Arizona’s supporting cast showcases potential flaws in season-opening loss to UCLA

LAS VEGAS – Senior center Mo Krivas held Arizona’s chance to tie the game in his hands, receiving an entry pass on the block with under a minute to play in the Wildcats’ season-opening clash with UCLA.

Predictably, the Bruins brought a double team, like they had all night, in a concerted effort to make anyone other than the 7-foot-2 Lithuanian beat them.

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In response, Krivas turned and fired a pass into the corner next to Arizona’s bench, looking for an open Wildcats player to drain the game-tying 3-pointer. Unbeknownst to Krivas, nobody was there – or even in the vicinity of the pass – to finish the play as the ball bounced untouched toward the sideline.

Once again, the Wildcats’ supporting cast was a no-show. Only this time, Krivas couldn’t even give them the chance to deliver.

The potential limitations of Arizona’s role players were apparent on Monday night in the Wildcats’ 84-75 loss to the Bruins at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas in the Hall of Fame Series.

Arizona didn’t look the part of a Tommy Lloyd-coached squad. It couldn’t secure defensive rebounds, it couldn’t defend the 3-point line and it made some costly mistakes late in the game.

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It almost overcame a first-half dud, largely on the back of sophomore forward Ivan Kharchenkov, who posted a 38-point double-double, adding 10 rebounds.

The rest of the team? That cast only managed 37 points.

“You have got a lot of new guys playing new roles and you get punched in the face a little bit and maybe you kind of lose your way,” Lloyd said. “But I’m proud of the way our guys fought back.”

Krivas, the Big 12 Preseason Player of the Year, only managed two baskets the entire night, logging eight points while battling foul trouble.

“They did a good job of making Mo maybe a little bit indecisive,” Lloyd said. “But I mean, Mo did draw nine or 10 fouls. So he’s just got to be a little bit better.”

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The Bruins clogged the lane, crowded the paint and sent doubles to Krivas on a regular basis,…

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Publish date : 2026-11-03 17:50:00

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