Can Arizona run the table? Complete list of undefeated teams in CBB history

Arizona enters Monday’s conference showdown against Kansas 23-0, ranked second in KenPom’s net rating (+37.07) and defensive rating (89.0). Only five of their wins have come by single digits. This Wildcats team is one of the most impressive in recent memory, with the right blend of productive freshmen (Brayden Burries, Koa Peat, Ivan Kharchenkov) and established upperclassmen (Jaden Bradley, Montiejus Krivas, Tobe Awaka).

Tommy Lloyd has done what was needed in the transfer portal, but this Arizona roster is also a credit to his recruitment skills and the Wildcats’ knack for in-house development. The list of undefeated teams in NCAA history is short. Arizona is now fighting for a chance to join that exclusive club.

Every undefeated team in men’s college basketball history

There has not been an undefeated champion in D-I men’s hoops since the 70s, when Bob Knight walked the sidelines for Indiana and led the Hoosiers on the most comprehensively dominant single-season run of all time.

The Bruins of the 60s and 70s, in particular, carved out a special place in the collegiate history books. Lew Alcindor (A.K.A. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) and Bill Walton (twice) led undefeated teams before mounting storied NBA careers, becoming two of the greatest figures in basketball history, period.

That UNC team in ’57 featured future NBA Hall of Famer Billy Cunningham. San Francisco the year prior had two future Celtics champs and Hall of Famers in K.C. Jones and, yes, Bill Russell.

Is Arizona built to run the table?

With all due respect to Arizona, it’s hard to point to the Russell or Kareem equivalent on their roster. Perhaps the better analog, then, would be the ’76 Hoosiers, a team with six future NBA players but zero NBA All-Stars.

Arizona’s average margin of victory this season is 21.7 points. Indiana put a similar whooping on their opponents back in the day. Brayden Burries and Koa Peat are almost certainly not of the Kareem or Russell caliber, but both are potential lottery picks. This Wildcats team is not without its blue-chip talent, while their depth across the board certainly supports undefeated, championship-level ambition.

That said, it’s so hard to go undefeated in 2026. The talent level across the board is so much higher than it was for Indiana or UCLA, where concentrated star power, fewer games and, frankly, fewer competitive teams made it at least feel achievable.

The most recent team to come close to an undefeated season was the 2011-12 Kentucky Wildcats, led by Anthony Davis, who finished 38-2. Kentucky lost a non-conference game against Indiana (later avenged in the NCAA Tournament) and an SEC Tournament game against rival Vanderbilt. Thier net rating (+32.59), per KenPom, led college basketball.

Kentucky was the No. 2 offense and No. 7 defense that season, per KenPom. Arizona is the No. 6 offense and No. 2 defense entering Monday night. So, broadly, the statistical profile stacks up. All it takes is one slip-up, though, and Arizona’s remaining schedule is … tough.

And that’s just the regular-season schedule. If Arizona can run that gauntlet, several ranked opponents await in the Big 12 Tournament, plus six rounds of heated competition in March Madness. The Wildcats are a little more than halfway to the finish line if everything breaks right. Given the level of perfection required to achieve 40-0 — and no team has ever gone 40-0 — the smart bet is against such a feat, even if the numbers place Arizona in rareified air.

We may very well be watching one of the greatest teams in college basketball history. The Wildcats are more than capable of winning it all and cementing their place in the history books. Undefeated, though? That is probably a bridge too far.

All the same … never say never. Arizona has the goods.