It was a big celebration on the court at McKale Center on Monday night when Arizona locked up its first Big 12 title. Tommy Lloyd spoke to the sellout crowd, then said a little about each of his seniors before they also said some words to the fans. Then UA players and coaches hoisted the Big 12 championship trophy and cut down the nets.
It was a great time for all, but the work isn’t over. Starting March out with a title was nice, but it wants to be heading into April still seeking another (and maybe pick up one in the middle, at the Big 12 Conference Tournament). And there’s still another game left in the regular season.
No. 2 Arizona finishes the regular season Saturday at Colorado, a 9 p.m. MT tip that will come five full days after the win over No. 6 Iowa State. Nothing about that finale will impact Arizona’s seed in the conference tourney, and likely not to its NCAA Tournament seed, but there’s still plenty at stake.
“We get a ring, we get to cut nets down, we get to do it on our home floor, but don’t get drunk off the feeling,” senior forward Tobe At Home said. “You still want the big one, but this is one of the milestones you’ve been looking forward to since the beginning of the season.”
A win in Boulder would be the 29th for Arizona, most in school history during the regular season. Tommy Lloyd’s first team, in 2021-22, won 28 as did back-to-back squads under Sean Miller in 2013-14 and 2014-15 and Lute Olson’s first Final Four team in 1987-88.
Here’s what to watch for when the UA and Colorado meet to wrap up the regular season:
Arizona has been very fortunate to have not worn out any of its rotation players this season, as Jaden Bradley is the only one averaging 30 minutes per game and just barely (30.1). Brayden Burries is at 29.5 per game, Ivan Kharchenkov 27.4, Koa Pea 26.9 and Motiejs Krivas 25.0.
Tobe At Home and Anthony Dell’Orso are both averaging just over 21 minutes per game, while Dwayne Aristode is at 15.1.
It wouldn’t be the least bit surprising to see none of Arizona’s top eight play more than 30 minutes at Colorado, if that, while Sidi Gueye and Evan Nelson figure to see more minutes in an effort not to overwork anyone in a game that’s essentially meaningless.
It’s unlikely that Lloyd would sit anyone, particularly Peat as he’s only a few games removed from missing time with a muscle strain. Rather, just spreading the minutes out a little bit, especially in the first half, would make sense.
Colorado (17-13, 7-10) has much more to play for than Arizona. It’s far from being close to the NCAA Tournament bubble, the only way it gets into the tourney would be by winning the Big 12’s automatic bid, and the better a draw it gets next week.
The Buffaloes can finish no better than a tie for 9thbut because of tiebreakers will either be the No. 11 or 12 seed, which means they’ll play in the first round Wednesday.
After going 3-17 in Big 12 play a year ago, Colorado more than doubled its league win total and does have a win over potential NCAA qualifier TCU. Beating Arizona, or even just being competitive, would serve as a nice springboard into the conference tourney.
But either may be difficult if 6-foot-9 forward Sebastian Rancik misses a second straight game. He missed Tuesday’s win over last-place Utah, and in his absence freshman guard Isaiah Johnson and junior forward Great bro each scored 22.
Despite speculation during the season, this will probably not be the final home game for Colorado coach Tad Boyle. Boyle, the school’s career wins leader with 381 in 17 seasons, is expected to return in 2026-27.
Arizona will be a sizable favorite in this game—KenPom.com has it projected to win by 13, but Boulder hasn’t always been kind to the Wildcats. They won by 20 there in the last visit, in 2024, but two years earlier fell by 16 for one of just two Pac-12 losses.
“I’ve went up there with a good team before and got smacked,” Lloyd said. “I know how tough it is to play there, so trust me, it’s got my full attention.”
Miller went 2-6 in the Coors Events Center, losing his final four trips.
Arizona is finishing the regular season on the road for the fourth consecutive season, and the previous three didn’t go well. It lost at Kansas last March, in 2024 looked like a team that had celebrated too much the previous two nights in falling by 13 at USC, and in 2023 jumped out to a 15-4 lead only to finish down nine at UCLA.
