PALM DESERT, Calif.—In the era of annual roster overhaul in college basketball, it’s very common for teams to struggle early in the season as they figure out their strengths and weaknesses.
And then there’s Arizona, which under Tommy Lloyd is 26-1 in nonconference games with two big ones already this season. The latest was Saturday’s 74-68 victory over No. 21 Michigan State in the Acrisure Invitational, the Wildcats’ 12th win in 16 tries against ranked opponents in Lloyd’s two-plus seasons.
Just don’t ask Lloyd to explain how the UA does so well in these big early games.