3 things we learned about Arizona basketball from its exhibition games

Tommy Lloyd and the Arizona Wildcats cruised through three home exhibition games over the last two weeks, helping to prepare the squad for the 2026-27 college basketball season – which begins on Monday, Nov. 2.

The Wildcats secured wins over San Francisco, San Diego State, and Eastern Washington, giving their new look roster a chance to gel in front of the home crowd and against a trio of quality Division 1 opponents.

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Even without Clemson transfer RJ Godfrey, Arizona looked like a team capable of making another deep March run. Below is a look at three key takeaways from the Wildcats exhibition season, with the season opener against UCLA just around the corner:

1. The two point guard lineup works

Arizona Wildcats guard Derek Dixon (7). | Photo courtesy of Arizona University Athletics

Arizona acquired two new point guards this offseason via the transfer portal in sophomores Derek Dixon (North Carolina) and JJ Mandaquit (Washington).

Both were productive as freshmen last year, but neither exactly looked like Jaden Bradley 2.0. It was a big question mark how this duo would look running coach Lloyd’s offense, and how they would be unleashed in the exhibition season.

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What we saw was a lot of minutes sharing the floor, which led to great decision making, an ability to push the pace when necessary, and strong floor spacing that will really help Mo Krivas and Ivan Kharchenkov operate around the rim.

The concern at point guard has diminished greatly, and these two running the show gives Arizona a very high floor and ceiling for this upcoming season.

2. Caleb Holt is ready for superstardom

Arizona Wildcats guard Caleb Holt (3). | Photo courtesy of Arizona University Athletics

Arizona’s latest 5-star freshman is Caleb Holt, a big physical 6’5 guard who is widely projected as a top 5 pick in the 2027 NBA draft.

Holt looked the part in Arizona’s trio of exhibition games, playing outstanding on-ball defense, getting out in transition and causing all sorts of chaos, but…

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Publish date : 2026-10-26 17:46:00

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