Tommy Lloyd has rebuilt Arizona fast, but the Wildcats still have a handful of questions hanging over a roster that looks loaded on paper and unfinished in practice.
That’s the strange spot Arizona finds itself in after last season’s breakthrough run to the program’s first Final Four in 25 years. Only center Mo Krivas and forward Ivan Kharchenkov are back from that group, and Lloyd has filled in the rest with transfers, freshmen, and international pieces. The upside showed up again on Saturday at the annual Red-Blue Showcase, even after an uneven foreign tour in Lithuania earlier this summer.
The biggest swing factor might be RJ Godfrey. The former Clemson transfer looks like the kind of power forward who fits Lloyd’s system perfectly, and Arizona got his commitment late enough in the offseason that it could turn out to be either a gift or a headache.
Godfrey earned eligibility through a lawsuit in Georgia, but the NCAA recently granted a stay request, which leaves the fifth-year senior ineligible for games while his case moves toward an appeal hearing. He can still practice with Arizona, and he did take part in the Red-Blue Showcase, but until he’s cleared to play, the Wildcats’ ceiling is limited.
His rebounding, scoring around the basket, and physical presence would give Arizona an elite defensive starting five and let Kharchenkov slide into his more natural small forward spot.
Kharchenkov, though, may be the player who determines just how far this team goes. The 6-foot-7 German was a useful connector last season, starting and helping link Jaden Bradley, Brayden Burries, Koa Peat, and Krivas.
Now that Peat, Burries, and Bradley are gone, Arizona needs him to do much more on offense. He already flashed that expanded role in Lithuania, where he averaged 26.3 points per game, and he led all scorers with 13 points in Saturday’s showcase.
Last season, he averaged 10.4 points while shooting 58.2% on twos and 31.7% from three, and the next step is obvious: better shooting from deep, more scoring volume, and the same value as a defender and facilitator.
That increased pressure comes at the same time expectations are cooling a bit around five-star freshman guard Caleb Holt. Holt, who some project as a top-five pick in the 2027 NBA draft, has not had the smoothest start offensively.
He struggled in Lithuania, then went 3-12 from the field and 0-5 from three in the Red-Blue Showcase. There’s no reason to sound alarms over a freshman who hasn’t even played his first exhibition game, but his shot selection has been erratic so far.
Arizona was hoping he could step in and replace Burries at shooting guard as an offensive force, and that part of his game still has to show up. He’s expected to be a strong defender, which matters, but the Wildcats’ best version of itself needs him to be productive on both ends right away.
The backcourt has some answers, at least in the form of two sophomore transfers at point guard: Derek Dixon from North Carolina and JJ Mandaquit from Washington. Both have looked solid in practice and in the Red-Blue Showcase, with Dixon likely to start and Mandaquit potentially emerging as a major x-factor if he can improve after shooting 28.2% from three last season.
Add Holt and 6-foot-6 freshman wing Cameron Holmes, and Arizona has talent in the backcourt. Beyond that group, though, the depth chart gets thin fast, with redshirt Bryce James the only other real option.
That could become a problem if injuries or poor play hit at the wrong time.
The frontcourt has its own set of moving parts. Godfrey’s status matters a lot, but Arizona also needs help behind or next to Krivas no matter what happens with the NCAA case.
The top candidates are mostly international bigs: newcomers Maxsim Brnovic and Ugnius Jarusevicius, plus returner Mabil Mawut. Brnovic, who averaged 8.1 points and 3.2 rebounds last year for BC Zalgiris in Lithuania, is widely expected to handle third-big minutes behind Krivas and Godfrey.
Jarusevicius is the wild card. He transferred from Nebraska, where he played in only one game before a back injury ended his season, but before that he put up 16.2 points and 7.3 rebounds at Central Michigan.
If he stays healthy, he could end up playing a major role for Lloyd.
Arizona’s next chance to sort some of this out comes Tuesday, Oct. 13, when the Wildcats host San Francisco in the first exhibition game of the season. Tipoff is set for 7:00 PM PT, and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
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