Arizona basketball reveals some surprises in dominant exhibition win over San Francisco

Arizona rolled past San Francisco, 93-69, on Tuesday in Tucson

Dec 29, 2025; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats head coach Tommy Lloyd walks down the court during the first half of the game at McKale Memorial Center. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Tommy Lloyd and the Arizona Wildcats took the floor on Tuesday night in Tucson to begin the road to another Final Four appearance.

So far, so good.

Arizona breezed past San Francisco, 93-69, in the first of three exhibition matchups for the Wildcats, before the season officially gets underway Monday, Nov. 2, against UCLA in Las Vegas.

In a surprise move, Bryce James started for Arizona, alongside Derek Dixon, Caleb Holt, Ivan Kharchenkov, and Mo Krivas. He ended up with three points and one steal in 14 minutes played, while the night largely belonged to UA's star players - with Krivas and Kharchenkov combining for 38 points and 11 rebounds, while Holt dropped an efficient 17 in what was a great night for the freshman phenom.

Below are three key takeaways for Arizona after a comfy win over San Francisco:

Mo Krivas looks ready for an All-American season

Feb 14, 2026; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats center Motiejus Krivas (13) passes the ball over Texas Tech Red Raiders guard Leon Horner (6) during the first half of the game at McKale Memorial Center. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

San Francisco had absolutely no answer for Mo Krivas on either side of the basketball, a refrain they will likely share with many other teams this season.

Krivas had 16 points on perfect 5-5 shooting in the first half, and finished with an effortless 20 on 6-7 shooting, including 8-10 from the line. He tacked on six rebounds and a steal as well. He scored on post-ups after establishing deep position on true 7-foot center Ismaila Diagne, was a lob threat off ball screens, and even got out in transition for easy buckets.

Widely considered the preseason Big 12 Player of the Year favorite, Krivas did nothing to dissuade that notion Tuesday night in Tucson.

Caleb Holt delivers an impressive Arizona debut

Mar 31, 2026; Glendale, AZ, USA; Caleb Holt (3) during the McDonalds All American Boys Game at Desert Diamond Arena. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Any lingering concerns about Caleb Holt adjusting to his offensive role at Arizona can be squashed after Tuesday's performance. The 5-star freshman looked outstanding against USF, and it wasn't just a nice box score from the 6'5 guard.

Holt didn't force the issue offensively, and wasn't taking a bunch of ill-advised jump shots trying to make something happen. Instead, he played within himself, let the offense run through Krivas, Kharchenkov, and, at times, Dixon, and took advantage whenever possible.

The end result was a quiet 17 points on 6-10 shooting, including 4-4 from the free throw line, along with five rebounds, two assists, and zero turnovers.

As if that wasn't enough, Holt also spent most of this game defending at the point of attack, recording three steals and many other deflections while navigating screens well and ultimately looking like a savvy veteran senior defensively - not a kid who has yet to play his first real collegiate game.

That's a great, great sign of things to come for the potential top three draft pick.

Arizona's defense makes an early statement

Mar 28, 2026; San Jose, CA, USA; Arizona Wildcats forward Ivan Kharchenkov (8) celebrates in the second half against the Purdue Boilermakers during an Elite Eight game of the West Regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at SAP Center | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Arizona scored 93 points and shot 53.2% from the field, but one could argue they looked even better on the other side of the floor. The Wildcats were active defensively the entire game, generating a whopping 12 steals and finishing with 25 points off turnovers in a dominant performance.

For every steal Arizona had, there were three other deflections, forcing USF into pressure situations for 40 uncomfortable minutes, ending with 19 total turnovers for the Dons.

Behind Kharchenkov, Krivas, and Holt, Arizona will be among the toughest defensive teams in the entire country this year as Lloyd looks to get the Wildcats back to the Final Four.

Next up for Arizona is another home exhibition game on Friday, Oct. 16, against San Diego State. That game will tip at 7:00 PM MST and will be broadcast on ESPN+.