Arizona’s Motiejus Krivas earns preseason AP All-America honors

Expectations are high for Tommy Lloyd and the Arizona Wildcats in 2026-27, coming off the program’s first Final Four run in 25 years.

Arizona is already in the national championship conversation, even with only two players from last year’s rotation back in the mix.

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It helps that both those players, Motiejus Krivas and Ivan Kharchenkov, are widely considered among the best in the entire sport. Both were named to the preseason All Big 12 team, while Krivas is now officially a preseason AP All-American – as announced on Wednesday.

Accolades keep coming for Krivas

Krivas was one of five players selected to the team, alongside Michigan State guard Jeremy Fears, Florida forward Thomas Haugh, Vanderbilt guard Tyler Tanner, and Illinois forward David Mirkovic.

19 other players received votes, including Kharchenkov and three other Big 12 players: BYU guard Rob Wright, Kansas freshman forward Tyran Stokes, and Texas Tech big man JT Toppin.

Feb 7, 2026; Lawrence, Kansas, USA; Arizona Wildcats center Motiejus Krivas (13) defends during the first half against the Kansas Jayhawks at Allen Fieldhouse. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Krivas becomes the second preseason AP All-American under coach Lloyd, joining Caleb Love who made the list ahead of the 2024-25 season. While Love did not end up earning All-America honors that year, he was coming off Third Team All-American honors in 2023-24.

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Krivas is hoping to become the fourth AP All-American coached by Lloyd at Arizona, alongside Love, Azuolas Tubelis (2nd team in 2023) and Bennedict Mathurin (2nd team in 2022).

Expected production for the big man

Krivas had a breakout junior season in Tucson, averaging 10.4 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks in 25.4 minutes last year. His 73 blocked shots ranked No. 17 in the country, and Arizona held opponents to a ridiculously low 36.7% field goal rate while he was on the floor, the best in the nation.

Now, with Koa Peat, Brayden Burries, and Jaden Bradley out the door, Krivas has a…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/arizonas-motiejus-krivas-earns-preseason-205213948.html

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Publish date : 2026-10-21 20:52:00

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