Arizona's Krivas Earns Spot on Kareem Abdul-Jabbar List
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Arizona big man Motiejus Krivas has improved tremendously in his third season with the Wildcats, and now he is earning national recognition for his efforts.
Krivas was recently named to the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award Midseason Watch list. The Kareem Abdul-Jabbar award is handed out to the nation’s top center, and Krivas has played his way onto the list this season after not being on the preseason list.
The 7-foot-2, 260 pound center from Lithuania appeared in just 9 games last season, averaging 7.9 points and 4.5 rebounds per game as a sophomore. As a freshman, he averaged 5.4 points and 4.2 rebounds per contest. Now a junior, Krivas has taken his game to the next level for the #1-ranked team in the country.
Krivas is averaging 11.0 points and 8.3 rebounds per game this season, while also averaging 1.8 blocks per game as an elite rim protector. Krivas has been efficient around the basket, shooting 60.7 percent from the field. Krivas has also flashed an ability to space the floor, shooting 3-8 from three-point range this season.
He joins his former teammate, Henri Veesaar, who is now with the North Carolina Tar Heels, on the list. Veesaar played his first two seasons with Krivas at Arizona, and their careers have followed a similar path. After averaging less than 10 points per game in each of his first two seasons at Arizona, Veesaar is now averaging 16.8 points and 9.0 rebounds per game with the Tar Heels this season.
As for Krivas, he, along with other veterans Jaden Bradley and Tobe Awaka, have given the team the experienced leadership they’ve needed. Arizona is also led by star freshmen such as Brayden Burries, Koa Peat, and Ivan Kharchekov, making their roster one of the most unique in the entire country.
Double-digit Quad 1 victories
Arizona still hasn’t lost through their first 22 games, and have accumulated 10 Quad 1 wins, 3 Quad 2 wins, and have taken home victories over six ranked teams this season. The NCAA Tournament is still a month away, but Arizona’s resume is already worthy of a 1 seed, and Krivas has been a big reason as to why they have been so dominant.
Krivas and the Wildcats will look to keep up the pace this season as they look to secure their second national title in program history by the time March rolls around.
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Justin Backer brings a wealth of experience to his role as a college football and basketball general sports reporter On SI. Backer is a proud graduate of Florida Atlantic University with a Bachelor of Arts in Multimedia Studies, and has worked for such media companies as The Sporting News and the Palm Beach Post.