Arizona basketball report card: Who delivered and who disappointed in loss to UCLA?

One Wildcat delivered a spectacular performance, but a lack of support exposed some early concerns for Tommy Lloyd's team

Jan 24, 2026; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats head coach Tommy Lloyd yells out to players during the first half of the game against the West Virginia Mountaineers at McKale Memorial Center. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Tommy Lloyd and the Arizona Wildcats got blitzed right out of the gate by the UCLA Bruins on Monday, going down 27-13 and never fully recovering in an 84-75 loss at the T-Mobile Arena to begin the college basketball season.

Arizona stormed back late in the second half, getting within one after a Derek Dixon made three, but UCLA counterpunched and ultimately secured the win at the free throw line - finishing the game having led for 35:53 in a dominant performance against the No. 5 team in the country.

Ivan Kharchenkov was an absolute star for Arizona, but the supporting cast - especially the second unit - left quite a bit to be desired as this team licks its wounds ahead of the home opener on Thursday against Cal Poly.

Kharchenkov gets an A grade for his first game of the season, and below is a look at some other grades for Arizona after the opening night loss to UCLA:

Grade A: Ivan Kharchenkov carries Arizona

Jan 24, 2026; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats forward Ivan Kharchenkov (8) holds up a three after he makes a three-point basket against the West Virginia Mountaineers during the first half of the game at McKale Memorial Center. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

There's not much that hasn't already been said about Kharchenkov's stunning performance on Monday night in Las Vegas. The 6'7 sophomore dropped a career-high 38 points, along with 10 rebounds, one assist, and one steal while shooting 10-14 on two pointers, 2-6 from three, and 12-16 from the free throw line.

He had 18 of Arizona's 29 first half points, and finished with 12 of the team's 22 made field goals, two of seven made threes, and 12 of 24 made free throws.

Kharchenkov was excellent as a freshman role player last year, and his sophomore breakout season is off to an incredible start - he'll just need more from the supporting cast in order to lead the 'Cats back to another Final Four.

Grade B: Free-throw shooting provides a bright spot

Arizona Wildcats guard Caleb Holt (3). | Photo courtesy of Arizona Wildcats Athletics

There was very little to praise in this game outside of Kharchenkov, so it makes sense our 'B' grade goes to Arizona's free throw shooting - since Kharchenkov's 12-16 performance from the stripe helped carry the Wildcats in this one.

But it wasn't just the 6'7 German sophomore, with Derek Dixon (4-4), Caleb Holt (3-3), and Mo Krivas (4-5) helping lead Arizona to a solid 24-30 (80%) finish on the night.

UCLA's physical style of play often leads to a lot of fouls, and the Wildcats took advantage and used that to come back in this game - but just couldn't quite get over the edge in the eventual loss.

Grade C: Arizona's point guards struggle with consistency

Arizona Wildcats guard Derek Dixon (7). | Photo courtesy of Arizona Wildcats Athletics

The task of replacing Big 12 Player of the Year Jaden Bradley has fallen on a pair of sophomore transfers in Derek Dixon and JJ Mandaquit, and the duo had plenty of ups and downs on Monday.

Dixon was second on the team with 18 points scored, but it came on an inefficient 5-17 shooting, along with just one assist and three turnovers. He shot 4-12 from three, including a pair late that kept Arizona in this game, but by and large it was an underwhelming season debut for the North Carolina transfer.

Meanwhile, Mandaquit came off the bench and played nearly 32 minutes, with an outstanding six assists and zero turnovers. However, he was just 1-6 from the field, including 1-4 from 3, and struggled defensively against UCLA's backcourt of Trent Perry and Jaylen Petty.

Grade D: Bench production falls short

Arizona Wildcats guard Cameron Holmes (2). | Photo courtesy of Arizona Wildcats Athletics

Mandaquit may have had six assists, but they weren't going to his fellow teammates coming off the bench. In fact, Mandaquit's made three pointer was the only field goal from Arizona's bench on Monday night. Cameron Holmes went 1-2 from the free throw line, giving Arizona a total of four bench points compared to 20 for UCLA.

Mandaquit (1-6), Holmes (0-2), and Maxsim Brnovic (0-1) shot a combined 1-9 from the field and 1-6 from three, while Ugnius Jarusevicius played 5:40 and did not attempt a field goal.

Kharchenkov was essentially all alone for Arizona on Monday, but it was particularly troubling to see a lack of impact from the Wildcats' depth - and a very solid reminder of how crucial Clemson transfer RJ Godfrey is to this team hitting their ceiling, if he is able to find his way to eligibility this season.

Arizona will wipe the slate clean heading into the home opener against Cal Poly, set for 8:30 PM MST on Thursday, Nov. 5. The game will be broadcast on TruTV.