Arizona’s preseason slate had a successful beginning on Tuesday, with the Wildcats cruising to a 24-point win over San Francisco. It was far from a perfect performance, but exhibitions aren’t meant to be graded on style points.
Now comes a second tuneup, with San Diego State coming to ALKEME Arena at McKale Center on Friday night.
Here’s what to watch for when the Wildcats and Aztecs roll the balls on the court and play a practice game:
The rotations
Thanks to the lopsided nature of the first game, Arizona didn’t
have to play anyone more than the 31 minutes that freshman Caleb Holt logged. Four others logged 20-plus minutes, three in the teens.
But which five were on the court at one time or another was what stood out most in the opener, and what should be watched closely in this one.
Tommy Lloyd opted to start Bryce James over Cameron Holmes, as was the case in the last two Lithuania games, and James responded by hitting a corner 3-pointer on the first possession. But James only played 14 minutes, six fewer than Holmes and four fewer than JJ Mandaquit.
“Bryce has had a good fall for us and continues to grow as a player, and I think starting Bryce, I just felt like kind of maybe puts the rotation in the right way and maybe have some good impactful guys coming off the bench,” Lloyd said.
Translation: James lacks the scoring punch—that 3 were his only points of the game—that Lloyd looks for from his reserves, while Holmes and Mandaquit combined for 14 points.
Lloyd didn’t commit to keeping James in the starting lineup for Friday but it wouldn’t be a surprise to see that same five on the court at the outset.
Also pay close attention to how Motiejus Krivas is subbed for. He played 26 minutes against San Francisco, finishing with a game-high 20 points, with transfers Ugnius Jarusevicius and Evan Otten logging nine and six minutes, respectively.
The absence of RJ Godfrey has Arizona going with a small starting five, putting Ivan Kharchenkov at the 4, though at times Kharchenkov was the 3 with one of those centers and freshman Maksim Brnovic in the frontcourt.
The defensive intensity
Arizona forced 19 turnovers in the opener, leading to 25 points off those takeaways. It recorded 12 steals, one by eight different players, with Holt getting three swipes.
“Hopefully we can turn teams over,” said Lloyd, whose 2025-26 squad forced 11.7 turnovers per game. “We really didn’t let loose a lot defensively tonight.”
Holt’s defense was especially noteworthy, as he found himself guarding both perimeter players and in the paint. In addition to the three steals he also had four defensive rebounds, second only to Kharchenkov.
“Caleb’s really motivated to be a great all-around player and to really understand the nuances of the game, and so he’s shouldered a heavy burden on his own of trying to learn,” Lloyd said. “This guy works incredibly hard and he’s really a skilled player, and he’s a unique player.”
Lloyd seemed disappointed with Krivas’ play on the defensive end, though. San Francisco had 40 points in the paint and many of those were on drives to the basket with the Big 12 Preseason Player of the Year on the court.
“I think I have a crazy high standard for Mo,” he said.
A familiar opponent (with unfamiliar players)
San Diego State has become one of Arizona’s most-faced nonconference rivals this century, meeting 13 times since 2002. That includes three times in tournaments in Hawaii and once in the 2014 NCAA Tournament, all won by the Wildcats, and last year’s game in Phoenix.
The UA pulled away late in that offensively challenged 68-45 victory, a game that saw the teams combine to go 7 of 39 from 3 and make less than 40 percent of the 2-point attempts.
But like the Wildcats, San Diego State is a very different team from last season. The Aztecs return one starter, wing Elzie Harrington, and one other rotation player from the squad that went 22-11 and missed the NCAA Tournament for the first time 2019.
Coach Brian Dutcher has loaded up on transfers, adding players from Boston University, Oregon State, Rice and Sacramento State as well as the junior college ranks. The Aztecs also signed some international freshmen who have been cleared to play.
Not everyone will be available, though. Dutcher indicated guard Latrell Davis and forward Luka Skoric are returning from injury.
“I like all my pieces, but I’ve tried to be careful not to rush them too back too early,” Dutcher said Tuesday.
