Lights Out

Congratulations to the Arizona men’s basketball team, whose 2023-24 season culminated in the program’s second Sweet 16 berth in three years under head coach Tommy Lloyd. The Wildcats posted a 27-9 record, claiming the program’s 18th Pac-12 regular-season title in their final season in the conference. The team proved especially capable at McKale Memorial Center, where they lost only twice in 17 games. 

Senior guard Caleb Love — who transferred from North Carolina before the season began — earned Pac-12 Player of the Year and third-team Associated Press All-America honors after averaging 18.1 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game, while redshirt senior center Oumar Ballo joined him on the all- conference first team. Showcasing Arizona’s depth, senior guard Pelle Larsson made second team all- conference, and guard KJ Lewis earned honorable mention all-freshman team recognition.

The Wildcats edged then-No. 2 Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Nov. 10, 2023, setting the stage for a high-flying campaign. The team topped the national rankings for two weeks in December and entered the NCAA Tournament at No. 9 in the AP and Coaches polls, good enough for a No. 2 seed in the West Region. In Salt Lake City, Arizona downed 15th-seeded Long Beach State and seventh-seeded Dayton. The team fell a round later in Los Angeles with a 77-72 loss to sixth-seeded Clemson. 

The program, under Lloyd’s leadership, continues to seek its second national championship and first since 1997 under former coach Lute Olson. Lloyd has 88 wins at Arizona, one shy of the record for an NCAA Division I coach in their first three seasons.