The Big 12 released its conference schedules for men’s and women’s basketball Thursday, and the feature of it is Arizona’s visit to face the Kansas Jayhawks on March 8.

That’s the highlight of an 18-game schedule for a league that added Arizona, ASU, Utah and Colorado.

The Wildcats notably return last year’s leading-scorer, Love, along with point guard Jaden Bradley and wing K.J. Lewis.

Love averaged 18 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game in his first year at Arizona. He tested the draft waters but ultimately opted to return.

Love does so alongside Bradley, a shifty point guard who came off the bench last year and ultimately proved more consistent than departed point guard Kylan Boswell. Lewis also briefly considered going pro based on a strong freshman season where he gained head coach Tommy Lloyd’s trust playing off the bench by making good decisions on offense and playing effortful defense.

Lloyd’s team lost last year’s starting forwards, Pelle Larsson and Keshad Johnson, to the NBA. Boswell and starting center Oumar Ballo transferred.

Arizona reloaded on the wings with transfers Trey Townsend (Oakland) and Tobe Awaka (Tennessee), plus McDonald’s All-American freshman Carter Bryant.

Reserve centers Motiejus Krivas and Henri Veesaar have a path to contribute at center along with four-star recruit Emmanuel Stephen.

Arizona men’s basketball Big 12 schedule for 2024-25

Monday, December 30

TCU at Arizona

Saturday, January 4

Arizona at Cincinnati

Tuesday, January 7

Arizona at West Virginia

Saturday, January 11

UCF at Arizona

Tuesday, January 14

Baylor at Arizona

Saturday, January 18

Arizona at Texas Tech

Tuesday, January 21

Arizona at Oklahoma State

Saturday, January 25

Colorado at Arizona

Monday, January 27

Iowa State at Arizona

Saturday, February 1

Arizona at Arizona State

Tuesday, February 4

Arizona at BYU

Saturday, February 8

Texas Tech at Arizona

Tuesday, February 11

Arizona at Kansas State

Saturday, February 15

Houston at Arizona

Monday, February 17 

Arizona at Baylor

Saturday, February 22

BYU at Arizona

Wednesday, February 26

Utah at Arizona

Saturday, March 1

Arizona at Iowa State

Tuesday, March 4

Arizona State at Arizona

Saturday, March 8

Arizona at Kansas

Arizona women’s basketball Big 12 schedule for 2024-25

Saturday, December 21
Arizona at BYU

Tuesday, December 31
Utah at Arizona

Saturday, January 4
Arizona at UCF

Wednesday, January 8
Baylor at Arizona

Saturday, January 11
Iowa State at Arizona

Thursday, January 16
Arizona at K-State

Sunday, January 19
Arizona at Kansas

Wednesday, January 22
Cincinnati at Arizona

Saturday, January 25
West Virginia at Arizona

Friday, January 31
Arizona at Utah

Wednesday, February 5
Arizona at Colorado

Saturday, February 8
Arizona State at Arizona

Wednesday, February 12
Arizona at Oklahoma State

Sunday, February 16
TCU at Arizona

Wednesday, February 19
BYU at Arizona

Saturday, February 22
Arizona at Houston

Tuesday, February 25
Texas Tech at Arizona

Saturday, March 1
Arizona at Arizona State

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The Pac-12 is also targeting Mountain West schools UNLV and Utah State, two of the people said, as it pivots away from a group of American Athletic Conference schools that announced they remain committed to their current league. The people spoke on condition of anonymity because the Pac-12’s strategy is not being made public.

Memphis, Tulane, South Florida, UTSA and the American Athletic Conference released a statement that made no mention of the Pac-12, but several people with knowledge of those talks told AP that the rebuilding conference had targeted those schools as potential new members.

“While we acknowledge receiving interest in our institutions from other conferences, we firmly believe that it is in our individual and collective best interests to uphold our commitment to each other,” the schools said. “Together, we will continue to modernize the conference, elevate the student-athlete experience, achieve championship-winning successes, and build the future.”

The Pac-12 began to restock for a 2026 relaunch two weeks ago by landing Boise State, Fresno State, San Diego State and Colorado State from the Mountain West to join Washington State and Oregon State, the only two Pac-12 schools left after a dramatic round of realignment.

The Pac-12 needs at least two more members in all sports to reach the eight required to be a recognized conference with access to NCAA championships and the College Football Playoff in 2026.

But if he had to choose a college time in the good ol’ U.S.A., the career-long Dallas Mavericks star says he would’ve gone to Arizona. Why be a Wildcat?

“They say it’s good there,” Doncic said in a video released by Overtime, a sports league and media company.

Luka said if went to college in the US he would’ve went to ARIZONA 👀 pic.twitter.com/R3mAcHYse7

— Overtime (@overtime) September 21, 2024

4 years of eligibility left@luka7doncic 👀👀👀 pic.twitter.com/ZZsbyHGKRr

— Arizona Athletics (@AZATHLETICS) September 23, 2024

Phoenix Suns fans might be torn if that were the case. They probably have a laundry list of reasons to dislike Doncic for what he’s done to the Suns as a pro, but some probably wish Phoenix had drafted him instead of Deandre Ayton with the No. 1 pick in the 2018 NBA Draft.

Arizona Wildcat fans more certainly wish that Doncic had spent a year in college, especially since Doncic could have teamed with Ayton in 2017-18.

Ayton’s team, a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament, flamed out with a first-round loss to No. 13 seed Buffalo in a game that might’ve been different had Doncic been living that college life.

Luka Doncic isn’t the only one who could have seen himself playing in college at Arizona

Overtime’s video included a poll of three former Duke players who were asked where they could’ve seen Doncic going to college.

The New Orleans Pelicans’ Zion Williamson said he could’ve seen the Slovenian suited up for USC, Texas A&M and Florida.

Orlando Magic rising star Paolo Banchero said former Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski loved Doncic and would have fit him in Durham, N.C. But fellow Duke product and current Boston Celtic Jayson Tatum sees why Doncic might lean toward Arizona.

“He plays in the Western Conference so I’m going to say he went to like, Arizona,” Tatum said.

There are certainly vibes that match Doncic enjoying school in Arizona.

Now where would he come to understand those vibes since he never thought about college? Well, he spent the last few years with former Wildcat Josh Green on the Mavericks. Maybe there were some good stories shared.

Though Doncic’s theoretical college tenure came during Sean Miller’s time as head coach at Arizona, current Wildcats head coach Tommy Lloyd is known to be one of the best international recruiters in college hoops. He’s recruited players from central Europe in places like Lithuania, Serbia, Poland and Croatia.

Word just might’ve gotten around.

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Koloko needs approval from the NBA’s Fitness-to-Play Panel, which determines whether players with certain injuries, illnesses or other medical conditions are able and fit to practice and play games.

The 7-foot-1 center was waived by the Raptors in January after Toronto traded Pascal Siakam to the Indiana Pacers. Koloko had not played a game due to what the team called a “respiratory” problem.

The Raptors took Koloko in the second round (No. 33 overall) during the 2022 NBA Draft. He played 58 games with 19 starts for the Raptors as a rookie and averaged 3.1 points and 2.9 rebounds with a block per game.

“Oh Koloko!”

🛑 Christian Koloko flies in for the rejection on the NBA App: https://t.co/1pomQZN8Pi pic.twitter.com/gBpj87WNCt

— NBA (@NBA) October 26, 2022

The Los Angeles Clippers, San Antonio Spurs and Raptors were also interested in signing Koloko, according to Charania.

Koloko will have a chance to compete for playing time in the Los Angeles frontcourt, a team led by LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Fellow Lakers frontcourt players include Christian Wood, Jaxson Hayes, Jarred Vanderbilt and Rui Hachimura.

The former Wildcat racked up the accolades during his junior campaign under first-year head coach Tommy Lloyd. Koloko won Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year and Pac-12 Most Improved Player of the Year awards. He also made First Team All Pac-12.

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The additions rob the Mountain West of four of its more prominent schools and successful football programs, most notably Boise State, and still leave the Pac-12 two schools short of the eight it needs to have in place in two years to be recognized as a conference by NCAA rule.

The Pac-12 and the departing schools will likely be on the hook for about $110 million in exit fees and penalties to the Mountain West.

Still, it is a remarkable comeback for a conference left for dead a year ago when 10 members scattered to competitors across the country after it was unable to secure a media rights deal that schools believed would not keep them competitive with other leagues.

“For over a century, the Pac-12 Conference has been recognized as a leading brand in intercollegiate athletics,” Commissioner Teresa Gould stated. “We will continue to pursue bold cutting-edge opportunities for growth and progress, to best serve our member institutions and student-athletes.

“An exciting new era for the Pac-12 Conference begins today.”

The Pac-12 said it evaluated potential new members using five criteria: academics and athletics performance; media and brand evaluation; commitment to athletics success; geography and logistics; culture and student-athlete welfare.

Pac-12’s remaining Pac-2 welcome incoming members from Mountain West

Oregon State President Jayathi Murthy and Washington State President Kirk Schulz welcomed their new conference mates in a joint statement.

“We eagerly anticipate their uniquely insightful contributions during this transformative era for the conference and collegiate athletics,” they said.

The Pac-12 is currently operating as a two-school conference, with Oregon State and Washington State the only remaining members, taking advantage of NCAA rules that allow for a two-year grace period.

Oregon State and Washington State have a football scheduling agreement in place this season with the Mountain West, giving them six opponents from the league. The Sept. 1 first deadline for renewal of the agreement passed without a deal getting done.

Part of that deal included millions of dollars in additional fees for the Pac-12 if it poached Mountain West schools.

Oregon State and Washington State should be able to afford it. While the schools have publicly downplayed having a warchest of funds, they do have tens of millions of dollars at their disposal to work with from the two remaining years of the current College Football Playoff agreement and a contract with the Rose Bowl that will expire after the 2025 football season. Plus, they have revenue accrued by Pac-12 teams in recent years from NCAA men’s basketball tournament units and Pac-12 Network assets.

Oregon State and Washington State also have an affiliate membership in place for this school year and next with the West Coast Conference for men’s and women’s basketball and other Olympic sports.

Best of the rest

Leaders at Oregon State and Washington State have insisted since the Pac-12 collapsed that unless an invitation came from a power conference their priority was to rebuild and now that has begun.

Whether the Pac-12 will be considered a power conference again, on par with the Big Ten, Southeastern Conference, Atlantic Coast Conference and Big 12, seems unlikely, but the league is trying to position itself as the best of the rest — especially in football.

Boise State is the most notable addition as the strongest and most consistent football program outside of the power conferences for more than two decades. The Broncos have 16 double-digit victory seasons since 2002, when they were members of the Western Athletic Conference.

“What a great day to be a Bronco!” Boise State athletic director Jeramiah Dickey said.

Boise State is finally moving up, but the Pac-12 it enters hardly resembles the Conference of Champions it was for more than 100 years following the departures of 10 members last year — including Southern California, UCLA, Oregon and Washington to the Big Ten.

The collapse of the Pac-12 was the culmination of three tumultuous years of conference realignment in college sports, all of which went into affect this year and ushered in the superconference era.

The Big Ten now has 18 schools, spanning from coast-to-coast. The ACC has 17 football-playing members, including former Pac-12 schools Stanford and California. The SEC and Big 12 each have 16 schools.

The Pac-12 appears to be taking a different approach, trying to build a slimmed-down conference instead of just merging with the full, 12-member Mountain West.

Left behind
The Mountain West will be left with Air Force, UNLV, Nevada, Utah State, New Mexico, Wyoming, San Jose State and Hawaii and an uncertain future.

Commissioner Gloria Nevarez said in a statement late Wednesday night after the news of the Pac-12’s move leaked that the MW’s board of directors was meeting to discuss the next steps.

“All members will be held to conference bylaws and policies should they elect to depart,” she said. ”The requirements of the scheduling agreement will apply to the Pac-12 should they admit Mountain West members.”

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“As commissioner, it is my responsibility to explore a variety of value-creating opportunities on behalf of the Big 12,” he wrote. “Following detailed discussions with my conference colleague alongside UConn leadership, we have jointly decided to pause our conversations at this time. We will instead focus our attention and resources to ushering in this new era of college athletics.”

UConn, Big 12 were in talks of expansion

UConn athletic director David Benedict recently traveled to Dallas to pitch the Big East school to Big 12 administrators. Conference ADs and presidents heard from the league’s media consultants and discussed Yormark’s latest vision, according to The Associated Press.

The people spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the conference and school were not making their discussions public.

UConn officials made an in-person pitch to the league that included a hefty investment in the Huskies’ struggling football program, two people familiar with the discussions told The Associated Press.

The people said a plan to add UConn, which has won the last two men’s college basketball national championships, would include the school’s football team staying independent before being added to the Big 12 in 2031 and not require current members to take a cut in their current expected conference revenue share.

To add a new member, 12 of the 16 Big 12 schools would need to be in favor of expansion.

According to several people familiar with the situation who spoke with The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the discussions are private, Yormark still had convincing to do among his members that adding UConn is a sound move and the Big 12 needed to act fast.

CBS Sports’ Dennis Dodd polled eight Big 12 members — half of the 16-team league — and only six were in favor of adding the Huskies. A formal vote on such an addition is “not imminent,” Dodd reports.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

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“There has never been a better time than right now to be part of the Big 12,” Yormark said in July at Big 12 football media days.

But with college sports entering a period of unprecedented transformation — superconferences, an expanded College Football Playoff and a new plan to compensate athletes — what’s the rush to add a school that has conceded it needs six years to get its football program Big 12-ready?

UConn athletic director David Benedict recently traveled to Dallas to pitch the Big East school to Big 12 administrators. Conference ADs and presidents heard from the league’s media consultants on Monday and plan to further discuss Yormark’s latest vision.

To add a new member, 12 of the 16 Big 12 schools would need to be in favor. According to several people familiar with the situation who spoke with The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the discussions are private, Yormark still has convincing to do among his members that adding UConn is a sound move and the Big 12 needs to act fast.

CBS Sports’ Dennis Dodd polled eight Big 12 members — half of the 16-team league — and only six were in favor of adding the Huskies. A formal vote on such an addition is “not imminent,” Dodd reports.

Fox, which holds Big East rights that would be devalued if UConn moved, is also against a move, according to Dodd.

The apprehension is understandable.

UConn joining the Big 12 would boost up basketball

Still, Yormark is convinced college basketball is undervalued. Supercharging already excellent Big 12 basketball while UConn is part of a strategy to unlock that value in the next round of media rights deals.

Maybe he’s right, but the current deal doesn’t expire until 2031.

There is no doubt Yormark’s wheeler-dealer instincts have been good for the Big 12 since he took over in 2022. Being proactive under Yormark is one of the reasons why the Big 12 has 16 teams and the Pac-12 currently has two.

Yormark is convinced UConn is a good long-term investment for the Big 12 while swiping a potential lifeline from the ACC. Both are looking up at the Big Ten and SEC on and off the field.

“Two years later, I guess you could say we’re still open for business,” Yormark said in July.

Yormark was rebuked by his membership when he was interested in adding Gonzaga. UConn makes more sense but is no slam dunk. And there might be more important business to attend to.

Revenue sharing would hit other schools

The No. 1 priority among everyone in college sports right now is grasping the ramifications of the House v. NCAA settlement. The $2.8 billion deal to settle three federal antitrust lawsuits against the NCAA and power conferences also includes a groundbreaking plan to allow schools to share up to $21 million per year with their athletes as soon as 2025-26.

A hearing is scheduled for Sept. 5, when the judge overseeing the case could grant preliminary approval. Final approval is still months away.

There are scores of thorny questions about how revenue-sharing will be implemented and what impact it will have on every aspect of college sports. This is taking up a lot of time for administrators, including those in the Big 12 who haven’t even watched the four newest Big 12 schools — Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah — kick off their first football seasons.

The paint has not even dried on Yormark’s last renovation project and he is calling for the contractors again.

CFP positioning

The Big 12 is all but guaranteed a spot for its champion in the new 12-team playoff, but with the Southeastern Conference swiping Texas and Oklahoma, the conference’s case for landing multiple bids is built on quality depth making up for a lack of blue-blood contenders.

The plan being presented to the Big 12 on UConn calls for the Huskies’ powerhouse basketball programs (17 national championships combined, including the last two men’s titles) and other sports to join as soon as possible. UConn’s struggling football program, currently operating as a major college independent, would not join until 2031 after significant investment by the school.

The Huskies had five winning football seasons as a member of the old Big East, but since 2011 they have reached a bowl twice and never finished better than 6-7.

The Big 12 is trying to bill itself as the conference with no clunkers, a claim not even the top-heavy Big Ten can make. Even if you believe UConn can become a competent football program the way Kansas did after years of ineptitude, why bet on it sight unseen?

It also should be noted that woeful Colorado was the Pac-12’s Kansas for the last 15 years. For all the excitement about Deion Sanders at CU, there are still questions about whether the Buffaloes make Big 12 football better.

Also, there is no line of suitors for the Huskies. The Atlantic Coast Conference probably would have interest if lawsuits by Florida State and Clemson trigger a mass exodus, but those cases are barely off the ground, with no resolution in sight.

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The people said a plan to add UConn, which has won the last two men’s college basketball national championships, would include the school’s football team staying independent before being added to the Big 12 in 2031 and not require current members to take a cut in their current expected conference revenue share.

The people spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the conference and school were not making their discussions public.

The Athletic first reported the Big 12’s renewed interest in UConn.

UConn officials were in Dallas last week to present to the Big 12 a plan for major investments to the athletic programs, the vast majority of which would be focused on football, one of the people said.

Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark, a former executive with the Brooklyn Nets, has long been intrigued with getting a foothold in the New York area market, where the Big East school has a huge following.

Spokespeople for UConn, the Big 12 and the Big East all declined a request for comment.

Big 12 membership has been cool on the idea of adding the Huskies to their already powerful basketball conference because UConn’s football program has been flailing for years and they feared the school would not add value to the league’s media rights deal.

But adding the school in a cost neutral move could be appealing.

The Big 12’s new six-year agreements with ESPN and Fox kick in next year and will pay members about $31.7 million per school annually.

The people who spoke to the AP said a definitive decision for either side is not imminent and Yormark must still build consensus among his members. The Big 12 is about to begin its first year as a 16-team conference after adding Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah from the Pac-12 last year.

After landing those schools, interest in UConn receded in the Big 12 but not necessarily for Yormark.

UConn rejoined the Big East in 2020 for most of its sports after leaving the American Athletic Conference. The Huskies have been a football independent since, going 10-27 with one bowl appearance.

With Army joining the AAC this year and UMass scheduled to join the Mid-American Conference in 2025, UConn and Notre Dame will be the only remaining major college football independents.

While football has lagged at UConn, the men’s basketball program has returned to prominence in the Big East under coach Dan Hurley. And the women’s basketball program remains one of the best in the country.

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The study also found that the Final Four earned $256.9 million for Arizona’s gross domestic product.

“I commend the Phoenix Local Organizing Committee and its stakeholders for delivering this windfall to Arizona,” Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs said in a press release. “Mega sporting events are crucial for driving our state’s tourism sector. Basketball is the world’s game, and during the 2024 Men’s Final Four, the world’s eyes were proudly on Arizona. It not only generated revenue, it also served as a powerful advertisement for our great state.”

The Final Four saw the UConn Huskies win their second consecutive national championship over Purdue.

Attendance and viewership of Phoenix’s 2024 Final Four

The Final Four games received a total of 40.3 million viewers, according to the study.

The three games drew a combined 149,143 fans to State Farm Stadium while the national championship game between UConn and Purdue drew 74,423 fans, the third-highest attendance in the game’s history.

The festivities during the weekend, such as the three-day NCAA March Madness Music Festival at Hance Park in Phoenix, saw 67,451 people attend the event while the Final Four Fan Fest at the Phoenix Convention Center had 52,283 people attend it, according to the study.

“Hosting the Men’s Final Four was a tremendous slam dunk for Phoenix, as we proudly welcomed the third-highest-attended event in its history,” Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego said in the release.

“The influx of visitors significantly boosted our local economy, benefiting businesses, cultural institutions and hotels across the city. I am extremely grateful to our dedicated Local Organizing Committee and the city of Phoenix staff for their outstanding efforts in showcasing our growing, glowing city and ensuring the event’s success from start to finish.”

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The first Red-Blue Showcase at their home arena will take place on Friday, Oct. 4, with a 6 p.m. MST start time.

Arizona takes it up north to the Phoenix metro area the next Friday, Oct. 11., with a 6:30 p.m. MST tip. Both events will stream on ESPN+.

For the second year in a row, the event will be hosted by members of the Road Trippin’ podcast. Former Wildcats Richard Jefferson and Channing Frye will be joined by co-host Allie Clifton for the McKale Center event.

Jefferson, Clifton and former NBA center Kendrick Perkins will host the Glendale showcase.

Tickets for both events go on sale Thursday at 10 a.m. MST. Fans can visit ArizonaWildcats.com for the McKale Center event and DesertDiamondArena.com to attend the showcase in the Valley.

Arizona enters its first season in the Big 12 with scorer Caleb Love returning to school, along with last year’s contributors in guards Jaden Bradley and KJ Lewis, plus big man Motiejus Krivas. Notable newcomers include McDonald’s All-American forward Carter Bryant and Oakland transfer forward Trey Townsend.

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Arizona in its first season as a member of the Big 12 and UCLA, which is entering the Big Ten, finalized plans to play one another in three of the next four years. They will start this Dec. 14 at Footprint Center in Phoenix for the Naismith Hall of Series.

Tickets will go on sale at FootprintCenter.com on Wednesday at 10 a.m.

“We are happy to work alongside UCLA to keep this series on the schedule moving forward,” Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd said in a release. “For decades, Arizona-UCLA games have meant so much to our players, coaches, and fans across the country. Icons in the game of basketball have made this rivalry into one of the best in college basketball, and we look forward to adding the next chapters in the years to come.”

They will play again in 2025-26 in Las Vegas at T-Mobile Arena before a 2027-28 date in Los Angeles after skipping a meeting in 2026-27, according to Rothstein.

The Wildcats swept the basketball series last year, last playing on March 7 in Westwood with Arizona locking up the final Pac-12 regular season title with a win at Pauley Pavilion.

The schools are considered historically two of the strongest men’s hoops brands on the West Coast.

Arizona holds a 50-63 mark against UCLA in men’s basketball dating back to 1923.

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The Arizona Board of Regents (ABOR) picked Garimella to be the Tucson school’s 23rd president after a four-month national search.

“There are tremendous opportunities in front of us, and I look forward to collaborating with U of A students, faculty, staff and alumni to build upon our strengths as an institution and continue to lead in excellence here in Tucson and around the world,” Garimella, who holds a doctorate in mechanical engineering, said in a press release.

Garimella received his Ph.D. from the University of California, his master’s from Ohio State University and his bachelor’s from the Indian Institute of Technology.

Vermont’s president since 2019, he will replace Dr. Robert Robbins. The embattled Robbins announced in April he would not stay on past his current contract, which runs through June 2026, and would leave sooner if a successor was in place.

“I have long admired the U of A and its stature in the state of Arizona and far beyond,” Garimella said. “The institution demonstrates the best qualities of a land-grant university with exceptional leadership in research and health sciences, highly acclaimed faculty and staff, and a diverse student population comprised of the best and brightest from around the world.

Robbins’ replacement and members of the search committee will hold a livestreamed press conference at 2:15 p.m. Friday, officials announced.

“Dr. Garimella is student-focused and considers himself first and foremost a faculty member. With a 35-year career in higher education, Suresh is engaging, a great listener and a collaborative leader,” ABOR Chair Cecilia Mata said in the release.

Why is Arizona president Robert Robbins stepping down?

Robbins, the Tucson school’s president since 2017, announced his departure plan in April amid a financial crisis.

In March, the former cardiac surgeon took a 10% cut to his base salary and agreed to forego multiple performance bonuses after it was revealed the university was facing a $177 million budget shortfall. The deficit was initially reported as $240 million.

Among the impacts of that deficit was the athletic department’s firing of athletic director Dave Heeke. He was replaced by Desiree Reed-Francois, who welcomed her new boss on Friday.

#BearDown pic.twitter.com/1ZCXxWHXC6

— DR_Francois (@DRFrancois1) August 9, 2024

Robbins’ annual salary was reduced from $816,008 to $734,407, and he is no longer eligible for up to $270,000 for meeting certain goals.

When does University of Arizona’s new president start?

ABOR is still working to finalize the contract for the University of Arizona’s new president and determine a start date. Robbins will stay on until Garimella takes over, probably later this fall, ABOR said.

Robbins said the U of A will be in good hands under his successor.

“I join our University of Arizona family in welcoming Dr. Garimella to Tucson,” Robbins said in the release. “His experience as a president at a public university and as an esteemed professor, researcher and published author will serve him well in his new role. In the weeks ahead, I look forward to partnering with Dr. Garimella and assisting him with the transition in any way possible.”

It is a five-year, $238 million extension, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Markkanen had one year left in his current contract with the Jazz and was due $18 million this upcoming season.

In two seasons with the Jazz, Markkanen has seen his career flourish. During his first five years in the league, he averaged 15.4 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 282 games.

With the Jazz, Markkanen has averaged 24.5 points, 8.4 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 121 games. He was named an NBA All-Star in 2023 and won the 2023 NBA’s Most Improved Player Award.

Markkanen spent one season with the Cleveland Cavaliers before being traded to Utah, along with guards Collin Sexton, Ochai Agbaji and five future draft picks (two pick swaps), in exchange for guard Donovan Mitchell.

Before his one-year stint with Cleveland, Markkanen spent four seasons with the Chicago Bulls after the franchise selected him with the No. 7 pick in the 2017 NBA Draft.

Markkanen played one season (2016-17) at Arizona. He helped lead the Wildcats to a 32-5 record where they would eventually lose to Xavier in the Sweet 16.

In that span, he started all 37 games played, averaging 15.6 points on 49.2% shooting to go with 7.2 rebounds, earning him a spot on the Pac-12 All-Freshman team and First Team All-Conference honors.

How the Markkanen extension affects the west

The Jazz were reportedly in trade talks involving Markkanen going to to the Golden State Warriors, but both sides were unable to come to an agreement.

While Markkanen has elevated his play, his team has struggled in a deep Western Conference. The Jazz have a combined 68-96 record over the last two seasons since Markkanen was acquired.

Now that he is locked up in Utah for the foreseeable future, Markkanen could be a franchise centerpiece for the Jazz to continue to build around.

Now Chase Budinger has some Olympic memories to go along with those NBA career highlights.

“Playing in the Olympics, playing in this venue, will definitely be up there with some of my greatest basketball moments, for sure,” Budinger said after Norway eliminated the Americans from the beach volleyball men’s tournament at the Paris Games on Monday.

“My first couple of matches, stepping onto the court with 12,000 people cheering … it was just an incredible atmosphere,” the former Houston Rockets and Minnesota Timberwolves forward said. “Playing underneath the lights, underneath the Eiffel Tower, which was sparkling — you can’t replicate these type of memories that we’ll have.”

A high school hoops and indoor volleyball star who helped lead Arizona to the NCAA basketball Sweet 16 before playing seven years in the NBA, Budinger joined with Miles Evans in a partnership that was a longshot at the beginning of the two-year Olympic qualifying season. It wasn’t until June – the final two weeks — that they rose high enough in the points rankings to secure a spot in Paris.

“So much respect for Chase, who was able to play the NBA for many years and was a great player there,” said Norway’s Anders Mol, who teamed with Christian Sorum to win the gold medal in Tokyo and to beat the Americans on Monday to advance to the quarterfinals. “And now he manages to play an Olympic sport for USA, beach volleyball. Those two sports are so different. He is a really athletic guy. And it’s really cool. I have so much respect for that journey.”

Budinger and Evans started out the Summer Games with a victory over host France but lost to the Netherlands and Spain, requiring a victory in the lucky loser stage to reach the round of 16. On Monday, they were overmatched by the Norwegians 21-16, 21-14.

“They’ll probably go down as the one of the best teams — if not the best team — to ever to play together,” Budinger said. “They’ve been playing really great the last few tournaments, and I feel like they are definitely peaking right now.”

Before leaving the sand, Budinger and Evans stood together to take in the scene one last time.

“We took a moment before we had to head out, just, ‘Let’s look at this one more time. We’re not going to see this again,’” Evans said.

“We’ve been hyping this up for so long, and it definitely exceeded expectations,” he said. “This is by far the coolest thing I’ve ever done in my entire life. I hope that we can make the 2028 Olympics and see what that’s all about. But this will always be the one of the best memories of my life.”

Budinger said the added stress of playing for his country was something he hadn’t experienced in his basketball career. Beach volleyball is also a sport where, with two people on a team, everyone is involved in every play.

“Those nerves do definitely kick in,” he said. “And when you hear those ‘U-S-A!’ chants — nothing gives you chills and the emotions more than hearing those.”

If they do make it back to the 2028 Games, they will be the home team that fans are going crazy for. Los Angeles Olympics organizers are planning to site the beach volleyball venue in Santa Monica – about the midpoint between Budinger’s hometown in Carlsbad and Evans’ in Santa Barbara.

“I’ll be old as dirt,” said Budinger, who will be 40 — an age that hasn’t prevented other beach volleyball players from competing. “I’ve always said it’s really up to my body. And I take it year by year of how my body’s feeling. Right now I can say my body’s been feeling great.”

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Next up could be their hardest match yet.

The American first-time Olympians beat Australia in straight sets in the final match of the lucky loser round on Saturday night to earn the right to face Tokyo gold medalists Norway in the round of 16 on Monday.

“They’re the best team in the world,” Budinger said. “We’ve got our work cut out for us, for sure.”

The Americans lost two of their three preliminary matches and finished third in the group, forcing them to beat the Aussies to move on. They won the first set 21-19, scoring five of the last six points after trailing 18-16, and then pulled ahead midway through the second to win 21-17.

“It just felt good to play better,” Budinger said. “Our last two matches, we just weren’t ourselves. And it felt good to just get back to being ourselves. So if we can continue doing that, I’ll be happy no matter what happens after this.”

Budinger spent seven years in the NBA before turning to beach volleyball to fulfill an Olympic dream.

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Budinger and his teammate Miles Evans lost 2-0 (21-13, 21-15) to Stefan Boermans and Yorick de Groot, dropping the duo’s record to 1-1 in pool play.

The Americans will play their final match of pool play on Friday against Spain’s Adrian Gavira and Pablo Herrera. In Group F, that Netherlands pair is 2-0 while Spain and Team USA each sport a 1-1 record. The top two teams in each group automatically advance, a crucial fate to seal. While the top two third-place teams also move on to the bracket and the rest of the third-place group finishers have a chance to as well, the winner on Friday won’t have to stress about that.

From there, the competition is a single-elimination bracket of 16 teams. That would be a big accomplishment for Budinger and Evans, who were among the biggest underdogs to win the tournament out of the field of 24.

Friday’s match is at 6 a.m. MST and can be streamed on Peacock.

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The Americans were crisper than the French on their attacks (19/29) and also recorded six blocks to none for the Krou-Gauthier-Rat duo.

Look at Chase Budinger, man 🏀🏐 pic.twitter.com/cmjGhRtWMy

— Brett Usher (@UsherNBA) July 29, 2024

Miles Evans and Chase Budinger are off to a hot start in beach volleyball. 🔥🇺🇸 #ParisOlympics

📺: NBC and Peacock pic.twitter.com/PenOlUtQgH

— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) July 29, 2024

The 36-year-old Budinger starred in both volleyball and basketball as a high-schooler. He was co-MVPs with current Suns star Kevin Durant in the 2006 McDonald’s All-American Game before attending Arizona for three years.

There, he averaged 17.0 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game before becoming the 44th pick in the 2009 NBA Draft.

Budinger appeared in 407 NBA games for Houston, Minnesota, Indiana and Phoenix. He played just 17 games with the Suns in 2015-16, his last season in the NBA.

In Paris now as a beach volleyball player, he reconnected with Durant and others during the opening ceremonies.

Cool to see LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Diana Taurasi, Anthony Davis and Team USA basketball support Chase Budinger at the Olympics. 🇺🇸

Budinger and KD were co-MVPs of the McDonald’s All-American Game. pic.twitter.com/hqKLEpwsQr

— Justin Spears (@JustinESports) July 28, 2024

Budinger and Evans in their next Olympic match face a team from the Netherlands, Stefan Boermans and Yorick De Groot, at 11 a.m. MST on Tuesday.

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The Athletic mocked Lewis going 25th overall. The freshman appeared in all 36 games last season for Arizona and averaged 6.1 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game. He also shot 46.6% from the field while shooting 34.1% from three-point range. His 38 steals tied for the ninth-best by a freshman in school history, helping him earn a Pac-12 All-Freshman honorable mention.

In May, Lewis announced he would be returning to the Wildcats for his sophomore season in a social media post. Lewis decided to give the 2024 NBA Draft process a shot in April while maintaining his college eligibility. Although he was not invited to the NBA combine, he did receive an invite to the G League Elite Camp, but he declined the invitation.

Lewis entered this year’s draft and was a stunning non-invite to the NBA Draft Combine. He had a tremendous season coming off of the bench, hitting 46 percent of his shots and 34 percent from 3 while making good passing reads and showing impressive activity levels in the backcourt. He’s a power guard who can drive through opposing players’ chests. If you give him any advantage, he’s going to keep it and use his length to finish at the rim or find interesting passing angles. Where Lewis really thrives, though, is on defense. He’s switchable across all perimeter positions because of his strength and length. His motor runs hot on that end and he creates turnovers with his willingness to get into the action and crowd opposing players. He’ll likely enter Arizona’s starting lineup this season in place of the departed Pelle Larsson, and I anticipating he will continue showing his complementary NBA skill set.

Meanwhile, Krivas was mocked going two picks later at No. 27 overall.

Krivas finished his freshman season with the Wildcats averaging 12.1 minutes per game, 5.4 points and 4.2 rebounds.

He also shot 55.4% from the field and appeared in all 36 games off the bench last season. He did not declare for the 2024 NBA Draft and chose to come back to Arizona for another season with Oumar Ballo departing to Indiana via the transfer portal.

Originally from Siauliai, Lithuania, Krivas played for Lithuania at the FIBA U20 European Championships that took place in Crete last summer, averaging 12.9 points, 9.7 rebounds, 2.4 blocks and 2.0 assists over seven games. He also shot 54% from the floor in the tournament.

Krivas was a part of the EuroLeague’s Zalgiris II pro team’s NKL championship in 2023.

During the season, he averaged 13.7 points, 9.8 rebounds, 1.6 blocks and 1.5 assists and was named the league’s best defender. He also led the league in rebounding and blocks.

Krivas is a mobile big man who has tremendous coordination for his size at 7-foot-2. His feet are smooth, and he navigates the perimeter exceptionally well as a screener or dribble-handoff option. He’s a constant threat as a roller to the rim, and finds easy points with layups or dunks around the hoop. A native of Lithuania, it’s clear he has a serious number of tools at his disposal as he gets stronger around the rim. His finishing will, at times, let him down. While he only blocked 19 shots in 437 minutes, he’s a tremendous drop-coverage defender who takes up an immense amount of space on the interior. It’s hard to turn the corner on him, and he’s always available. When two-time All-Pac-12 big man Oumar Ballo transferred to Indiana, it was a pretty clear statement about the leap that is expected of Krivas. I’m anticipating a big jump.

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Over seven games in the event, Peat averaged 17.9 points, 5.6 rebounds and 6.9 assists.

THROW IT DOWN. 😤

🇺🇸 @kpeat10 x #FIBAU17 pic.twitter.com/zR37VKR0As

— USABJNT (@usabjnt) July 7, 2024

Peat was the lone returning member from USA’s 2022 gold-medal winning team, and became the first athlete in U17 World Cup history to win gold twice.

He now owns three golds medals overall, including one at the U16 Americas Championship in 2023.

The future of @usabasketball is so bright. 🥇

🇺🇸 #USABMU17 x #FIBAU17 pic.twitter.com/ta1zvaPcyK

— USABJNT (@usabjnt) July 7, 2024

The 6-foot-8, 235-pound Peat won state championships in each of his three seasons at Perry, including a 6A title as a freshman and Open Division titles as a sophomore and junior.

Peat cut his recruiting down to 10 schools in January, a list that included both Arizona State and Arizona.

His brother, Keona, is currently a walk-on offensive lineman at ASU.

The forward was named Arizona Gatorade Player of the Year each of the last two years, and USA Basketball dubbed him Male Player of the Year in 2023.

He is a top-5 overall prospect in the 2025 class according to 247 Sports, and is accompanied in the top five by two of his USA teammates, A.J. Dybantsa (No. 1) and Cameron Boozer (No. 2).

Dybantsa averaged 14.1 points and 3.9 rebounds in Turkey.

Boozer led USA in points (20.1) and rebounds (9.9) per game on his way to being named the cup’s MVP while his twin brother Cayden averaged 4.9 points and 6.4 assists. The twins are the sons of two-time NBA All-Star Carlos Boozer.

USA cleared the 100-point mark in all seven games across the tournament, while the rest of the field only cleared the mark five times.

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Along with his 19 points, Peat had seven rebounds, an assist and shot nine of fifteen from the field.

Peat was among four players, along with Team USA’s Brandon McCoy Jr. (19 points), Cameron Boozer (18 points) and JJ Mandaquit (18 points), who nearly scored 20 points in the game.

This was the USA’s highest margin of victory in a U17 tournament game ever, shattering its previous high of 49 points in a 120-71 win against Canada in 2018. The USA improved their all-time record at the U17 World Cup to 50-0.

The 6-foot-8, 235-pound Peat has won the Open Division championship in each of his three seasons at Perry. He was also named Arizona Gatorade Player of the Year in both of the last two years. Peat is a top-5 overall prospect in the 2025 class.

Peat will be the first player to play in two U17 gold medal games. Peat was a member of the 2022 team that won gold in Malaga, Spain.

The USA will play for its seventh-straight gold medal Sunday against Italy. The game will be at 10 a.m. Arizona time and can be seen on the FIBA YouTube channel.