Arizona basketball reveals some surprises in dominant exhibition win over San Francisco

Tommy Lloyd and the Arizona Wildcats took the floor on Tuesday night in Tucson to begin the road to another Final Four appearance.

So far, so good.

Arizona breezed past San Francisco, 93-69, in the first of three exhibition matchups for the Wildcats, before the season officially gets underway Monday, Nov. 2, against UCLA in Las Vegas.

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In a surprise move, Bryce James started for Arizona, alongside Derek Dixon, Caleb Holt, Ivan Kharchenkov, and Mo Krivas. He ended up with three points and one steal in 14 minutes played, while the night largely belonged to UA’s star players – with Krivas and Kharchenkov combining for 38 points and 11 rebounds, while Holt dropped an efficient 17 in what was a great night for the freshman phenom.

Below are three key takeaways for Arizona after a comfy win over San Francisco:

Mo Krivas looks ready for an All-American season

Feb 14, 2026; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats center Motiejus Krivas (13) passes the ball over Texas Tech Red Raiders guard Leon Horner (6) during the first half of the game at McKale Memorial Center. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

San Francisco had absolutely no answer for Mo Krivas on either side of the basketball, a refrain they will likely share with many other teams this season.

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Krivas had 16 points on perfect 5-5 shooting in the first half, and finished with an effortless 20 on 6-7 shooting, including 8-10 from the line. He tacked on six rebounds and a steal as well. He scored on post-ups after establishing deep position on true 7-foot center Ismaila Diagne, was a lob threat off ball screens, and even got out in transition for easy buckets.

Widely considered the preseason Big 12 Player of the Year favorite, Krivas did nothing to dissuade that notion Tuesday night in Tucson.

Caleb Holt delivers an impressive Arizona debut

Mar 31, 2026; Glendale, AZ, USA; Caleb Holt (3) during the McDonalds All American Boys Game at Desert Diamond Arena. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Any lingering concerns about Caleb…

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Publish date : 2026-10-14 04:14:00

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