Overview
- Arizona lost its season opener to UCLA 84-75 on Monday, marking the program’s first season-opening defeat since 2006.
- The Wildcats answered with a 104-84 home victory over Cal Poly on Thursday, paced by Motiejus Krivas’s 30 points and Caleb Holt’s 21.
- Arizona controlled the paint and efficiency, shooting 55 percent and building a 56-26 advantage in the paint to blunt Cal Poly’s high-tempo attack.
- The home game let Lloyd test bench minutes after uneven freshman debuts, and Bryce James hit his first college shot while other young players logged adjusted roles.
- Arizona entered the matchup as an overwhelming favorite in betting markets and analytics, and the result offers short-term encouragement ahead of tougher nonconference tests such as Auburn, UConn and the Maui Invitational.