Tommy Lloyd comments on decision to bench Bryce James in Arizona's win over Auburn
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Tommy Lloyd made a change to the Arizona Wildcats starting lineup on Friday night against Auburn, but it didn't change the level of contribution from his second unit - which continues to be limited three games into the season.
76 of the 80 points Arizona put up in the win against the Tigers were scored by the starting five of Mo Krivas, Ivan Kharchenkov, Caleb Holt, Derek Dixon, and now JJ Mandaquit, who replaced Bryce James after the sophomore started the first three games.
James did not play at all against Auburn, with Lloyd electing to play just three subs: Forward Maxsim Brnovic, freshman guard Cameron Holmes, and center Evan Otten.
No Bryce after three starts
Coach Lloyd was asked about the decision to not call on James in this one, after he started all three of Arizona's regular season, and exhibition, games dating back to mid October.
"Bryce and I had a great conversation," Lloyd said. "I wish I would have got him in the game. It just got tight there and we got the lead, it's just one of those things when you get the lead playing a certain way, sometimes it's hard to thrust a guy into that moment when he hasn't been on the court much."
James is averaging 2.7 points, 1.7 assists, and 1.3 steals in 12 minutes per game for the Wildcats, shooting 3-11 from the field and 2-7 from three.
Now he's been relegated not only to a non-starting role, but what looks like not quite an everyday role, with a tight 8-man rotation getting Arizona to a win over Auburn - despite virtually no help offensively from the second unit.
Starters shouldering the load
Arizona has had a big four all season long, which once again was on full display Friday night. Caleb Holt (24 points) Ivan Kharchenkov (19) Mo Krivas (16), and Derek Dixon (11) combined for 70 of Arizona's 80 points, with Mandaquit scoring six - all at the free throw line - to bring the starters to 76/80, or 95%, of Arizona's scoring.
Brnovic and Otten each made a bucket, while Holmes played 14 minutes but didn't even attempt a shot - instead recording two steals, one assist, and two turnovers.
"Our bench is going to have to develop over the course of this season," Lloyd said after the game. "Today wasn't the day to go deep and give them a long run."
Including tonight's result, just under 85% of Arizona's points have come from starters this season. Per KenPom, Arizona's bench minutes rate of 24.1% is No. 331 out of 365 Division 1 teams. The fact that it got them a road win over a team that almost never loses at home is impressive, but it will continue to be a challenge for the Wildcats - and serves as a reminder why the continued absence of RJ Godfrey is painful for UA.
It doesn't get any easier, with Arizona hosting the No. 4 UConn Huskies on Wednesday, Nov. 18 at 7:00 PM MST. The game will be broadcast on FS1.
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Andy Patton is a college basketball writer with deep ties to both Gonzaga and Arizona. A Gonzaga alumnus who graduated in 2013, he has hosted the Locked On Zags podcast covering Gonzaga basketball since 2021 and has co-hosted the Locked On College Basketball podcast since 2022. His years covering the Bulldogs have also given him extensive familiarity with Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd, who spent more than two decades on Mark Few’s staff at Gonzaga before taking over the Wildcats in 2021. Andy has worked in sports media since 2017, with experience covering nearly every major sport. He covered the Seattle Seahawks for USA TODAY from 2017–21, where he also spent time covering the USC Trojans and Oregon Ducks, and previously served as lead writer for College Sports Wire. He has also covered the NBA, NHL and MLB for various TEGNA outlets, including KREM in Spokane, 12News in Phoenix and KING 5 in Seattle. Andy now lives in Spokane, Washington, with his wife, daughter and dog.
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