The Arizona basketball team is set to kick off the 2024-25 season Monday night at 7 p.m. at McKale Arena, facing the Eastern New Mexico Greyhounds.
General Information
Teams: Arizona and Eastern New Mexico
Tip time: 7 p.m. (10 p.m. EST)
Watch: ESPN+
Listen: Wildcats Radio 1290 AM
Both teams will be looking for a strong start to their campaigns, with Arizona basketball coming off a 27-9 season that got them to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament.
Head coach Tommy Lloyd, entering his fourth season at Arizona, has built an impressive 88-20 record, including back-to-back Pac-12 Tournament titles in his first two years. With a mix of returning experience and fresh talent, the Wildcats are eager to build on last year’s success. Lloyd has emphasized the importance of his returning guards—Caleb Love, Jaden Bradley, and KJ Lewis—as the team’s backbone this season. Bradley, who played in 36 games last season and averaged 20.2 minutes per game, will provide crucial leadership on the court, while Love and Lewis bring further experience and depth to the backcourt.
Sophomore Motiejus Krivas is expected to step into the starting center role following Oumar Ballo’s transfer to Indiana in the offseason. Krivas, alongside incoming talent, will be a key figure in Arizona’s frontcourt. New faces like forward Carter Bryant, a Top 20 recruit, will also make their Arizona debut, while impactful transfers Anthony Dell’Orso from Campbell University and Trey Townsend from Oakland University are set to play pivotal roles. Dell’Orso, an efficient scorer, averaged 19.5 points per game last season, and Townsend, the 2024 Horizon League Player of the Year, helped lead Oakland to a major upset over Kentucky in the NCAA tournament.
Eastern New Mexico, coming off their best season since 1992-93, finished last year 22-10, including a conference tournament championship win. Daven Vо̃ was named head coach in April 2024, after two seasons as an assistant coach.
This will be the second time Arizona and Eastern New Mexico have faced off, with their last meeting in 1960 at McKale Arena, where Arizona claimed a 118-66 victory. Both teams will be looking for a strong opening to their seasons, setting up an exciting matchup.