Arizona enters Monday night with a No. 5 ranking and a familiar kind of pressure: the Wildcats are back in the spotlight after reaching the NCAA Tournament Final Four for the first time since 2001, then running into Michigan and falling 91-73.
Now the next chapter starts in Las Vegas, where Arizona opens its 2026-27 season against No. 22 UCLA in the Hall of Fame Series.
Both teams are coming off tournament trips a year ago, though UCLA’s run ended in the Round of 32 after a loss to No. 2 UConn as a No. 7 seed.
What makes this matchup interesting is how much both rosters have changed, and how Arizona’s returning size could tilt the night. The Wildcats lost three of their top scorers from last season and their entire starting backcourt, but they do bring back Motiejus Krivas and Ivan Karchenkov. That frontcourt pairing is expected to carry a major share of the load, and Karchenkov’s numbers from last season - 10.4 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game - show why Arizona will lean on him.
The Wildcats’ edge, at least on paper, comes from having those two big men back in the fold while UCLA is also replacing its top scorer from last season. Arizona’s inside presence should fit well against the style Mick Cronin prefers to play, and if the Wildcats are going to get where they want to go this season, that front line is going to have to set the tone early.
Arizona will also need production from RJ Godfrey, the senior transfer from Clemson. He averaged 12.0 points per game with the Tigers last season, and if he gives the Wildcats steady offense, Krivas and Karchenkov can handle the rest.
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Bob Chesney has been quick to point out, though, that the offense still has room to grow as the schedule tightens. The shutout in Reno showed how far the defense can carry this team, but it also left a familiar question hanging over a breakthrough season: whether UCLA can keep climbing if the scoring side does not match the rest of the operation. [Read more 🡒]
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Arizona brings the sort of offensive pressure that can test every layer of UCLAs approach, from communication on the perimeter to how well the Bruins handle the games final possessions. The bigger question may not just be whether UCLA can hang defensively, but which pieces Cronin trusts when the game tightens up and the rotation gets shorter. [Read more 🡒]