2021–22 Arizona Wildcats men's basketball team

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2021–22 Arizona Wildcats men's basketball
Arizona Wildcats logo.svg
ConferencePac-12 Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 4 (tie)
APNo. 9
2021–22 record11–1 (1–0 Pac-12)
Head coach
Associate head coachJack Murphy (3rd season)
Assistant coaches
Home arenaMcKale Center
Seasons
← 2020–21
 →
2021–22 Pac-12 Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 7 USC 2 – 0   1.000 12 – 0   1.000
No. 9 Arizona 1 – 0   1.000 11 – 1   .917
No. 5 UCLA 1 – 0   1.000 8 – 1   .889
Colorado 1 – 1   .500 9 – 3   .750
Stanford 1 – 1   .500 8 – 4   .667
Utah 1 – 1   .500 8 – 4   .667
California 1 – 1   .500 8 – 5   .615
Washington State 1 – 1   .500 8 – 5   .615
Arizona State 1 – 1   .500 5 – 7   .417
Washington 0 – 0   – 5 – 5   .500
Oregon 0 – 2   .000 7 – 6   .538
Oregon State 0 – 2   .000 2 – 10   .167
† 2022 Pac-12 Tournament winner
As of December 23, 2021; Rankings from AP Poll

The 2021–22 Arizona Wildcats men's basketball team represents the University of Arizona during the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team led by Tommy Lloyd, in his 1st season as a head coach. This is the Wildcats' 48th season at the on-campus McKale Center in Tucson, Arizona and 43rd season as a member of the Pac-12 Conference.

Previous season[]

The Wildcats finished the 2020–21 season 17–9, 11–9 in Pac-12 play to finish in fifth place. Due to a self-imposed one-year NCAA ban, the Wildcats did not participate in the Pac-12 Tournament or the NCAA Tournament.

On April 7, 2021, after 12 seasons and amid the continuing corruption scandal, the school fired head coach Sean Miller.[1]

Offseason[]

Coaching changes[]

Miller was fired on April 7, 2021 citing the program has incredibly high standards to have success on and off the court.[2] Following Sean Miller’s departure from Arizona, Arizona hired longtime Gonzaga assistant coach Tommy Lloyd.

Departures[]

Arizona Coaching Changes
Name Alma Mater Previous position New position
Sean Miller Pittsburgh (1992) Head Coach TBD
Danny Peters Ohio State (2010) Assistant Coach Assistant Coach (Xavier)
Jason Terry Arizona (1999) Assistant Coach Head Coach (Grand Rapids Gold - NBA G League)
Justin Coleman Arizona (2019) Graduate Assistant Assistant Coach (Tennessee Tech)
Anthony Richards Le Moyne College (2018) Director of Student-Athlete Development Director of men's basketball operations (Holy Cross)
David Miller Arizona (2015) Recruiting coordinator Assistant Coach (San Jose State)

Additions to staff[]

Arizona Coaching Changes
Name Alma Mater Previous position New position
Tommy Lloyd Whitman (1998) Associate Head Coach (Gonzaga) Head Coach [3]
TJ Benson Weber State (2009) Assistant Coach (Grand Canyon) Special Assistant to the Head Coach/Recruiting Coordinator
Rem Bakamus Gonzaga (2017) Graduate Assistant (Baylor) Director of Player Development
Ken Nakagawa Long Beach State (2014) Video Coordinator (Gonzaga) Director of Advanced Scouting [4]
Jason Gardner Arizona (2003) Head Coach (IUPUI) Director of Player Relations
Riccardo Fois Pepperdine (2008) Director of Player Development (Phoenix Suns) Assistant Coach
Steve Robinson Radford (1981) Assistant Coach (North Carolina) Assistant Coach
Ryan Anderson Arizona (2016) None Graduate Assistant
Nick Colosimo Cincinnati (2019) Production Assistant for Bearcats TV (Cincinnati) Director of Branding & Creative

Departures[]

Due to COVID-19, the NCAA ruled in October 2020 that the 2020–21 season would not count against the eligibility of any basketball player, thus giving all players the option to return in 2021–22.[5] Additionally, any players who have declared for the 2021 NBA draft—including seniors, who must opt into this year's draft—have the option to return if they make a timely withdrawal from the draft and end any pre-draft relationships with agents. Thus, separate lists will initially be maintained for confirmed and potential departures.

Arizona Departures
Name Position Year Hometown Height Weight Reason for Departure
Terrell Brown Jr. G Graduate Senior Seattle, WA 6'3" 185 Elected to transfer to Washington.
Ira Lee F Senior Los Angeles, CA 6'8" 245 Graduate transfer to George Washington.
Matt Weyand F Senior Irvine, CA 6'5" 200 Walk-on; Graduate transfer to Concordia.
Jemarl Baker Jr. G Redshirt Junior Menifee, CA 6'5" 195 Elected to transfer to Fresno State.
Jordan Brown F Redshirt Junior Roseville, CA 6'11" 235 Elected to transfer to Louisiana Lafayette.
James Akinjo G Junior Oakland, CA 6'1" 185 Elected to transfer to Baylor.
Tibet Görener F Freshman Istanbul, Turkey 6'9" 200 Elected to transfer to San Jose State.
Daniel Batcho F Freshman Paris, France 6'11" 245 Elected to transfer to Texas Tech.
Reference:

Transfers[]

Arizona Incoming Transfers
Name Position Year Hometown Height Weight Previous School Remaining Eligibility [a] Notes
Oumar Ballo C RS Freshman Koulikoro, Mali 7'0" 260 Gonzaga 3 Transfer from Gonzaga in April 2021. Eligible due to an NCAA transfer waiver.
Pelle Larsson G Freshman Nacka, Sweden 6'5" 215 Utah 3 Transfer from Utah in May 2021. Eligible due to an NCAA transfer waiver.
Justin Kier G Grad Senior Grottoes, Virignia 6'4" 190 Georgia 1 Transfer from Georgia in May 2021. Eligible due to an NCAA transfer waiver.
Kim Aiken Jr. G RS Senior Redlands, CA 6'7 245 Eastern Washington 1 Transfer from Eastern Washington in April 2021.[6]
Reference:
  1. ^ Due to a special NCAA ruling, the 2020–21 season does not count against the eligibility of players in all NCAA winter sports, including basketball.

2021 recruiting class[]

Shane Nowell, originally from Sammamish, WA, was the first commit of the 2021 recruiting class. He verbally committed to Arizona on October 31, 2020 over rival Montana, Montana State, Oklahoma & Washington. Nowell was a consensus four-star prospect out of Eastside Catholic in Sammamish, WA.

Adama Bal, from Paris, FR, was the third commit of the 2021 recruiting class. He verbally committed to Arizona on May 11, 2021 over Colorado, Cincinnati, Georgia, Marquette, San Francisco and Saint Mary's. Bal is out of INSEP Paris, France.

On April 24, 2021, Will Reeves announced that he would join the Wildcats as a preferred walk-on during the fall as a forward. On June 14, 2021, Addison Arnold announced that he would join the Wildcats as a preferred walk-on during the fall as a guard. On June 24, 2021, Benjamin Ackerley announced that he would join the Wildcats as a preferred walk-on during the fall as a guard.

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Shane Nowell
G 		Sammamish, WA Eastside Catholic School 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Oct 31, 2020 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars   ESPN grade: 84
Adama Bal
F 		Paris, FR INSEP Paris 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 180 lb (82 kg) May 11, 2021 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A
Overall recruiting rankings:   Rivals: #27  247Sports: #23  ESPN: #20
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Arizona 2021 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved June 14, 2021.
  • "2021 Arizona Wildcats Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 14, 2021.
  • "2021 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved June 14, 2021.

2022 recruiting class[]

Personnel[]

Players[]

2021–22 Arizona Wildcats men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 0 Bennedict Mathurin 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 210 lb (95 kg) So NBA Academy Latin America (MX) Montreal, QC, Canada
G 1 Shane Nowell 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Fr Eastside Catholic Seattle, WA
G 2 Adama Bal 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Fr INSEP Paris Le Mans, France
G 3 Pelle Larsson 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 215 lb (98 kg) So Utah Nacka, Sweden
G 4 Dalen Terry 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 195 lb (88 kg) So Hillcrest Prep   Phoenix, AZ
G 5 Justin Kier 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 195 lb (88 kg) GS Georgia Grottoes, VA
F 10 Ąžuolas Tubelis 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 245 lb (111 kg) So Rytas Vilnius Vilnius, Lithuania
C 11 Oumar Ballo 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 260 lb (118 kg) RS So Gonzaga Koulikoro, Mali
F 20 Tautvilas Tubelis 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 220 lb (100 kg) So Rytas Vilnius Vilnius, Lithuania
G 22 Addison Arnold (W) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Fr Royal HS Simi Valley, CA
F 24 Kim Aiken Jr. 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 215 lb (98 kg) RS Sr Eastern Washington Redlands, CA
G 25 Kerr Kriisa 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 180 lb (82 kg) So BC Žalgiris Tartu, Estonia
C 35 Christian Koloko 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) 230 lb (104 kg) Jr Sierra Canyon Douala, Cameroon
G 44 Ben Ackerley (W) 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Fr Eastside Prep Seattle, WA
F 50 Jordan Mains (W) 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Jr Pinnacle HS   Scottsdale, AZ
F 51 Will Menaugh (W) 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 245 lb (111 kg) Fr Catalina Foothills HS Tucson, AZ
G 53 Grant Weitman (W) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 205 lb (93 kg) So Salpointe Catholic HS Tucson, AZ
G 55 Will Reeves (W) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Fr Gonzaga Prep Spokane, WA
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster
Last update: December 9, 2021

  • On December 8, senior forward Kim Aiken Jr. was out due to an undisclosed personal issue. A timeline for his return to the court for the 2021–22 season is undetermined thus far.[7]

Coaches[]

Arizona Coaching Staff
Name Position Year with Position Year on Coaching Staff Alma Mater (year)
Tommy Lloyd Head Coach 1st 1st Whitman (1998)
Jack Murphy Associate Head Coach 3rd 3rd Arizona (2005)
Riccardo Fois Assistant Coach 1st 1st Pepperdine (2008)
Steve Robinson Assistant Coach 1st 1st Radford (1981)
TJ Benson Special Assistant to the Head Coach/Recruiting Coordinator 1st 1st Weber State (2009)
Chris Rounds Associate Director of Performance Enhancement 12th 12th Buffalo (1997)
Justin Kokoskie Athletic Trainer 19th 19th Pittsburgh (2000)
Jason Gardner Director of Player Relations 1st 1st Arizona (2003)
Ken Nakagawa Director of Advanced Scouting 1st 1st Long Beach State (2016)
Rem Bakamus Director of Player Development 1st 1st Gonzaga (2017)
Ryan Anderson Graduate Assistant 1st 1st Arizona (2016)
Nick Colosimo Director of Branding & Creative 1st 1st Cincinnati (2019)

Preseason[]

Lute Olson Tribute[]

The University of Arizona & Men's basketball program have planned public tribute at the McKale Center on Sunday September 12, 2021 at 11:30 a.m. MST.[8] Former players Steve Kerr, Jason Terry, Andre Iguodala & Matt Brase all spoke.[9]

Red and Blue game[]

The annual Red-Blue game took place at McKale Center on October 2, 2021 at 3:00 p.m.[10] Christian Koloko, Bennedict Mathurin, Dalen Terry, and Ąžuolas Tubelis participated in the dunk contest, which was won by Terry with a perfect score of 120. The roster was split into two teams, Red versus Blue, with the Red team winning 53−39. Aiken Jr., led the team with 20 points, going 8-for-10 from the field and 4-for-4 from the three with four rebounds. Azuolas Tubelis had 14 points, going 7-for-7 with seven rebounds and two assists. Mathurin scored 16 points, shooting 6-for-12 from the field and 3-for-4 from the free throw line. Koloko finished with 10 points, four rebounds, and four blocks.[11]

Preseason rankings[]

  • Arizona received a T-4th with Oregon State in the PAC-12 Preseason poll.
  • Arizona received 26 votes in the AP Poll but was ranked outside the top 25.[12]
  • Arizona received 8 votes in the Coaches Poll but was ranked outside the top 25.[13]

Preseason awards watchlists[]

Preseason All Pac-12 teams[]

  • Bennedict Mathurin ― 1st Team
  • Ąžuolas Tubelis ― 2nd Team

Schedule and results[]

The Wildcats opponents are still being finalized in the summer and dates and times will be finalized in the fall. Arizona will host Cal Baptist, NAU, Northern Colorado, North Dakota State, Sacramento State, Texas–Rio Grande Valley, Wyoming at McKale Center in Tucson, AZ.[16][17] Arizona is scheduled to play the 2021 Roman Main Event in Las Vegas with Michigan, UNLV & Wichita State.[18] They are also scheduled to play two true road against Illinois & Tennessee,[19] that were canceled the previous season (including not play against Gonzaga in the 2021–22 season[20] [21] The Pac-12 will continue with its 20-game conference schedule, with 10 home & away games per school. Arizona will not play against Washington State at home and Oregon State on the road.

Date
time, TV 		Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
Nov. 1, 2021
7:00 p.m., P12N 		Eastern New Mexico W 96–50 
 18 – Mathurin   10 – Koloko   4 – 2 tied  McKale Center (10,540)
Tucson, AZ
Regular Season
Nov. 9, 2021
8:30 p.m., P12N 		Northern Arizona W 81–52  1–0
  17 – K. Kriisa   9 – O. Ballo   7 – D. Terry  McKale Center (12,471)
Tucson, AZ
Nov. 12, 2021
7:00 p.m., P12N 		Texas–Rio Grande Valley W 104-50  2–0
  20 – A. Tubelis   11 – C. Koloko   5 – 2 tied  McKale Center (11,862)
Tucson, AZ
Nov. 16, 2021
7:00 p.m., P12N 		North Dakota State
Roman Main Event Campus Game 		W 97–45  3–0
  16 – C. Koloko   8 – B. Mathurin   4 – B. Mathurin  McKale Center (12,059)
Tucson, AZ
Nov. 19, 2021
8:00 p.m., ESPNU 		vs. Wichita State
Roman Main Event Semifinal 		W 82–78 OT 4–0
  25 – B. Mathurin   11 – C. Koloko   6 – K. Kriisa  T-Mobile Arena (–)
Paradise, NV
Nov. 21, 2021
7:30 p.m., ESPN 		vs. No. 4 Michigan
Roman Main Event Championship 		W 80–62  5–0
  22 – C. Koloko   8 – A. Tubelis   7 – K. Kriisa  T-Mobile Arena (–)
Paradise, NV
Nov. 27, 2021
5:30 p.m., P12N 		No. 17 Sacramento State W 105–59  6–0
  22 – A. Tubelis   7 – 2 tied   9 – K. Kriisa  McKale Center (11,733)
Tucson, AZ
Dec. 5, 2021
2:00 p.m., ESPNU 		No. 11 at Oregon State W 90–65  7–0
(1–0) 		 29 – B. Mathurin   6 – 2 tied   5 – 2 tied  Gill Coliseum (3,918)
Corvallis, OR
Dec. 8, 2021
8:00 p.m., P12N 		No. 11 Wyoming W 94–65  8–0
  24 – B. Mathurin   10 – B. Mathurin   5 – 3 tied  McKale Center (13,077)
Tucson, AZ
Dec. 11, 2021
3:00 p.m., FOX 		No. 11 at Illinois W 83–79  9–0
  30 – B. Mathurin   8 – 2 tied   5 – K. Kriisa  State Farm Center (15,544)
Champaign, IL
Dec. 15, 2021
7:00 p.m., P12N 		No. 8 Northern Colorado W 101–76  10–0
  19 – C. Koloko   9 – B. Mathurin   7 – A. Tubelis  McKale Center (11,943)
Tucson, AZ
Dec. 18, 2021
4:00 p.m., P12N 		No. 8 Cal Baptist W 84–60  11–0
  19 – A. Tubelis   10 – 2 tied   5 – 2 tied  McKale Center (14,263)
Tucson, AZ
Dec. 22, 2021
5:00 p.m., ESPN2 		No. 6 at No. 19 Tennessee L 73–77  11–1
  28 – B. Mathurin   8 – B. Mathurin   5 – B. Mathurin  Thompson–Boling Arena (20,408)
Knoxville, TN
Dec. 30, 2021
7:00 p.m., ESPN2 		No. 9 at No. 5 UCLA
Rivalry 		Postponed due to COVID-19 issues Pauley Pavilion 
Los Angeles, CA
Jan. 2, 2022
3:00 p.m., ESPN 		No. 9 at No. 7 USC Postponed due to COVID-19 issues Galen Center 
Los Angeles, CA
Jan. 3, 2022
6:00 p.m., P12N 		Washington       McKale Center (–)
Tucson, AZ
Jan. 8, 2022
12:00 or 2:00 p.m., FS1 		at Arizona State
Rivalry 		      Desert Financial Arena (–)
Tempe, AZ
Jan. 13, 2022
9:00 p.m., FS1 		Colorado       McKale Center 
Tucson, AZ
Jan. 15, 2022
6:00 p.m., P12N 		Utah       McKale Center 
Tucson, AZ
Jan. 20, 2022
9:00 p.m., ESPNU 		at Stanford       Maples Pavilion 
Stanford, CA
Jan. 23, 2022
1:00 p.m., P12N 		at California       Haas Pavilion 
Berkeley, CA
Jan. 29, 2022
12:30 p.m., CBS 		Arizona State
Rivalry 		      McKale Center (–)
Tucson, AZ
Feb. 3, 2022
6:00 p.m., ESPN 		UCLA
Rivalry 		      McKale Center 
Tucson, AZ
Feb. 5, 2022
3:00 p.m., FOX 		USC       McKale Center 
Tucson, AZ
Feb. 10, 2022
7:00 p.m., FS1 		at Washington State       Beasley Coliseum 
Pullman, WA
Feb. 12, 2022
4:00 p.m., P12N 		at Washington       Alaska Airlines Arena 
Seattle, WA
Feb. 17, 2022
5:30 p.m., P12N 		Oregon State       McKale Center 
Tucson, AZ
Feb. 19, 2022
8:00 p.m., ESPN/ESPN2 		Oregon       McKale Center 
Tucson, AZ
Feb. 24, 2022
9:00 p.m., FS1 		at Utah       Jon M. Huntsman Center 
Salt Lake City, UT
Feb. 26, 2022
6:00 p.m., ESPN2/ESPNU 		at Colorado       CU Events Center 
Boulder, CO
Mar. 3, 2022
7:00 p.m., ESPN2/ESPNU 		Stanford       McKale Center 
Tucson, AZ
Mar. 5, 2022
3:00 p.m., P12N 		California       McKale Center 
Tucson, AZ
Pac-12 Tournament
March 9–12, 2022
TBD 		vs. TBD       T-Mobile Arena (–)
Paradise, NV
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Mountain Time.

Game Summaries[]

This section will be filled in as the season progresses.

Northern Arizona[]

November 9
8:30 p.m.
Northern Arizona Lumberjacks 52, Arizona Wildcats 81
Scoring by half: 22-42, 30-39
Pts: Carson Towt, 11
Rebs: Carson Towt, 9
Asts: 2 tied, 3		 Pts: Kerr Kriisa, 17
Rebs: Oumar Ballo, 9
Asts: Dalen Terry, 7
McKale Center, Tucson, AZ
Attendance: 12,421
Referees: Mike Reed, Marc Beasley, Ryan McDaniel

Texas–Rio Grande Valley[]

P12N
November 12
7:00 p.m.
Texas–Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros 50, Arizona Wildcats 104
Scoring by half: 24-49, 26-55
Pts: Ricky Nelson, 14
Rebs: Mike Adewunmi, 7
Asts: R. Nelson, 3		 Pts: Ąžuolas Tubelis, 20
Rebs: Christian Koloko, 11
Asts: 2 tied, 5
McKale Center, Tucson, AZ
Attendance: 11,862
Referees: Shawn Lehigh, Scott Brown, Frank Harvey III

North Dakota State[]

P12N
November 16
7:00 p.m.
NDSU Bison 45, Arizona Wildcats 97
Scoring by half: 23-44, 22-53
Pts: Jarius Cook, 10
Rebs: Andrew Morgan, 8
Asts: Tyree Eady, 3		 Pts: Christian Koloko, 16
Rebs: Bennedict Mathurin, 8
Asts: Bennedict Mathurin, 4
McKale Center, Tucson, AZ
Attendance: 12,059
Referees: Randy McCall, Michael Greenstein, Jeff Wooten

vs Wichita State[]

ESPNU
November 19
8:00 p.m.
Wichita State Shockers 78, Arizona Wildcats 82 (OT)
Scoring by half: 32-40, 37-29 Overtime: 9-13
Pts: Tyson Etienne, 27
Rebs: Craig Porter Jr., 7
Asts: Dexter Dennis, 6		 Pts: Bennedict Mathurin, 25
Rebs: Christian Koloko, 11
Asts: Kerr Kriisa, 6
T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, NV
Referees: Doug Sirman, Darron George, Marques Pettigrew

vs No. 4 Michigan[]

ESPN
November 21
7:30 p.m.
No. 4 Michigan Wolverines 62, Arizona Wildcats 80
Scoring by half: 29-37, 24-43
Pts: Eli Brooks, 14
Rebs: Hunter Dickinson, 7
Asts: 3 tied, 2		 Pts: Christian Koloko, 22
Rebs: Ąžuolas Tubelis, 8
Asts: Kerr Kriisa, 7
T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, NV
Referees: Doug Sirmons, Tony Padilla, Paul Szelc

Sacramento State[]

P12N
November 27
5:30 p.m.
Sacramento State Hornets 59, No. 17 Arizona Wildcats 105
Scoring by half: 22-47, 37-58
Pts: Cameron Wilbon, 14
Rebs: Bryce Fowler, 7
Asts: 3 tied, 2		 Pts: Ąžuolas Tubelis, 22
Rebs: 2 tied, 7
Asts: Kerr Kriisa, 9
McKale Center, Tucson, AZ
Attendance: 11,733
Referees: Michael Greenstein, Deldre Carr, Ryan Holmes

at Oregon State[]

P12N
December 5
2:00 p.m.
No. 11 Arizona Wildcats 90, Oregon State Beavers 65
Scoring by half: 44-36, 46-29
Pts: Bennedict Mathurin, 29
Rebs: 2 tied, 6
Asts: 2 tied, 5		 Pts: Jarod Lucas, 17
Rebs: Warith Alatishe, 9
Asts: Dashawn Davis, 8
Gill Coliseum, Corvallis, OR
Attendance: 3,918
Referees: Randy McCall, Tony Padilla, Frank Harvey III

Wyoming[]

P12N
December 8
8:00 p.m.
Wyoming Cowboys 65, No. 11 Arizona Wildcats 94
Scoring by half: 22-53, 43-41
Pts: Xavier Dusell, 22
Rebs: 4 tied, 4
Asts: Hunter Maldonado, 4		 Pts: Bennedict Mathurin, 24
Rebs: Bennedict Mathurin, 10
Asts: 3 tied, 5
McKale Center, Tucson, AZ
Attendance: 13,077
Referees: Verne Harris, Deldre Carr, Rick O'Neill

at Illinois[]

FOX
December 11
3:00 p.m.
No. 11 Arizona Wildcats 83, Illinois Fighting Illini 79
Scoring by half: 38-42, 46-37
Pts: Bennedict Mathurin, 30
Rebs: 2 tied, 8
Asts: Kerr Kriisa, 5		 Pts: Trent Frazier, 27
Rebs: Kofi Cockburn, 13
Asts: 3 tied, 3
State Farm Center, Champaign, IL
Attendance: 15,544
Referees: Bo Boroski, Kelly Pfeifer, Lewis Garrison

Northern Colorado[]

P12N
December 15
7:00 p.m.
Northern Colorado Bears 76, No. 8 Arizona Wildcats 101
Scoring by half: 42-52, 34-49
Pts: Daylen Kountz, 33
Rebs: Kur Jongkuch
Asts: Matt Johnson, 4		 Pts: Christian Koloko, 19
Rebs: Bennedict Mathurin, 9
Asts: Ąžuolas Tubelis, 7
McKale Center, Tucson, AZ
Attendance: 11,943
Referees: Tony Padilla, Larry Spaulding, Frank Harvey III

California Baptist[]

P12N
December 18
4:00 p.m.
California Baptist Lancers 60, No. 8 Arizona Wildcats 84
Scoring by half: 33-40, 27-44
Pts: 2 tied, 11
Rebs: Elijah Thomas, 4
Asts: Taran Armstrong, 4		 Pts: Ąžuolas Tubelis, 19
Rebs: 2 tied, 10
Asts: 2 tied, 5
McKale Center, Tucson, AZ
Attendance: 14,263
Referees: Nate Harris, Gerry Pollard, Mike Reed

at Tennessee[]

ESPN2
December 22
5:00 p.m.
No. 6 Arizona Wildcats 73, No. 19 Tennessee Volunteers 77
Scoring by half: 21-34, 52 -43
Pts: Bennedict Mathurin, 28
Rebs: Bennedict Mathurin, 8
Asts: Bennedict Mathurin, 5		 Pts: John Fulkerson, 24
Rebs: John Fulkerson, 10
Asts: Kennedy Chandler, 4
Thompson–Boling Arena, Knoxville, TN
Attendance: 20,408
Referees: Tony Greene, Terry Wymer, Patrick Evans

at UCLA[]

ESPN2
December 30
7:00 p.m.
Arizona Wildcats vs. UCLA Bruins
Pauley Pavilion, Los Angeles, CA

at USC[]

ESPN or ESPN2
January 2
3:00 p.m.
Arizona Wildcats vs. USC Trojans
Galen Center, Los Angeles, CA

Washington[]

January 3
6:00 p.m.
Washington Huskies vs. Arizona Wildcats
McKale Center, Tucson, AZ

at Arizona State[]

FS1
January 8
12:00 pm or 3:00 p.m.
Arizona Wildcats vs. Arizona State Sun Devils
Desert Financial Arena, Tempe, AZ

Colorado[]

FS1
January 13
9:00 p.m.
Colorado Buffaloes vs. Arizona Wildcats
McKale Center, Tucson, AZ

Utah[]

P12N
January 15
6:00 p.m.
Utah Utes vs. Arizona Wildcats
McKale Center, Tucson, AZ

at Stanford[]

ESPNU
January 20
9:00 p.m.
Arizona Wildcats vs. Stanford Cardinal
Maples Pavilion, Stanford, CA

at California[]

P12N
January 23
1:00 p.m.
Arizona Wildcats vs. California Golden Bears
Haas Pavilion, Berkeley, CA

Rankings[]

See also: 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings
Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking.
NR = Not ranked. RV = Received votes. т = Tied with team above or below. ( ) = First place votes.
Week
Poll Pre 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 Final 
AP RV RV 17 11 11 8 6 (1) 9  
Coaches RV RV^ 19 11 8 6 4т

*AP does not release post-NCAA Tournament rankings
^Coaches did not release a Week 2 poll.

Player statistics[]

Individual player statistics (Final)
Minutes Scoring Total FGs 3-point FGs Free-Throws Rebounds
Player GP GS Tot Avg Pts Avg FG FGA Pct 3FG 3FA Pct FT FTA Pct Off Def Tot Avg A PF TO Stl Blk
Benjamin Ackerley 0 0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0 0% 0 0 0% 0 0 0% 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0
Kim Aiken Jr. 7 0 96 13.7 35 5.0 13 27 48.1% 9 16 56.3% 0 2 0% 8 16 24 3.4 14 8 3 7 2
Addison Arnold 0 0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0 0% 0 0 0% 0 0 0% 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0
Adama Bal 7 0 25 3.6 6 0.9 2 6 33.3% 2 4 50.0% 0 2 0% 1 1 2 0.3 5 3 3 2 0
Oumar Ballo 9 0 121 13.4 59 6.6 20 35 57.1% 0 0 0% 19 26 73.1% 17 27 44 4.9 6 14 8 3 8
Justin Kier 9 0 172 19.1 67 7.4 22 54 40.7% 9 26 34.6% 14 17 82.4% 2 19 21 2.3 22 6 7 7 0
Christian Koloko 9 9 210 23.3 119 13.2 45 73 61.6% 0 1 0% 29 38 76.3% 21 41 62 6.9 11 26 11 10 30
Kerr Kriisa 9 9 246 27.3 107 11.9 37 96 38.5% 25 72 34.7% 8 13 61.5% 8 17 25 2.8 47 15 15 9 1
Pelle Larsson 9 0 152 16.9 49 5.4 17 38 44.7% 5 18 27.8% 10 12 83.3% 7 20 27 3.0 15 20 11 8 1
Jordan Mains 7 0 19 2.7 6 0.9 1 3 33.3% 0 3 0% 4 6 66.7% 2 5 7 1.0 0 1 0 2 0
Bennedict Mathurin 9 9 278 30.9 166 18.4 59 119 49.6% 21 55 38.2% 27 34 79.4% 22 38 60 6.7 16 12 21 6 3
Will Menaugh 0 0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0 0% 0 0 0% 0 0 0% 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0
Shane Nowell 6 0 32 5.3 6 1.0 2 7 28.6% 0 1 0% 2 2 100.0% 0 10 10 1.7 3 4 3 3 1
Will Reeves 0 0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0 0% 0 0 0% 0 0 0% 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0
Dalen Terry 9 9 212 23.6 50 5.6 20 45 44.4% 3 15 20.0% 7 8 87.5% 10 27 37 4.1 36 21 7 13 6
Ąžuolas Tubelis 9 9 235 26.1 142 15.8 54 89 60.7% 3 13 23.1% 31 50 62.0% 15 45 60 6.7 21 20 18 9 8
Tautvilas Tubelis 7 0 14 2.0 4 0.6 2 4 50.0% 0 1 0% 0 1 0% 0 0 0 0.0 0 1 3 0 0
Grant Weitman 7 0 13 1.9 0 0.0 0 2 0% 0 2 0% 0 0 0% 0 2 2 0.3 0 2 1 0 0
Total 9 – 1825 202.8 816 90.67 294 598 49.2% 77 226 34.1% 151 211 71.6% 121 279 400 44.4 196 153 113 79 60
Opponents 9 – 1825 202.8 555 61.67 199 564 35.3% 64 209 30.6% 83 150 62.0% 109 196 196 33.9 96 176 150 57 19
Legend
  GP  Games played   GS  Games started  Avg  Average per game
  FG  Field-goals made  FGA  Field-goal attempts  Off  Offensive rebounds
 Def  Defensive rebounds   A  Assists   TO Turnovers
 Blk  Blocks  Stl  Steals  High  Team high

Awards & milestones[]

Season highs[]

Players[]

  • Points: B. Mathurin, 30 (Illinois)
  • Rebounds: C. Koloko, 11 (Texas–Rio Grande Valley & Wichita State)
  • Assists: K. Kriisa, 9 (Sacramento State)
  • Steals: D. Terry, 5 (Wyoming)
  • Blocks: C. Koloko & O. Ballo , 5 (Cal Baptist, Northern Arizona, Texas–Rio Grande Valley)
  • Minutes: B. Mathurin, 41 (Wichita State)

Team[]

  • Points: 105, (Sacramento State)
  • Field Goals: 38, (Sacramento State & Wyoming)
  • Field Goal Attempts: 72 (Wyoming)
  • 3 Point Field Goals Made: 13, (North Dakota State)
  • 3 Point Field Goals Attempts: 32, (Oregon State)
  • Free Throws Made: 29, (Wichita State)
  • Free Throws Attempts: 42, (Wichita State)
  • Rebounds: 54, (Texas–Rio Grande Valley)
  • Assists: 30, (Sacramento State)
  • Steals: 13, (Oregon State)
  • Blocked Shots: 12, (Cal Baptist)
  • Turnovers: 22, (Wichita State)
  • Fouls: 28, (Tennessee)

Weekly Awards[]

Bennedict Mathurin

  • Pac-12 Men's Basketball Player of the Week 4 (Dec. 6)[22]
  • Pac-12 Men's Basketball Player of the Week 5 (Dec. 13)[23]
  • NCAA March Madness Player of the Week 5 (Dec. 13)[24]
  • Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week (Dec. 13)[25]

Christian Koloko

  • Pac-12 Men's Basketball Player of the Week 2 (Nov. 22)[26]

Postseason awards and Pac-12 honors[]

National awards[]

See also[]

2021–22 Arizona Wildcats women's basketball team

References[]

  1. ^ "Arizona basketball coach Sean Miller out after 12 seasons with the Wildcats". CBSSports.com. Retrieved 2021-04-07.
  2. ^ "Arizona fires coach Sean Miller after 12 seasons". ESPN.com. 2021-04-07. Retrieved 2021-04-12.
  3. ^ "Arizona Names Tommy Lloyd as Men's Basketball Head Coach" (Press release). Arizona Wildcats. April 14, 2021. Retrieved April 14, 2021.
  4. ^ "Arizona hires three staffers with Gonzaga ties to work under Tommy Lloyd". SB Nation. April 28, 2021.
  5. ^ "DI Council extends eligibility for winter sport student-athletes" (Press release). NCAA. October 14, 2020. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
  6. ^ "Aiken has committed to transfer to Arizona".
  7. ^ Pascoe, Bruce. "On Kim Aiken's absence, ankle pains, and Arizona Wildcats' ability to control tempo". Tucson.com. Retrieved 8 December 2021.
  8. ^ "Lute Olson Public Tribute Set For Sept. 12" (Press release). Arizona Wildcats. August 17, 2021. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
  9. ^ "Tribute and memorial service for the late Lute Olson" (Press release). Tucson.com. September 12, 2021. Retrieved September 12, 2021.
  10. ^ "Arizona Releases Men's Basketball Early Season Schedule, First Watch Red-Blue Game Information" (Press release). Arizona Wildcats. August 4, 2021. Retrieved August 4, 2021.
  11. ^ "Terry Wins Dunk Contest, Arizona Completes First Watch Red-Blue Game" (Press release). Arizona Wildcats. August 4, 2021. Retrieved October 2, 2021.
  12. ^ "AP Top 25 College Basketball Poll". AP News.
  13. ^ "Ferris Mowers Coaches Poll". USA Today.
  14. ^ "2022 PRESEASON WATCH LIST".
  15. ^ "2022 PRESEASON WATCH LIST".
  16. ^ "Arizona announces 10-year scheduling series with NAU".
  17. ^ "Arizona Wildcats move Wyoming basketball game to 2021-22".
  18. ^ "Arizona, Michigan, Wichita State & UNLV Headline 2021 Roman Main Event in Las Vegas".
  19. ^ "Arizona, Tennessee basketball finalizing home-and-home series, starting in 2021-22".
  20. ^ "Arizona unlikely to play Gonzaga in 2021-22 after hiring Tommy Lloyd".
  21. ^ "Arizona agrees to postpone Gonzaga game, will reportedly load schedule with home games, mid-majors".
  22. ^ "Pac-12 POW, Week 4". pac12.com. December 6, 2021. Retrieved December 6, 2021.
  23. ^ "Pac-12 POW, Week 5". pac12.com. December 13, 2021. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
  24. ^ "Player of the Week". pac12.com. December 13, 2021. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
  25. ^ "Arizona's Mathurin is Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week". Arizonawildcats.com. December 14, 2021. Retrieved December 14, 2021.
  26. ^ "Pac-12 POW, Week 2". pac12.com. November 22, 2021. Retrieved November 22, 2021.
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