It is August. We have a long way to go before March, and a lot will change between now and then. That being said, this was our first opportunity to get a look at the 2026-2027 Arizona Wildcats. Plus, they had cool summer jerseys and team shirts. That’s as good a reason as any to do our first breakdown of the year.
Arizona lost the first game of their overseas trip to the Lithuania B team, but bounced back for a win the next day against the Ukrainian national team and finished their exhibition series against a mix of Lithuania’s A and B teams with a win on Saturday. 1
Uncharacteristically, the Wildcats got dominated on the glass in that first performance, but won the rebounding contest in games two and three. Arizona’s 3-18 three-point shooting against that Lithuania B team hurt as well. They shot 53% and 40%, respectively in the latter matchups. In all three games, Arizona won the points in the paint and points from turnovers battles, but was outscored in bench points. Opponents also outscored the Wildcats from the free throw line in each game, which is unusual for a Coach Lloyd led squad.
With less than a month of practice under their belts, Arizona put out a fairly simple brand of basketball, including their base offense and horns set plus a single baseline-out-of-bounds (BLOB) and sideline-out-of-bounds (SLOB) plays. The Wildcats showed much improvement from game to game on the defensive end especially, where there is a lot of talent that just looked a little disjointed in the first game.
Arizona Lineup
I don’t spend a lot of time watching recruiting tape. Almost anyone can look good in highlights and breaking down high school or lower-level European game film is not a super-high priority for me, so this was my first chance to evaluate some of these guys.
Arizona played 10 potential rotation guys while in Lithuania2, with three players (RJ Godfrey, JJ Mandaquit, and Mabil Mawut) sitting out. Godfrey and Mandaquit will almost certainly demand playing time, and Mawut may be borderline. Last year, Coach Lloyd settled into an eight-man rotation, but it seems like this year the Wildcats may be a little bit deeper. However, that means 13 guys fighting it out for maybe 9 spots.
#8 Ivan Kharchenkov (6’7”, 230 Lbs., So.)
26.3 PTS, 25-38 2FG (66%), 6-15 3FG (40%), 11-19 FT (58%)
1.0 OREB, 3.0 DREB, 3.0 AST, 1.0 TO, 2.7 STL, 1.0 BLK
Who would have thought the guy best known for his perimeter defense last year would vault to the top of the scouting report so definitively?
Kharchenkov effectively started at the four in these games. Presumably, (if and) when Godfrey is able to play, Kharchenkov will slot back in at small forward. However, I am expecting to see more flexible lineups this year compared to last year’s three guards, two small forwards, three bigs rotation. Kharchenkov did some good work with his back to the basket and I’m looking forward to seeing him mix up his catch points to take advantage of mismatches.
He was much more effective off the bounce in these appearances, including hitting a couple of three-pointers off the dribble and a smooth finish in the paint.
Kharchenkov shot 31.7% from three last season. His shot now looks more comfortable. and if he can stay up near 40% where he was this week, that will clear a lot of room for him to drive to the basket for a myriad of crafty finishes. His layups off the right foot with the right hand on the left side of the rim remain his patented move.
#13 Motiejus Krivas (7’2”, 260 Lbs., Jr.)
13.7 PTS, 12-20 2FG (60%), 1-1 3FG (100%), 14-15 FT (93%)
1.7 OREB, 3.0 DREB, 1.7 AST, 1.3 TO, 1.7 STL, 1.3 BLK
Krivas was on a minutes restriction for this trip, playing only about 16 minutes per game, albeit very effectively. He will be in the conversation for national defensive player of the year so let’s start there.
The question is: how much more of the offensive load will Krivas be expected to shoulder? Krivas typically prefers the left block, turning over his left shoulder to the middle. Obviously, Lithuania knows that scout better than anyone and played him heavily to that side. Krivas did go over the right shoulder a couple of times, which was encouraging. If he could build in a counter that has to be respected, it will make him much tougher.
I think there is also an opportunity to run offense through Krivas. Arizona will play a lot of dynamic cutters this season and Krivas has shown some solid passing skills for a big man.
And finally, it is just so incredibly valuable to have a 7-footer that can make free throws. Krivas finished at 78% last year. His 0.75 free throw rate (FTr) on this trip was super high and he converted at 93%. Free throw percentage is usually a good indicator of the ability to shoot the three as well. He only took one in Lithuania3, but I would like to see him taking at least one per game on average by the time the season rolls around.
#3 Caleb Holt (6’5”, 215 Lbs., Fr.)
11.7 PTS, 10-32 2FG (31%), 3-12 3FG (25%), 6-13 FT (46%)
3.0 OREB, 6.3 DREB, 4.0 AST, 3.0 TO, 3.3 STL, 0.0 BLK
Let’s start with the good. Holt is an ELITE rebounder and was very active defensively.
On the offensive end, I was encouraged by his passing, particularly in tight spaces on drives.
It is also just fun to have a shooting guard so strong that he can truck-stick guys out of the way without using his off arm to push off.
Downside: he shot terribly from everywhere on the floor. For how high he gets up on rebounds, Holt does not appear to be a vertical finisher up and over defenders. When he was unable to knock defenders off balance, he was left with tough looks, not getting all the way to the rim.
He certainly has the capability to make some tough shots and I think I will come to love him as a late-clock option.
However, in halfcourt offense, non-rim twos are less efficient than threes or rim twos and shots off the dribble are less efficient than on catch-and-shoot. Holt took a lot of non-rim twos and a lot of shots off the dribble, including from three.4
I went looking for his high school free throw percentages and couldn’t find them, but did find a scouting report saying he was a very good free throw shooter. Therefore, I won’t let his 6-13 (46%) from the stripe concern me too much yet. He shoots a good enough ball when set that I think I can chalk it up to small sample size. Here are his three made three-pointers, all catch-and-shoot.
#7 Derek Dixon (6’5”, 205 Lbs., So.)
13.7 PTS, 12-18 2FG (67%), 5-15 3FG (33%), 2-3 FT (67%)
0.0 OREB, 1.7 DREB, 5.0 AST, 1.0 TO, 1.0 STL, 0.0 BLK
Without Mandaquit to back him up at point, Dixon played heavy minutes. He shot 5-9 from beyond the arc in the final two games, where he is known to be excellent.
Dixon, a right-handed shooter, was clearly more comfortable dribbling with his left hand.
This is an interesting combination. One advantage I have seen for players who have mixed handedness is the ability to draw fouls by leaning back to their shooting hand once they have created an advantage. However, Dixon only shot three free throws in 94 minutes played.
A disadvantage that I thought was present was how much slower the load into his shot looked while moving towards his dominant shooting hand (right).
Dixon had a couple of nice passes out of pick-and-roll and finished the trip with a 5:1 assist-to-turnover ratio, which is excellent.
He’s a solid point guard and good shooter, but did not grab many boards. He will also probably be the weak point defensively. He had some trouble getting through ball screens and back to his man and even struggled sometimes to push opponents over screens and into the drop coverage.
I think Arizona will end up better off using Holt or Cameron Holmes as their primary point-of-attack defender. This clip shows the difference in the amount of ball pressure that Dixon can provide compared to Holt.
At 6’5”, Dixon is certainly big enough to cover most wings. Being cross-matched may also create some advantages for Holt in transition, who can rebound and start the break himself with Dixon spotting as a shooter.
#2 Cameron Holmes (6’6”, 215 Lbs., Fr.)
4.7 PTS, 5-14 2FG (36%), 1-3 3FG (33%), 1-2 FT (50%)
1.0 OREB, 3.0 DREB, 2.7 AST, 0.7 TO, 0.3 STL, 0.3 BLK
Holmes started the first game before moving to a role as the sixth-man. He is drawing comparisons to the Knicks’ Josh Hart5, who also dabbled in that sixth-man role, but eventually outplayed it, moving Mitchell Robinson to the bench en route to their NBA championship.
His numbers don’t jump off the page, but he can do a little bit of everything. He is the prototypical glue guy. On a roster where it was unclear who might pop, I walked away very confident that Holmes can play solid minutes for the Wildcats this year.
#12 Ugnius Jarusevicius (6’11”, 255 Lbs., 5th Yr.)
14.0 PTS, 14-18 2FG (78%), 0-1 3FG (0%), 14-19 FT (74%)
2.0 OREB, 0.0 DREB, 0.0 AST, 1.0 TO, 0.0 STL, 0.0 BLK
The Wildcats played a few minutes with both Jarusevicius and Krivas on the floor, but my guess is that he will end up at center in a backup role nearly exclusively. He would be a well-above-average replacement in that role. He showed nice touch at the rim, but I would not call him a finesse (aka soft) big man. And he moved well enough, running the floor in transition and positioning himself in drop coverage, that Arizona will not lose much when Krivas takes his rest.
#35 Maksim Brnovic (6’10”, 210 Lbs., Fr.) - Single Game Stats
6.0 PTS, 2-3 2FG (67%), 0-1 3FG (0%), 2-2 FT (100%)
2.0 OREB, 0.0 DREB, 0.0 AST, 1.0 TO, 0.0 STL, 0.0 BLK
Unfortunately, Brnovic suffered an injury near the end of the first game and sat out the next two. I can’t say he made a big impact in his 19 minutes, but didn’t do much wrong either. He was, and remains, the player I am the most curious about and in my opinion, the most likely 9th man depending on how much Mawut has improved.
#6 Bryce James (6’5”, 195 Lbs., So.)
4.0 PTS, 2-6 2FG (33%), 2-4 3FG (50%), 2-2 FT (100%)
0.0 OREB, 1.7 DREB, 1.3 AST, 0.7 TO, 0.7 STL, 0.3 BLK
James started the final two games, perhaps to allow Holmes reps coming off the bench. He has made great strides since his appearances early last season, but I’m still not sure what his defining skill is. I think he is a little less capable than Holmes in almost every area, which may be a significant block to him finding minutes at Arizona. He did shoot well enough from the outside, so maybe that becomes his ticket to finding time.
#30 Evan Otten (6’11”, 240 Lbs., Sr.)
2.0 PTS, 3-5 2FG (60%), 0-0 3FG (N/A), 0-2 FT (0%)
1.0 OREB, 0.3 DREB, 0.3 AST, 0.7 TO, 0.0 STL, 0.3 BLK
If nothing else, Otten will be an awesome practice player. He is a tough, physical post presence that could play some spare minutes at the four or the five if needed.
#14 Endurance Aiyamenkhue (6’11”, 235 Lbs., Fr.) - Two Game Stats
0.0 PTS, 0-1 2FG (0%), 0-0 3FG (N/A), 0-0 FT (N/A)
1.0 OREB, 2.0 DREB, 0.0 AST, 0.0 TO, 0.0 STL, 0.0 BLK
Barring injury, Aiyamenkhue will not play serious minutes for the Wildcats this season, but he intrigued me in the little run he got. Perhaps because I watch a lot of Suns basketball too, I thought for a moment that Arizona had slipped a jersey on Oso Ighodaro.
Aiyamenkhue looked a little ground-bound, but ran the floor okay and was the initiator of a lot of contact which I like to see. He also surprised me with good vision and nice touch on a lob attempt. I look forward to seeing how he progresses, hopefully over multiple years.
Did Not Appear
#0 RJ Godfrey (6’8”, 240 Lbs., 5th Yr.)
#23 JJ Mandaquit (6’1”, 190 Lbs., So.)
#20 Mabil Mawut (6’11”, 200 Lbs., So.)
Reserves
#22 Addison Arnold (6’3”, 185 Lbs., Jr.)
#11 Jackson Cook (6’3”, 185 Lbs., Sr.)
#21 Joaquin Ridgon (6’3”, 185 Lbs., Sr.)6
Challenge Watch!
Coach Lloyd and staff move to 1-0 on HCC (Head Coach’s Challenges) in FIBA’s Instant Replay System (IRS), overturning an out-of-bounds call.
Worth noting that most of Lithuania’s current and former NBA players did not appear.
Addison Arnold is quickly rising the ranks of Wildcat players that started as walk-ons. Jackson Cook also appeared in a brief stint.
Krivas was 4-13 (31%) from three last season.
Reminder that Brayden Burries started very cold for his first five games last year. Perhaps it will just take Holt a little time to adjust.
Mostly from Fran Fraschilla.