Still-developing Wildcats relying heavily on veterans heading into tough stretch

For Tucson basketball fans, Arizona’s next stretch will test whether a team still finding its identity can depend on a small group of experienced players without wearing them down. The No. 12 Wildcats, now 2-1, travel to Auburn for a Friday game before hosting No. 4 UConn at McKale Center on Nov. 18. Soon after, they will head to Hawaii for the Maui Invitational, where they will play three games in three days. Arizona’s early success, and its ability to navigate that demanding schedule, will likely depend heavily on sophomore forward Ivan Kharchenkov and veteran center Motiejus Krivas.

Kharchenkov has quickly become Arizona’s most important all-around contributor. Through three games, he leads the Wildcats in scoring at 24.7 points per game, rebounding at 9.0 and playing time at 32.4 minutes. He is also tied with point guard JJ Mandaquit for the team lead in assists, with both averaging 5.0. Kharchenkov has recorded seven assists in each of Arizona’s last two games, showing that his role involves much more than scoring.

His latest performance came Tuesday in a 90-59 victory over Northern Arizona at McKale Center. Kharchenkov finished with 20 points, seven rebounds and seven assists, while Arizona improved to 2-1. The result followed a 30-point performance by Krivas against Cal Poly on Nov. 5. Against the Lumberjacks, Krivas added 16 points and seven rebounds, making 7 of 8 attempts from two-point range. Kharchenkov also made 7 of 8 two-point attempts, although he missed both of his three-point tries.

The pair’s production is especially important because Arizona has not yet developed the same balance it showed last season. In Tuesday’s game, Caleb Holt scored 17 points and made 7 of 8 shots inside the arc, while Derek Dixon contributed 12 points. But the Wildcats’ other offensive options remain works in progress. Arizona made 8 of 25 three-point attempts overall, including a 1-for-7 showing from Holt. Coach Tommy Lloyd said he was not concerned, noting that Holt is a capable three-point shooter and that many of his attempts were open.

Arizona did produce 26 assists on 37 made baskets against NAU, a statistic Lloyd highlighted as evidence of effective decision-making and ball movement. He described Kharchenkov as a player who generally makes the right choice in the moment, even as opposing defenses begin giving him more attention. Lloyd said teams will have to decide whether to focus on Kharchenkov or risk allowing Arizona’s other offensive players to find open shots. Against NAU, the Lumberjacks tried to avoid fouling, which created opportunities from the midrange and beyond, but Kharchenkov still reached the free throw line nine times and made six attempts.

Kharchenkov said he has spent the offseason preparing for the kind of workload Arizona may need from him during difficult games. He worked with conditioning coach Chris Rounds in the weight room and said Lloyd has emphasized pushing further when the team needs it. That approach was tested immediately in the season opener against UCLA, when Kharchenkov scored 38 points in 38 minutes. Arizona still lost 84-75, a reminder that individual production alone will not guarantee victories against high-level opponents.

The Wildcats’ frontcourt responsibilities have grown because forward RJ Godfrey remains ineligible. Kharchenkov has been playing somewhat out of position at power forward while Godfrey’s situation is contested in Pima County Superior Court. Godfrey’s attorneys appeared in court Tuesday regarding a request for a temporary restraining order that could have allowed him to play against NAU and Auburn. They filed a lawsuit against Arizona on Nov. 5, arguing that the university failed to make Godfrey eligible even though the NCAA manual’s language does not specifically exclude players such as Godfrey, who graduated from high school in 2022, from the organization’s new five-for-five rule.

The case is unusual because Godfrey’s attorneys sued Arizona rather than the NCAA. Lloyd has publicly supported allowing all players from the 2022 high school class to use a fifth season, but he said he could not discuss the lawsuit or the court proceedings. Without Godfrey, Lloyd has settled into a group of six players who appear likely to remain central to the rotation: Kharchenkov, Krivas, Holt, Dixon, Mandaquit and wing Cameron Holmes. Forward Maksim Brnovic and center Ugnius Jarusevicius are also receiving significant minutes. Bryce James has been starting and averaging 12.0 minutes per game, while Lloyd said James is developing and making hustle plays, although the coach has not made any long-term lineup decisions.

Arizona’s situation reflects a common early-season pattern, according to Lloyd. Coaches often rely on veterans before younger players become comfortable enough to contribute consistently. Lloyd pointed to last season, when Koa Peat opened with a 30-point game but experienced veterans carried much of the burden during the early schedule. Younger players eventually developed and gave the Wildcats more depth as the season progressed. Arizona will need a similar progression this year if it hopes to avoid placing unsustainable demands on Kharchenkov and Krivas during the Auburn game, the UConn visit and the Maui tournament.

For now, Lloyd says the most important objective is continued improvement rather than trying to solve every weakness at once. He described the season as a continuing process in which the Wildcats must maintain a growth-oriented approach. That process will become more difficult almost immediately, with Auburn unbeaten at 2-0 and UConn ranked fourth nationally. For Tucson fans watching from McKale Center or following the team on the road, the next few games should reveal whether Arizona’s emerging players can provide the support its veterans need, or whether Kharchenkov and Krivas will have to keep carrying the team.