Tommy Lloyd and the Arizona Wildcats begin the 2026-27 college basketball season in Las Vegas on Monday, taking on Mick Cronin and the UCLA Bruins in a long-standing rivalry that continues even after the two programs left the Pac-12.

Arizona is coming off its first Final Four appearance since 2001, with two key returners and All Big-12 selections in Ivan Kharchenkov and Mo Krivas - who was also named an AP preseason All-American.

Kharchenkov and Krivas were also selected to the preseason watch list for the Julius Erving and Kareem Abdul Jabbar Award, respectively, for the best small forward and center in college basketball - while freshman Caleb Holt made his way onto the Jerry West list for best shooting guard.

Arizona opens season with a revamped roster

Krivas and Kharchenkov are back from last year's squad, and both will have a major impact on coach Lloyd's team this upcoming season.

But the additions of Holt, Derek Dixon, JJ Mandaquit, and Cameron Holmes will help replenish the major losses of Koa Peat, Brayden Burries, Jaden Bradley, Anthony Dell'Orso, and Tobe Awaka from the Final Four squad - potentially keeping this team in the national championship conversation.

Holt is a consensus 5-star recruit widely considered a potential top five pick in the 2027 NBA draft. He's a big-bodied, physical defensive guard with a developing offensive game - who played quite well in Arizona's three home exhibition games.

The point guard position will be shared between Dixon and Mandaquit, sophomore transfers from North Carolina and Washington, respectively. Expect the two PGs to share the floor quite a bit this season as well, something Lloyd loves to do whenever possible.

Holmes is a 4-star recruit with great athleticism and defensive instincts, who should fill a valuable role right away in Tucson.

What to know about UCLA entering the matchup

UCLA has three returning starters from last year's 24-win team: big man Xavier Booker, forward Eric Dailey Jr, and point guard Trent Perry. Joining that trio is Texas Tech transfer Jaylen Petty and 6'8 Serbian forward Nikola Kusturica - a 17-year-old phenom who isn't draft eligible until 2028, where many folks already have him pencilled in as the No. 1 pick.

Cronin and the Bruins always play a slow, methodical pace, which is a good early season test for a new look Arizona roster that could benefit from this kind of opponent.

Pending a surprise decision from Judge Ryan Luna in Texas, Arizona won't have Clemson transfer RJ Godfrey on Monday night - with the 6'7 forward still ineligible amidst legal issues as a member of the class of 2022.

Below is a look at how to watch, stream, and listen to Arizona take on UCLA on Monday in Las Vegas to open up the 2026-27 season:

Arizona vs. UCLA: Game time, TV channel and streaming information

Date: Monday, Nov. 2

Game time: 8:00 PM MST

Where: T-Mobile Arena (Las Vegas, NV)

How to listen: Wildcats Radio 1290 AM

How to stream: HBO MAX

How to watch: TNT