Arizona Men's Basketball Update: What's Next After Losing in the 2026 Final Four?
The Arizona Wildcats fell short in the 2026 March Madness Tournament, losing to the Michigan Wolverines 91-73. With the transfer portal a key tool for many prominent Division I schools, Arizona will not shy away from maintaining their high-level roster. The Wildcats were one of the most commonly predicted teams to become champions, but after falling a round short, it's time to make some changes, and because of the high bar that was set before them, Arizona may not have to make as many changes as other teams that lost earlier in the tournament. The Wildcats have only made two acquisitions so far through the offseason, but being a prestigious school, they will surely get more transfers.
Derek Dixon is transferring from North Carolina and is looking to add some backcourt depth to the roster. The six-foot-five guard started for half the games for the Tar Heels and led them in assists. Dixon averaged 6.5 points, 2.7 assists, and 2.3 rebounds on the season. The freshman is a rare example of a player who’s three point percentage is higher than their field goal percentage, with 39% from three and 36% from the field. While these shooting splits seem to be backwards, he is an efficient shooter from the free throw line, with a 81% shooting percentage. Dixon will have to work on his efficiency through more volume shooting. He only attempted five shots a game, and if he wants to be a rotational player, he will have to up those numbers.
The second player that the Wildcasts have acquired is JJ Mandaquit. The Washington transfer is also a freshman guard, but only started in six games, compared to Dixon’s 16. Mandaquit averaged 5.2 points. 3.2 assists and 2.1 rebounds this season. His shooting efficiency leaves a lot of room for improvement, though. He shot 43% from the field, 28% from behind the arc, and 70% from the free throw line. Although he was not a key starter, the Hawaii native still played around 19 minutes per game, which is plenty of time to become a confident shot taker, ultimately leading to a rhythm shooter.
While these are the only two players that Arizona has locked in, they are also targeting seven-foot-five center, Gabe Dynes. The USC transfer is one of the more interesting players in the transfer portal because of how tall he is. Due to his height, his stats are what you would expect: a highly efficient field goal shooter and shot blocker. Dynes averaged 2.9 points, 2.3 rebounds, and one block per game, while shooting 78% from the field. His season before that, though, at Youngstown State, was his best. He averaged 6.8 points and 5.8 rebounds, with three blocks a game, and also shot an impressive 70% from the field. If the Wildcats lock in Dynes, they will be adding a paint presence on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball.
