Why No. 1 seed Arizona built with freshmen, not 'overpriced' transfers

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Why No. 1 seed Arizona built with freshmen, not 'overpriced' transfers

Why No. 1 seed Arizona built with freshmen, not 'overpriced' transfers

Brent Schrotenboer, USA TODAY · USA TODAY Sports

Thu, Mar 19, 2026 ·

5 min read

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SAN DIEGO – No other freshman class in America has scored more points this season than the five active freshmen on the Arizona men's basketball team . They have combined for 1,461 points, which leads the nation heading into the NCAA Tournament this week, according to data provided by USA TODAY Sports by Stats Perform.

Which is pretty darn remarkable for two big reasons:

1. This team is on fire. The Wildcats (32-2) have won nine consecutive games and will start the tournament here as a No. 1 seed against Long Island University on Friday, March 20.

2. This kind of youth movement goes against conventional wisdom these days. Isn't older supposed to be better in the era of wide-open player transfers?

More: John Calipari unleashed Darius Acuff by taking page out of NBA book

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Wildcats coach Tommy Lloyd instead took a different approach than many others last year, veering away from the transfer portal, where more experienced players typically seek to earn more money from their names, images and likenesses (NIL).

"We were able to get involved with some freshmen that we felt could be just big-time impact players in college basketball, no matter what year or what class they were," Lloyd told USA TODAY Sports on Thursday.

He had a strategy for it, as he explained Thursday.

Why Arizona built its roster this way

One reason Lloyd built his roster this way was because didn't think there were going to be many "quality" transfers available in the portal.

Money was a factor, too.

"I thought it was going to be overpriced," Lloyd said.

Then there was the Duke factor. Duke beat Arizona twice last year with several freshman players , including future No. 1 NBA draft pick Cooper Flagg . Duke even started three freshmen in the Final Four last year while other Final Four teams started mostly seniors. Lloyd noticed.

By the end of the season, Lloyd said the Blue Devils didn't seem young.

"I just thought they were really good."

Iowa State Cyclones fans cheer against the Kentucky Wildcats during the first half in the second round of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Enterprise Center on March 22, 2026 in St Louis, Missouri.

(Jamie Squire, Getty Images)

Kansas Jayhawks cheerleaders perform before a second round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament against the St. John's Red Storm at Viejas Arena on March 22, 2026 in San Diego, Calif.
(Denis Poroy, Imagn Images)

Nebraska's Berke Buyuktuncel celebrates with fans following a second-round game in the NCAA men's basketball tournament between Nebraska Cornhuskers and Vanderbilt Commodores at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City on March 21, 2026.

(SARAH PHIPPS, THE OKLAHOMAN via USA TODAY NETWORK)

Arkansas Razorbacks cheerleaders in the second half against the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Moda Center on March 19, 2026 in Portland, Ore.

(Troy Wayrynen, Imagn Images)

VCU Rams fans react after a 3-pointer by Terrence Hill Jr. #6 of the VCU Rams in the first round of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena on March 19, 2026 in Greenville, SC.
(Jared C. Tilton, Getty Images)

Howard Bison cheerleaders perform during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament against the Michigan Wolverines at Keybank Center on Mar 19, 2026 in Buffalo, NY.
(Mark Konezny, Imagn Images)

BYU Cougars cheerleader in the second half against the Texas Longhorns during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Moda Center on Mar 19, 2026 in Portland, Ore.
(Craig Strobeck, Imagn Images)

Former North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Roy Williams is seen in the crowd against the VCU Rams in the second half of a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena on Mar 19, 2026 in Greenville, SC.
(Bob Donnan, Imagn Images)

Texas A&M Aggies cheerleaders during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Paycom Center on March 19, 2026 in Oklahoma City.
(William Purnell, Imagn Images)

Texas Longhorns band in the first half against the BYU Cougars during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Moda Center on Mar 19, 2026 in Portland.
(Craig Strobeck, Imagn Images)

St. John's Red Storm mascot Johnny Thunder mixes with players prior to taking the court during practice day ahead of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Viejas Arena at San Diego State University on March 19, 2026 in San Diego, California.
(Sean M. Haffey, Getty Images)

A Texas Christian University Horned Frogs cheerleader practices before the game during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena on March 19, 2026 in Greenville, SC.

(Bob Donnan, Imagn Images)

The High Point Panthers fans cheer during the second half of a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament against the Wisconsin Badgers at Moda Center on March 19, 2026 in Portland, Or.
(Troy Wayrynen, Imagn Images)

The High Point Panthers cheerleaders react during the second half of a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament against the Wisconsin Badgers at Moda Center on March 19, 2026 in Portland, Or.
(Troy Wayrynen, Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images)

The North Dakota State Bison mascot and cheerleaders pose for a photo before the game against the Michigan State Spartans during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Keybank Center on March 19, 2026 in Buffalo, NY
(Gregory Fisher, Imagn Images)

Nebraska Cornhuskers fans cheer after defeating the Troy Trojans during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Paycom Center on March 19, 2026 in Oklahoma City.
(Alonzo Adams, Imagn Images)

The Wisconsin Badgers mascot performs during a time out during the second half of a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament against the High Point Panthers at Moda Center on March 19, 2026 in Portland.
(Craig Strobeck, Imagn Images)

A view of Buddy the Street Dog as Queens University of Charlotte Royals guard Yoav Berman talks to the media during a practice session ahead of the first round of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Enterprise Center in St. Louis on March 19, 2026.
(Jeff Le, Imagn Images)

The High Point Panthers band performs prior to a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament against the Wisconsin Badgers at Moda Center on March 19, 2026 in Portland, Or.
(Craig Strobeck, Imagn Images)

High Point Panthers fans cheer prior to a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament against the Wisconsin Badgers at Moda Center on March 19, 2026 in Portland, Or.
(Craig Strobeck, Imagn Images)

The Wisconsin Badgers cheerleaders preform during the first half of a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament against the High Point Panthers at Moda Center on March 19, 2026 in Portland, Or.
(Craig Strobeck, Imagn Images)

The South Florida Bulls mascot performs during the second half against the Louisville Cardinals during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Keybank Center on March 19, 2026 in Buffalo, NY.
(Mark Konezny, Imagn Images)

The Texas Christian University Horned Frogs cheerleaders perform in the first half during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena on March 19, 2026 in Greenville, SC.
(Jim Dedmon, Imagn Images)

The Troy Trojans mascot dances on the floor during the second half against the Nebraska Cornhuskers during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Paycom Center on March 19, 2026 in Oklahoma City.
(William Purnell, William Purnell-Imagn Images)

The UCF Knights band performs during a practice session ahead of the first round of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Xfinity Mobile Arena on March 19, 2026 in Philadelphia.
(Bill Streicher, Imagn Images)

Nebraska Cornhuskers cheerleaders perform during the second half against the Troy Trojans during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Paycom Center on March 19, 2026 in Oklahoma City.
(William Purnell, Imagn Images)

A Wisconsin Badgers cheerleader performs during the first half of a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament against the High Point Panthers at Moda Center on March 19, 2026 in Portland, Or.
(Craig Strobeck, Imagn Images)

The Ohio State Buckeyes cheerleaders perform in the second half during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena on March 19, 2026 in Greenville, SC.
(Bob Donnan, Imagn Images)

Akron Zips fans in the first half against the Texas Tech Red Raiders during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Benchmark International Arena on March 20, 2026 in Tampa, Fla.
(Matt Pendleton, Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images)

Texas Tech Red Raiders cheerleaders in the first half against the Akron Zips during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Benchmark International Arena on March 20, 2026 in Tampa, Fla.
(Nathan Ray Seebeck, Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images)

Santa Clara Broncos fans react to game play against the Kentucky Wildcats during the second half of a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Enterprise Center on March 20, 2026 in St. Louis, MO.
(Jeff Le, Jeff Le-Imagn Images)

Akron Zips cheerleaders and mascot in the second half against the Texas Tech Red Raiders during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Benchmark International Arena on March 20, 2026 in Tampa, Fla.
(Matt Pendleton, Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images)

Wright State Raiders fans celebrate after a Wright State Raiders guard TJ Burch (22) scores during the second half against the Virginia Cavaliers during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Xfinity Mobile Arena on March 20, 2026 in Philadelphia, PA.
(Bill Streicher, Bill Streicher-Imagn Images)

Hofstra Pride cheerleaders in the second half against the Alabama Crimson Tide during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Benchmark International Arena on March 20, 2026 in Tampa, Fla.
(Matt Pendleton, Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images)

Garth Noble of the Louisville pep band is amped at the 2026 NCAA Women's March Madness basketball tournament at the KFC Yum Center In Louisville, Kentucky. March 21, 2026.
(Matt Stone/Courier Journal)

Michigan head coach Dusty May high-fives players after 95-72 win over Saint Louis at the NCAA Tournament Second Round at KeyBank Center in Buffalo on Saturday, March 21, 2026.
(Junfu Han, USA TODAY NETWORK)

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish band and spirit squad cheer during the first round of the NCAA women's basketball tournament against the Fairfield Stags at Ohio State's Schottenstein Center in Columbus on March 21, 2026.
(Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch)

The risks of a freshman-heavy roster at Arizona

Arizona lists seven total freshman players on its roster of 16, including Bryce James , son of LeBron , who is redshirting this year but still drums up interest in his team by having the fourth-biggest social-media following in Division I basketball as of this month, according to Opendorse.

It's the kind of roster construction that is reminiscent of a bygone era in college sports — recruiting big freshman classes, developing those players and sometimes even redshirting some of them. The problem for Lloyd is that it comes with risk.

The good ones will leave for the NBA after a year. Others might even transfer away in pursuit of more money.

Such freshman-heavy teams also often don't work out this well, unless they include superstar NBA prospects like Duke freshman forward Cameron Boozer or Arkansas freshman guard Darius Acuff .

Consider the 13 teams that invested eight roster spots or more in freshman players this season, all more than Arizona, according to Stats Perform. Only two of those 13 earned a bid to the NCAA Tournament — SMU and Queens University. New Haven listed the most freshmen on its roster this season with 11 but finished with a 14-17 record.

But there are outliers.

"Age don't matter," 19-year-old Arizona freshman guard Dwayne Aristode told USA TODAY Sports. "If you're good, you're good."

How Tommy Lloyd built this roster

Lloyd searches for top players overseas and has eight players from other countries, including freshman forward Ivan Kharchenkov from Germany, Aristode from The Netherlands and 6-11 freshman forward Sidi Gueye from Senegal.

Lloyd also has five transfer players, including senior guard Jaden Bradley , who came to Arizona from Alabama in 2023.

But 49.9% of the team's scoring has come from five freshmen, who were part of a recruiting class that ranked No. 2 nationally behind fellow No. 1-seed Duke. These Arizona freshmen have scored even more than the four freshman contributors at Duke, which ranked second nationally in freshman scoring before the tournament with 1,417 points, more than half of which comes from Boozer .

The difference is Arizona's freshmen aren't projected to be high-lottery NBA draft prospects like Boozer. The Wildcats instead spread it around more between freshman guard Brayden Burries (15.9 points per game), freshman forward Koa Peat (13.6) and Kharchenkov (10.1).

Now comes the NCAA Tournament.

**University of Akron:**Yvette Nicole Brown, Alexa Bliss, Dominique Moceanu, The Black Keys and George Wallace

(Getty Images)

**California Baptist University:**Brent Kutzle, Dustin-Leigh Konzelman, Kay Warren, Rick Warren and Marissa Figueroa (not pictured)

(Getty Images)

**University of Hawaii:**Bette Midler, Larry Beil, Jason Elam, Ken Niumatalolo and Barack Obama, Sr.

(Getty Images)

**High Point University:**Austin Dillon, Tubby Smith, Donna Fargo, Cody Allen and Charles F. Price (not pictured)

(Getty Images)

**Howard University:**Chadwick Boseman, Thurgood Marshall, Anthony Anderson, Taraji P. Henson and Gus Johnson

(Getty Images)

**Kennesaw State University:**Bron Breakker, Jasmine Burke, ReesaTeesa, Larry Nelson and theRadBrad (not pictured)

(Getty Images)

**University of Maryland, Baltimore County:**Kathleen Turner, Duff Goldman, Stavros Halkias, Young Mazino and Scott Seiss

(Getty Images)

**University of Pennsylvania:**Elon Musk, Donald Trump, Elizabeth Banks, John Legend and Maury Povich

(Getty Image)

**Prairie View A&M University:**Megan Thee Stallion, Mr. T., Loni Love, Terry Ellis and Cecil Cooper

(Getty Images)

How will freshmen handle this environment?

Arizona senior forward Tobe Awaka had simple answer for this.

"Don't try and reinvent the wheel," he said Thursday at Viejas Arena in San Diego.

Lloyd doesn't see a problem.

"I haven't sensed that our freshmen don't know what this is about," Lloyd said. "And I told our freshmen, 'Hey, you guys won a state championship?' Yeah. Then let's go win another state championship. And the way you win a state championship, you win a state championship game by game. This just happens to have the word 'national' in front of it. But it's no different approach.

Ranking college basketball teams with most points by freshmen in 2025-26

As of March 17 in Division I, according to Stats Perform:

Arizona 1461
Duke 1417
Arkansas 1334
Central Arkansas 1326
New Mexico 1275
Fairfield 1270
North Carolina-Greensboro 1149
Colorado 1138
Air Force 1123
Houston 1119

Follow reporter Brent Schrotenboer @Schrotenboer . Email: bschrotenb@usatoday.com

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Arizona basketball enters March Madness with roster led by freshmen

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F1 São Paulo GP 2026 – Practice 3

Why Arizona built its roster this way

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The risks of a freshman-heavy roster at Arizona

How Tommy Lloyd built this roster

Actors, athletes and icons: Famous alumni from every NCAA men’s tournament team

Actors, athletes and icons: Famous alumni from every NCAA men’s tournament team

Actors, athletes and icons: Famous alumni from every NCAA men’s tournament team

Actors, athletes and icons: Famous alumni from every NCAA men’s tournament team

Actors, athletes and icons: Famous alumni from every NCAA men’s tournament team

Actors, athletes and icons: Famous alumni from every NCAA men’s tournament team

Actors, athletes and icons: Famous alumni from every NCAA men’s tournament team

Actors, athletes and icons: Famous alumni from every NCAA men’s tournament team

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How will freshmen handle this environment?

Ranking college basketball teams with most points by freshmen in 2025-26