Summer Shootaround: Arizona just made its first F4 in 25 years. Here’s why the Wildcats should again be the Big 12’s best
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Who joins the show and why is Arizona the focus of this episode?
episode number four of the 2026 ion college basketball podcast shoot around is here we're going to talk about the arizona wildcats gp he's still not back folks he is across the atlantic ocean as you listen to this as this goes into the feed Hint, hint. Yes, this was a pre-tape, but very excited to talk about another really, really good team. We've done a couple of coaches interviews. We went in-house earlier this week with the Tom Fornelli experience. And guess what? We're bringing back another one of our colleagues. He's making his Ion College basketball debut. It's Cameron Salerno. Josh, bring him on in here. Cameron Salerno has been with us for a few years. Does tremendous work, not just in the college basketball space, but we like to keep him on the college basketball beat as much as possible.
Cam, there is no hazing. There is no initiating here. It's just welcome aboard. Happy to have you here. How are you doing, bud?
good it's uh it's a really nice time of year because it's like you know we're looking forward to football season we're looking forward to basketball like the world cup just wrapped up which was phenomenal tournament kind of goss for the dog days of summer it's a really exciting time and yeah i'm just excited for the sports calendar to kind of get going there's nothing like going to bed on like a random tuesday night it's like 10 o'clock you can just turn on some random games so uh I'm excited for that time.
We are getting there. As noted, at least I like to be transparent often on the podcast. GP, maybe not so much. But this is a pre-tape. So this is one of those instances where, for all I know, there's some massive story in sports right now that we will not reference whatsoever. In fact, how about this? Between us taping this now, Cam, and Cam's done plenty of work on the NBA beat, and the time this actually publishes, I bet you LeBron James has announced where he's going to play. So, yeah, where's it going to be? Just call it right now before it's out in reality.
Here's the thing. So the Anthony Davis deadline extension is August 6th, which people have rumored it could be used as leverage for AD to get a max extension or AD gets traded. I still think there's a chance that he drags this on for a few more weeks, but I've said Cleveland for the last two weeks. I think that's where he's going to end up. I don't think he wants to play for a new team, but... Yeah, we'll see. I think Cleveland will be my guess.
Cam says Cleveland, but maybe not done by the time this pod goes live, which if that's the case, good Lord. Then again, I completely unplug entirely from social media when I go on vacation. Will not check it once, not even once, which means I won't be able to promo this podcast in real time. But I better not return. I better not return from vacation. And he has still not picked the team.
The good news is we know LeBron's son will be on Arizona.
It's true. By the way, I'll guess Golden State's the team for LeBron, but we'll see there. Let's talk Wildcats here. Coming off a Final Four, their first in two and a half decades. I was able to be there in San Jose when they got it done to get to the national semifinals. And then, shocker, just the way that they were completely mutilated by Michigan in one of the more hyped Final Four matches that we've seen over the past two-plus decades or so. Unfortunately, the game didn't meet the hype overall. But... Cam, as it pertains to, and we'll lay out this year's team schedule, all that good stuff. What do you think of what Tommy Lloyd did last season, what he's built there? And you live here on the West Coast.
What is your perception of Arizona's program here as they gear up for what should be another really, really good season?
Yeah, I thought Arizona was really good last year. I mean, since Tommy Lloyd arrived to Arizona, like, they've been really consistent, really good. Number one seat, first year with the program. Obviously, last year was their best team in 25-plus years. And, you know, the Michigan game was a shock because I think, honestly, you talk to, like, all of our colleagues, like, we were kind of, like, undecided, like, on who would win that game.
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