Arizona's Caleb Holt shows why he's a 5-star talent in breakout performance

The Arizona Wildcats rebounded nicely from the season-opening loss at UCLA, coming home to Tucson and routing the Cal Poly Mustangs, 104-84, on Thursday night at the McKale Center.

Mo Krivas had a career-high 30 points and Ivan Kharchenkov flirted with a triple-double with 16 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists, but it was Arizona's freshmen that really made an impression on the Wildcat faithful in the team's home opener.

Cameron Holmes dropped 13 points - 11 in the first half - in a strong showing off Arizona's bench, while superstar guard Caleb Holt was exceptional, dropping 21 points with eight rebounds, two assists, and two steals in the kind of performance that fans have been dying to see since he committed to Arizona back in March.

Caleb Holt scores 21 without attempting a 3-pointer

Nov 5, 2026; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats guard Caleb Holt (3) attempts to get around Cal Poly Mustangs guard Jess Esso Essis (1) during the second half at McKale Center at ALKEME Arena. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Holt didn't need to dominate the ball in order to be highly effective on Thursday night, getting his 21 points on 13 shot attempts - and that was without making, or even taking, a single three point shot.

“That’s just me going out there and hooping without even thinking," Holt said after the game. "I didn’t even attempt a three, so that just shows I feel like I can do a lot more than what I’m showing right now. It’s just however the game was flowing.”

Instead, Holt did most of his damage on the interior, bullying his way to the rim and using a variety of ball-fakes and hesitations to draw six fouls - which he turned into five points at the free throw line on six attempts.

The 6'5 freshman is used to using his physicality to get where he wants to on the floor, and while that strategy was largely effective against the Mustangs, he recognizes he'll need to add some finesse to his bag at this level.

“Coming up, I’ve always been stronger and bigger than everyone," Holt continued. "Just using power to get my way. I know as I get to the higher level, that’s not going to be the case. So a lot of pace and ball fakes and playing more under control.”

Holt balances defensive aggression with smarter decisions

Holt's impact for this Arizona team goes far beyond what he contributes as a scorer. He's a developing passer and a very strong on-ball defender, using his physicality to make life miserable for his opponents and helping this team generate turnovers at a very high clip.

Holt had two of Arizona's 14 steals on Thursday, and was a major part of Cal Poly turning the ball over a whopping 19 times - although his aggression in the passing lanes is something that the coaches are working on with him in the early part of the season.

“We are a very aggressive team, and we want to go for a lot of steals," Holt continued. "I made a few mistakes on taking a big risk, but he [Lloyd] wants us to be smart while being aggressive."

Those risks often led to made threes from Cal Poly's bevy of outside shooters, although a scary moment in the second half when Holt dove for a loose ball and got rolled up on highlights the other 'risk' that comes with this playstyle.

"They’re freshmen, so no matter how you slice and dice it, it’s their second official game at this level," coach Lloyd said. "There’s a lot of positive things to build on, and I’m sure there’s going to be a few questionable decisions that we can learn from as well. So you know, it’s important you learn from both.”

Arizona will take the weekend to touch up things defensively before Game No. 3, which is set for Tuesday, Nov. 10 at home against the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks. The game is set to tip at 7:00 PM MST and will be broadcast on ESPN+.

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