3 Arizona stars earn national player-of-the-year recognition ahead of UCLA showdown

Tommy Lloyd and the Arizona Wildcats tip off the 2026-27 college basketball season on Monday night in Las Vegas against UCLA, hoping to make another Final Four run with a deep and talented roster in Tucson.

Even after the departures of Big 12 Player of the Year Jaden Bradley, star freshmen Koa Peat and Brayden Burries, and key role players Anthony Dell'Orso and Tobe Awaka, Arizona remains in great shape this upcoming season.

Center Mo Krivas and forward Ivan Kharchenkov are two of the best returning players in college basketball, while 5-star freshman Caleb Holt could play his way into a top 3 pick in the 2027 NBA draft.

That trio of players was all named to the Naismith Trophy College Basketball Player of the Year Watch List, which was published on Monday and features 50 of the best players in the country.

Hot off the press! 🏀 Who will make their own history this season? 🏆

The 2026-27 @jerseymikes Naismith Trophy Men’s College Player of the Year Watch List is finally here! Meet the players vying for college basketball's ultimate prize. pic.twitter.com/glqm94HBab
— Naismith Awards (@NaismithTrophy) November 2, 2026

Arizona's Big 3

It's not a huge surprise to see these three Wildcats on this list, as all of them were previously nominated at their respective positions for the Jerry West Award (Holt), Julius Erving Award (Kharchenkov), and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award (Krivas) for best shooting guard, small forward, and center, respectively, in college basketball.

Krivas returns to Tucson after a breakout 2025-26 season where he averaged 10.4 points and 8.2 rebounds, starting 39 games and shooting 56.9% from the field.

Jan 10, 2026; Fort Worth, Texas, USA; Arizona Wildcats center Motiejus Krivas (13) drives to the basket against TCU Horned Frogs forward Xavier Edmonds (24) and guard Liutauras Lelevicius (3) during the second half at the Ed and Rae Schollmaier Arena | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Lithuanian big man is also a preseason All-American and the Big 12 preseason Player of the Year, with high expectations as the go-to scorer in Lloyd's offense.

Kharchenkov joins Krivas on the All Big 12 Preseason First Team, after a strong freshman year where he did a little bit of everything - averaging 10.4 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.4 steals in 28.4 minutes per game as a full-time starter.

He should step into a bigger role as a primary scoring option for the Wildcats, and his two-way ability make him among the most exciting young players in the sport.

Meanwhile Holt comes to Arizona as a consensus 5-star prospect, potentially giving the Wildcats another one-and-done after Peat and Burries last year, and Carter Bryant in 2024.

The 6'5 guard is one of five freshmen on the list, including Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje (Duke), Jason Crowe Jr (Missouri), Jordan Smith Jr (Arkansas), and Tyran Stokes (Kansas).

Big 12 well represented

Kansas Jayhawks guard Tyran Stokes (4) reacts after sinking a three point shot against Duke Blue Devils during the exhibition game inside Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, Kansas on Oct. 25, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

10 of the 50 players named to the Naismith Watch List come from the Big 12, which is tied for second with the Big Ten and behind the SEC, which had 15 players selected.

Holt, Kharchenkov, and Krivas are joined by the following seven Big 12 players: Trey Kaufman-Renn and Tyran Stokes (Kansas), Tamin Lipsey (Iowa State), JT Toppin (Texas Tech), Jojo Tugler (Houston), Rob Wright III (BYU), and Paulius Murauskas (Arizona State).

Arizona will also square off against Silas Demary and Braylon Mullins at UConn, Tahaad Pettiford at Auburn, Tounde Yessoufou at St. John's, and Jordan Smith Jr. at Arkansas during the non-conference portion of the season.

First up is a game against Mick Cronin and the UCLA Bruins, set for Monday, Nov. 2 at 8:00 PM MST in Las Vegas. The game will be broadcast on TNT and available to stream on HBO MAX.

Add us as a preferred source on Google