Arizona men’s basketball is heading overseas for a three-game Summer Tour in Lithuania, and the trip will give the Wildcats an early look at a very different kind of basketball.
From Aug. 19-22, Arizona will play the Lithuanian B Team, Ukraine’s Senior National Team and Lithuania’s Senior National team. All three exhibition games will be available to watch on YouTube.
The roster traveling to Lithuania gives the Wildcats a chance to sort through some new pieces, especially in the backcourt. Arizona is looking to make up for the production it lost from Jaden Bradley and Brayden Burries, and it’s turning to transfers Derek Dixon and JJ Mandaquit, along with freshman Caleb Holt, to help fill that gap.
On the wing, freshman Cameron Holmes and Clemson transfer RJ Godfrey are projected to join Ivan Kharchenkov. The frontcourt mix includes transfer Ugnius Jarusevicius and Endurance Aiyamenkhue, both of whom are expected to add length and versatility behind Motiejus Krivas.
For Krivas and Jarusevicius, the trip carries a built-in comfort level. Both are familiar with the style European teams bring, and Krivas said the experience should be a revealing one.
“It will be a good opportunity to play against pros that have played for like 10 to 20 years. The teams tries to trick you a lot at a slower pace, look for mismatches,” Krivas said.
Arizona won’t see that exact style once Big 12 play rolls around, but the Lithuanian trip should still give the Wildcats a useful test against experienced competition.
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