How Arizona's Bigs Driving Team Identity in Destiny Season

Tommy Lloyd has successfully rebuilt Arizona's basketball identity, winning 129 games during his almost five years as the Wildcats' head coach.

The team plays fast, tough, and physical -- the way most elite teams in college basketball play these days -- but it wouldn't be nearly as sharp and unstoppable without the reliable play of its bigs in the frontcourt.

"We always feel like on most days we're going to have an advantage playing through our bigs inside, and we're always going to test it," Lloyd said after Saturday's road win over UCF. "It's part of our DNA, and part of our formula and how we play."

Three Big Rotation

Arizona's big man group is not a particularly deep one in terms of the number of guys that see the floor, but it does consist of three elite players, who all have good size and the ability to change a game, in addition to the full confidence of their head coach.

Arizona basketball identit — Jan 17, 2026; Orlando, Florida, USA; Central Florida Knights guard Riley Kugel (2) defends Arizona Wildcats center Motiejus Krivas (13) in the first half at Addition Financial Arena. Mandatory Credit: Russell Lansford-Imagn Images | Russell Lansford-Imagn Images

"We have big guys, and we're not afraid to play to that," Lloyd added. "I feel really confident rotating those three bigs in there. They probably had to play a little bit longer stretches in the first half than we're normally accustomed to, and maybe that wore them down a little bit, but on the road, it takes what it takes."

Saturday's win took everything Arizona's bigs had. All three played at least 20 minutes and were key contributors, although freshman Koa Peat got into early foul trouble and only had four points. However, he's been the team's leading socrer all year, and that was just his third college game with fewer than 10 points.

Arizona basketball identity — Jan 14, 2026; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats forward Tobe Awaka (30) reacts after he made a three point shot during the first half of the game against the Arizona State Sun Devils at McKale Memorial Center. Mandatory Credit: Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images | Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images

Junior Motiejus Krivas and senior Tobe Awaka picked up the slack. Both have had career years so far, but they may not have ever been more importnat than they were Saturday. UCF had three bigs that could've been considered legitimate threats coming into the game, but Arizona got them in foul trouble and shut down two completely.

Krivas ended the game with his fourth double-double on the season, scoring 17 points with 12 rebounds, and Awaka was the game's Iron Man, playing 27 productive mintutes off the bench as Peat struggled.

Nonetheless, it seems a big part of Arizona's identity from previously successful and competitive teams has rubbed off on Lloyd's version of the program, and it's no coincidence it's leading to success once again. If the threee bigs continue to influence the game so well, Arizona will be hard to stop.

Find more Wildcats news today by heading to our Facebook page!