Arizona's poor shooting spoils career night for Ivan Kharchenkov in loss to UCLA

A herculean comeback effort fell just short for Tommy Lloyd and the Arizona Wildcats, who ended up falling 84-75 to the UCLA Bruins on Monday evening in Las Vegas.

The season got off to a horrific start for Arizona, who went down 27-13 in the first ten minutes and never fully recovered, heading into halftime with a 13 point deficit that they managed to cut to one late in the second half, before costly turnovers gave UCLA the victory.

Ivan Kharchenkov was exceptional for Arizona in the first game of his sophomore season, but preseason All-American Mo Krivas (eight points, nine rebounds) and star freshman Caleb Holt (seven points, 2-7 shooting) both struggled with UCLA's physicality, and the Bruins turned 16 offensive rebounds into 19 second chance points.

Below is a look at three takeaways from Arizona's season opening loss to UCLA:

Ivan Kharchenkov is ready for his featured role

Arizona Wildcats forward Ivan Kharchenkov (8) reacts after a made basket Saturday, April 4, 2026, during a Final Four game against the Michigan Wolverines at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

There was one player on Arizona's roster who was really, really ready for the team's season opener - and he alone nearly dragged the Wildcats to a win.

Ivan Kharchenkov - a popular sophomore breakout candidate after a strong freshman season - exploded offensively for Arizona, dropping a career-high 38 points with 10 rebounds, while shooting 12-20 from the field and 12-16 from the free throw line.

The 6'7 forward had virtually no help, especially in the first half when he accounted for 18 of Arizona's staggeringly low 29 points. He was the only Wildcat able to generate anything on offense, finishing with 12 of the team's 22 made field goals in one of the most lopsided individual performances in program history.

It's obviously disheartening to fall in Game 1, especially after this ugly start, but Arizona fans can take solace in the fact they get to watch Kharchenkov dominate the rest of this season - and better days are no doubt ahead for his teammates as well.

Three point shooting is a real problem

Arizona didn't rely much on the three point shot last year - but when they needed it, they had it in the bag.

It doesn't feel like they'll have that luxury in 2026-27 - at least not if Monday's game is any indication.

Arizona finished a paltry 7-30 from deep, including a hideous 1-15 start that buried them in the first half. UCLA was able to pack the paint and limit Mo Krivas all game long, and Arizona wasn't able to counter that with efficient outside shooting.

Caleb Holt (0-4), Derek Dixon (4-12), and JJ Mandaquit (1-4), are all expected to contribute more from the perimeter than they did on Monday. Coach Lloyd will need to get this team going from the perimeter to make another deep March run.

Quiet debut for Caleb Holt

No one outside of Kharchenkov was particularly impressive on Monday night, but 5-star freshman Caleb Holt struggled to make much of an impact against UCLA - at least offensively.

Holt - who many are projecting as a top 5 pick in the 2027 NBA draft - had just seven points against UCLA, shooting 2-7 from the field and 0-4 from three. He did have seven rebounds, but his four fouls limited him down the stretch and ultimately led to a quiet debut for a player that will be instrumental to this team hitting their ceiling by March.

Arizona's next game is Thursday, Nov. 5 at home against Cal Poly. The game will tip at 8:30 PM MST and is set to broadcast on TruTV.

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