCU, Basketball & More
🎧 https://linktr.ee/LockedOnCollege

#Arizona #ArizonaWildcats #ArizonaFootball #arizonabasketball
Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!
Gametime
Today's episode is brought to you by Gametime. Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONCOLLEGE for $20 off your first purchase. Terms and conditions apply.

FanDuel
Today's episode is brought to you by FanDuel. Football season is around the corner, visit the FanDuel App today and start planning your futures bets now.

FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN)

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.