Tommy Lloyd’s Arizona men’s basketball team fell prematurely last season in the NCAA Tournament ending its run in the Sweet 16 after earning a No. 1 seed. One factor that kept the Wildcats and many other teams from cutting down the nets in New Orleans was a lack of experience.

Arizona went into the tournament with just one of its players having played in the event previously and experienced the intensified win-or-go-home games. And even then, Gonzaga transfer big man Oumar Ballo played just nine minutes over three games with the Bulldogs during their March Madness run in the 2020-21 season.

This offseason marks a new chapter for UA as new signees and transfers have been added to this new-look Wildcat team, which is eager to avenge its loss to Houston that brought the season to an end.

Adding two seniors to a roster that now has that valuable postseason experience gives Lloyd and his staff a strong mix of players to work with in their second year together in Tucson.

Optimism has emerged into the program as the Wildcats from its head coach after the team landed two transfers so far for this upcoming season. Lloyd believes that these two players are poised to bring more talent and leadership to the roster in his second season.

One of the transfers Arizona recently added is guard Courtney Ramey, who brought leadership to the guard position at Texas where he averaged 10 points and 3.5 steals over the course of his career with the Longhorns.

Ex-Longhorns head coach Shaka Smart called Ramey a “dog” while coaching him, referring to his work ethic and focus offensively and defensively when on the court.

Lloyd values all that Ramey has seen over 128 college games during his stay in Austin.