Krivas, Kharchenkov Prepared For Wildcats' Round 2 Matchup

The No. 1-seeded (West Region) Arizona Wildcats will need to play to the best of their ability in their second-round matchup with No. 9-seeded Utah State, a team that is a much better one than their record and ranking suggest.

After advancing to the second round following its 92-58 domination of the No. 16 LIU Sharks, Arizona is now preparing for a physical, defensively sound, and offensively tough Aggies squad that beat No. 8 Villanova by a score of 86-76.

2nd Round Sunday at 4:50 MST on TruTV pic.twitter.com/uk5RHD3fS1
— Arizona Basketball (@ArizonaMBB) March 21, 2026

Arizona is set to play the Aggies at 4:50 p.m. (MST), and the Wildcats are ready to take the court and have yet another incredible game in front of the Wildcats' faithful who traveled from Tucson to spectate.

Forward Ivan Kharchenkov and center Motiejus Krivas are more than ready to put on yet another stellar performance to help push Arizona towards making it to the Sweet 16.

Kharchenkov's Historic Performance

On Friday, the freshman forward out of Germany had a career night on the glass, grabbing a career-high tying 10 rebounds and 14 points. The last time he had that many rebounds was the first game of the season in a 93-87 win at the T-Mobile Center in Las Vegas.

"I didn't do anything more different than in any other games," Kharchenkov said. "I just seem to be a little bit more lucky in this game that the rebounds fell into my direction. But, to keep it going, just go to the offensive rebounds, especially also defensive rebounds every time the ball goes up. But, don't forget the basics of cutting out your of cutting out your guy. The most important thing is that the team get the rebound and not you know any individual."

Krivas' Thoughts on Controlling Paint Against Utah State

Mo Kriva — Mar 20, 2026; San Diego, CA, USA; Arizona Wildcats center Motiejus Krivas (13) shoots against the LIU Sharks in the first half during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Viejas Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

As one of the veterans on the team and a defensive stalwart, Krivas has been dominant at controlling the paint and cleaning up the glass. It is those skills that earned him the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, one season removed from season-ending lower leg surgery.

Krivas' thoughts on defending the front court against the Aggies, although short, were clear and precise.

Mo sees all 👀pic.twitter.com/VYfjqt8bUg
— Arizona Basketball (@ArizonaMBB) March 20, 2026

"Just keep doing what we've been doing the whole season," Krivas said. "Yeah, just keep doing what we're doing the whole season, and we are paint oriented team that can make all the threes when we kick out. So, just keep doing what we do."

What They Know About Utah State

Although Utah State is a No. 9-seeded team, it is nothing to look over as they rank 26th in offensive efficiency, ninth in two-point percentage, and 17th in opponent turnovers, according to KenPom. Admittedly, Krivas and Kharchenkov weren't familiar with the Aggies before their game against Villanova.

Now that the Wildcats are set to play them, they know all bout their identity and what they need to do to stop them.

Mar 20, 2026; San Diego, CA, USA; Arizona Wildcats forward Ivan Kharchenkov (8) controls the ball against LIU Sharks forward Mason Porter-Brown (6) in the second half during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Viejas Arena. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images | Denis Poroy-Imagn Images

"Before the game, I didn't know too much," Kharchenkov said. "After they beat Villanova, watching the game, they for sure have a strong identity. Playing physical, playing quick. Now preparing for them, we obviously know what they're doing."