Arizona basketball bounces back behind Motiejus Krivas: 3 takeaways from Cal Poly win

Tommy Lloyd and the Arizona Wildcats bounced back nicely from the opening night loss to UCLA, dominating the Cal Poly Mustangs, 104-84, on Thursday for their first win of the season.

Arizona was up 16-15 in the early going before a 27-7 run gave the Wildcats a 21-point lead, which they more or less maintained for the entire second half.

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Motiejus Krivas led Arizona with a career-high 30 points, while Caleb Holt (21), Ivan Kharchenkov (16), and Cameron Holmes (13) joined him in double figures.

Below is a look at three takeaways from Arizona’s breezy 20-point win over Cal Poly in the home opener:

Motiejus Krivas delivers a career-best performance

Nov 5, 2026; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats center Motiejus Krivas (13) celebrates during the first half against the Cal Poly Mustangs guard Guzman Vasilic (5) at McKale Center at ALKEME Arena. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The preseason Big 12 Player of the Year hardly looked like himself in Monday’s loss to UCLA. But the big man responded extremely well against the Mustangs, dominating down low to the tune of a career-high 30 points with 10 rebounds and two blocks. He shot a ridiculous 10-13 from the field and 10-12 from the line, dominating every minute he was on the floor.

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There’s no reason Krivas shouldn’t touch the ball nearly every single time against an overmatched team like Cal Poly, and Arizona made sure to feed him as often as possible. He finished multiple dunks, snatched rebounds left and right, and kept a lid on the rim in the kind of performance that one would expect from an All-American big man – a great sign of things to come for the Wildcats.

Cameron Holmes shines, but Arizona’s bench remains a question

Nov 5, 2026; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Cal Poly Mustangs guard Guzman Vasilic (5) rebounds the ball while Arizona Wildcats guard Bryce James (6), Caleb Holt (3), and center Motiejus Krivas (13) attempt to steal it during the first half at McKale Center at ALKEME Arena. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters…

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Publish date : 2026-11-06 05:54:00

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