Top Arizona Players Who Impressed in Exhibition Finale
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The No. 13-ranked Arizona Wildcats dominated their way to a heavily one-sided 113-42 victory over the Embry-Riddle Eagles in an exhibition game in preparation for their season opener against the No. 3 Florida Gators in Las Vegas at the T-Mobile Arena on November 3.
Arizona's 71-point win was a huge margin of victory and took a lot less effort than the last exhibition against Saint Mary's last week, when it won 81-68.
See you in Vegas pic.twitter.com/zfZDjUnaTo
— Arizona Basketball (@ArizonaMBB) October 28, 2025
Of the entire 17-man roster, 15 players scored at least one point and one rebound over 40 minutes of action on the court.
By the end of the game, the Wildcats outrebounded the Eagles 58-15. Lloyd stated that outrebounding and having fewer turnovers against a team was the formula for success in his press conference before the most recent one.
These three players were impressive in the final exhibition game and will look to continue that success into the regular season, which will be a difficult one for Arizona.
Tobe Awaka
Awaka was an absolute force for the Wildcats inside the paint and dominated over the Embry-Riddle big men on the way to a double-double performance.
The physical forward snagged 14 rebounds to go along with 18 points and two blocks on a night where he was 8-for-10 on field goals.
Tobe was an absolute beast tonight 💪 pic.twitter.com/uRWS5zOJBC
— Arizona Basketball (@ArizonaMBB) October 28, 2025
He and Motiejus Krivas combined for 23 of the 58 rebounds that were grabbed for the Wildcats. Awaka will look to continue that dominance in the paint against much stiffer competition in the season opener.
Ivan Kharchenkhov
Kharchenkov brings a large amount of professional-level experience from overseas and displayed it against the Eagles in a spectacular showing on both sides of the ball.
In 17 minutes played, the talented forward scored 17 points, going 6-for-7 on field goals while also notching four rebounds and two steals.
The Wildcats will need that kind of experience when they face a murderers' row of highly ranked teams expected to be in the NCAA Tournament.
Brayden Burries
The highly touted freshman guard was impressive against the Eagles over the course of two halves played, making it look easy to score points in just his second collegiate game.
In 15 minutes of action, the 2025 Gatorade National Player of the Year finalist scored 13 points while also notching two assists, a block, and a steal.
With the amount of potential that Burries possesses, he is going to be a valuable asset to the Wildcats' rotation when they get to the regular season.
Tell us who you think stood out in Arizona's final exhibition by commenting on our X account. Just click the link to find us and be sure to give us a follow.
Nathaniel Martinez and a set of shoulder pads at 7 years old. He later graduated from Pima Community College in 2023, where he began writing for the Pima Post. He is working to achieve a Bachelor’s in Mass Communication and Media Studies.