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Arizona's college basketball season tipped off with an 84-75 loss to UCLA at T-Mobile Arena on Monday, as the Wildcats were blitzed early, falling behind 27-13 and never fully recovering. Despite a late surge that cut the deficit to one point after a Derek Dixon three-pointer, UCLA held on, leading for 35:53 of the game against the No. 5 team in the country.
Ivan Kharchenkov delivered a standout performance for Arizona, but the supporting cast, particularly the second unit, left much to be desired as the team looks ahead to its home opener on Thursday against Cal Poly.
Grade A: Ivan Kharchenkov Carries Arizona
Kharchenkov's stellar play was the highlight of the night. The 6'7" sophomore exploded for a career-high 38 points, 10 rebounds, one assist, and one steal, shooting 10-14 on two-pointers, 2-6 from beyond the arc, and 12-16 from the free-throw line. He accounted for 18 of Arizona's 29 first-half points and finished with 12 of the team's 22 made field goals, two of seven made threes, and 12 of 24 made free throws. After a solid freshman year as a role player, Kharchenkov's sophomore breakout is off to a remarkable start, though he'll need more help to lead the Wildcats back to the Final Four.
Grade B: Free-Throw Shooting Provides a Bright Spot
Outside of Kharchenkov, there was little to praise, but Arizona's free-throw shooting earned a 'B' grade. Kharchenkov's 12-16 performance from the stripe led the way, and Derek Dixon (4-4), Caleb Holt (3-3), and Mo Krivas (4-5) contributed to a solid 24-30 (80%) team effort. UCLA's physical style often leads to fouls, and the Wildcats capitalized to mount their comeback, though they ultimately fell short.
Grade C: Point Guards Struggle with Consistency
Replacing Big 12 Player of the Year Jaden Bradley has fallen to sophomore transfers Derek Dixon and JJ Mandaquit, and both had ups and downs on Monday. Dixon scored 18 points but on inefficient 5-17 shooting, with just one assist and three turnovers. He shot 4-12 from three, including a pair of late makes that kept Arizona close, but overall it was an underwhelming debut for the North Carolina transfer. Mandaquit, coming off the bench, played nearly 32 minutes and dished out six assists with zero turnovers, but shot just 1-6 from the field (1-4 from three) and struggled defensively against UCLA's Trent Perry and Jaylen Petty.
Grade D: Bench Production Falls Short
Mandaquit's six assists didn't translate to bench scoring, as his made three-pointer was the only field goal from Arizona's reserves. Cameron Holmes went 1-2 from the free-throw line, giving the Wildcats a total of four bench points compared to UCLA's 20. Mandaquit (1-6), Holmes (0-2), and Maxsim Brnovic (0-1) combined to shoot 1-9 from the field and 1-6 from three, while Ugnius Jarusevicius played 5:40 without attempting a field goal. Kharchenkov was essentially a one-man show, highlighting the lack of depth impact and underscoring the importance of Clemson transfer RJ Godfrey, should he become eligible this season.
Arizona will look to reset in its home opener against Cal Poly on Thursday, Nov. 5, at 8:30 PM MST. The game will be broadcast on TruTV.