Even with the final score in hand, Arizona had to work for it Friday night.
The Wildcats beat San Diego State 82-67 in an exhibition at ALKEME Arena at McKale Center, but the game carried the same familiar feel as last December’s meeting in Phoenix: Arizona spent stretches fighting its own shot selection, then leaned on defense, rebounding and a late push to separate.
Motiejus Krivas set the tone for Arizona with 17 points, 15 rebounds and four blocks in 29 minutes. Ivan Kharchenkov added 13 points, 12 rebounds, four assists and two steals, while Caleb Holt scored 15. Derek Dixon and JJ Mandaquit chipped in 12 apiece, and Maksim Brnovic finished with 10.
Brnovic supplied one of the night’s loudest moments in the first half. After knocking down a 3-pointer, he came up with a steal and then finished the break with a one-handed dunk that had a little Michael Jordan flavor to it.
Arizona needed that kind of burst because the shooting numbers were rough. The Wildcats hit just 34.7 percent from the field and 26.5 percent from deep, and Brnovic was the only player to make more than half of his attempts. Still, they gave themselves enough extra chances by attacking the rim and the glass, going 21 of 28 at the foul line and winning the rebounding battle 49-38, including a plus-12 edge on the offensive boards.
San Diego State, despite missing three projected rotation players because of injury, kept hanging around. Isaiah Sy, the Oregon State transfer, led the Aztecs with 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting. SDSU hit 40 percent overall and went 5 of 16 from 3, but turnovers were a problem all night, with Arizona forcing 16 of them and collecting 13 steals.
The Wildcats trailed by as many as six early before settling in. They were down 25-20 after missing nine straight shots during a 12-0 San Diego State run, and the Aztecs stretched that lead to 30-24 with 5:31 left in the half. Arizona answered with its best stretch of the night, ripping off a 14-0 run that included eight free throws from three different players to go ahead 38-30.
By halftime, Arizona had built a 40-32 lead and closed the first half on an 18-4 surge over the final 6:04, even though it shot just 33.3 percent before the break and made only 3 of 17 from 3-point range.
The Wildcats came out sharper after halftime, too. Over the first eight-plus minutes of the second half, they made 5 of 9 from beyond the arc, and Brnovic’s rolling 3-pointer pushed the lead to 62-46 with 11:39 remaining.
Arizona eventually stretched the margin to 19, then nearly let San Diego State back in by getting loose with the ball. The Aztecs answered with eight straight points to cut it to 70-59 with 5:56 left, but Arizona had already done enough to keep control.
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For Arizona, that kind of forecast is the sort of thing that can shape the conversation around every game, practice and lineup choice. Holt arrives with the kind of star-powered upside that gets people talking immediately, Krivas brings the value of a familiar face with a rising profile, and Kharchenkov adds another layer as a versatile piece who could push himself into lottery territory if the pieces fall into place. [Read more 🡒]
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For Arizona, the appeal goes beyond the ranking and the marquee matchup. The mix of returning talent and newcomers gives the Wildcats a deeper, more versatile look, but the early season still comes with one important layer of uncertainty as the roster settles in. In a year when the stakes are high from the start, how that frontcourt puzzle comes together could shape the way this team looks by the time November turns into December. [Read more 🡒]