The 2025-26 college basketball season is upon us! One of the best conferences in the sport is the Big 12, which has six teams in the Preseason AP Top 25. An intriguing team in the conference is the No. 13 Arizona Wildcats. Arizona opens up its season against the defending National Champions, the Florida Gators, on November 3 in Las Vegas.
But before Arizona faces Florida in a heavyweight matchup on opening night, let’s look at their chances to win the Big 12 regular-season title.
Big 12 Regular Season Conference Winner 2025-2026: Arizona (+900)
As always, the Big 12 is stacked and loaded with elite teams, players, and coaches. Houston is No. 3 nationally, and the favorite to win the Big 12 at +160, while No. 8 BYU is +425 on DraftKings Sportsbook to win the conference’s regular-season title.
But at +900, Arizona is an excellent play given the upside its team possesses. Tommy Lloyd enters his fifth season in Tucson as Arizona’s Head Coach. Last year, Arizona finished third in the Big 12 in its first season in the conference. The Wildcats finished with a record of 24-13, which was the fourth straight 24-plus win season for Lloyd at Arizona. Before 2024, Lloyd led Arizona to win 33, 28, and 27 games in his first three seasons at the helm.
Lloyd and the Wildcats are entering their second year in the Big 12, and should be better prepared for the conference’s tough schedule. Although Arizona has a younger roster this season, this roster has the upside to be Lloyd’s best in Tucson. This year, Arizona had the No. 2 recruiting class in the country, led by two five-star prospects (Brayden Burries and Koa Peat) and three four-star players (Dwayne Aristode, Sidi Gueye, and Ivan Kharchenkov). In total, Arizona has seven freshmen on its current roster, with four returning veterans: Jaden Bradley, Motiejus Krivas, Tobe Awaka, and Anthony Dell’Orso.
Arizona lost four of its top five scorers from last year’s team (Caleb Love, KJ Lewis, Henri Veesaar, and Trey Townsend). As the Wildcats’ veteran leader, Bradley will be relied on more heavily this season, especially at the start. Arizona has one of the toughest out-of-conference schedules this season, facing three top-12 teams in the first month. The Wildcats face five ranked teams before their conference schedule begins in January. That will allow Arizona’s young players to gain a ton of valuable big-game experience before their grueling Big 12 schedule begins.
Arizona needs its freshmen to make an immediate impact, while having Bradley, Krivas, and Awaka take another step forward. If their freshman are as good as advertised, this Arizona team has the potential to be the best in the Big 12 this season. On DraftKings Sportsbook, you can get Arizona at +900 to win the Big 12 regular season.
