On Wednesday, while speaking at his first Big 12 Conference Media Day event in Kansas City, Tommy Lloyd was asked about which upcoming league venues he was most looking forward to playing in. But in typical Tommy style, his mind was on an exhibition against a Division II opponent.
“We got Point Loma coming in on Monday, and you know what, Point Loma is a great Division II program, and I had heard they just beat a Division I team in a scrimmage,” Lloyd said. “So we’re going to be geared up for that. It’s no lack of respect for anybody. Guys, I’m simple. What’s next? What’s now? What’s next? That’s literally what I’m focused on.”
The Wildcats wrap up exhibition play Monday night at McKale Center against Point Loma, which defeated Cal State Northridge in a closed scrimmage last week. The game will stream on ESPN+ with a 7 p.m. MST tip.
Here’s what to watch for in the UA’s final preseason tuneup:
The shot selection
Arizona shot 63.3 percent in its 117-54 win over Eastern New Mexico on Oct. 21, making 24 of 34 2-point shots and 14 of 26 from 3-point range. Last year the Wildcats took nearly two-thirds of its shots from inside the arc, making 54.4 percent of them, but also finished in the top 40 nationally from the perimeter at 36.6 percent.
Lloyd will be okay with any 2-/3-point shot breakdown as long as it’s accompanied by getting to the line frequently.
“It’s no secret, we’re not trying to build a team to shoot 30 threes or 40 threes, we’re trying to build a team to shoot 30 free throws,” Lloyd said after the Eastern New Mexico game, when the UA was 27 of 35 on free throw attempts. “It’s probably not going to happen every night, but I think if we can have that mindset we’re going to get a lot of great shots, a lot of great 3-point shots off that, because we’re gonna be able to collapse the defense, and we’re gonna get 20 or 24 threes from guys we want shooting those threes.”
Caleb Love is a known 3-point quantity, having 277 triples in his first season at Arizona, while Campbell transfer Anthony Dell’Orso shot 38 percent from 3 in 2023-24. But in that first exhibition Oakland transfer Trey Townsend was 4 of 5 from deep, something unexpected considering he only attempted 32 last season with the Golden Grizzlies.
Townsend said his role at Oakland didn’t call for shooting much from outside, but he knew he could do it. Since joining Arizona he’s worked closely with assistant Ken Nakagawa on improving his shot.
“Ken’s thing with me is he doesn’t care if I make or miss them in practice, he just wants me to shoot them so I feel like I’m a confident shooter,” Townsend said. “At first I was struggling with that, because I wasn’t making very many in practices. It’s just that repetition, the mentality of the whole idea, and it worked out today.”
Mo better?
Sophomore center Motiejus Krivas did not dress for the first exhibition, or the Red-Blue Showcase at the end of September, due to an ankle injury that has kept him out of practice. Last week Lloyd said the 7-foot-2 Estonian was doing some basketball things, but there’s no rush on getting him back.
If he doesn’t dress for this game, there’s a good chance he won’t be available for the regular season opener Nov. 4 against Canisius.
That will mean more time for both Henri Veesaar and Emmanuel Stephen to establish their roles, as it’s likely Krivas will start at the 5 and Tennessee transfer Tobe Awaka move to the 4 when Krivas is healthy.
Veesaar had 19 points on 8-of-9 shooting in the first exhibition, his first game action in a year. A dislocated elbow last October caused him to redshirt in 2023-24 but he looks stronger and more confident than ever.
As for Stephen, a 7-foot center, his 11 minutes on the court last week showed both his upside and his rawness. The freshman had a rebound, an assist and two blocks but also three fouls and two turnovers and missed all three of his shots.
“E-man is doing great, he’s right where he should be,” Lloyd said after the Red-Blue Showcase. “We knew he was going to be raw, but we love his energy. We love his effort, and we love having him around every day. The big test for him is just going to be hanging with it and having a little patience. Learning from some of the veterans, learning from the staff, and then let’s work really hard. two to three, four, five, six, 12 months, let’s pop our head up and see where we’re at. And I think if he has that approach, he’s going to make, significant strides.”
A fairly competent opponent
Point Loma plays at the Division II level, but last season it won the PacWest Conference regular season title. And the Sea Lions somehow managed to retain its entire roster, while other teams in the league saw players enter the portal and end up at several Division I schools including Arkansas.
Back for Point Loma include five players who made at least 36 3-pointers, with three of them hitting at a 35 percent clip or better. That will test Arizona’s perimeter defense, which held Eastern New Mexico to 3 of 18 from outside.
The trade off will be Arizona having a major size advantage, as Point Loma has only one player over 6-foot-9 and last season was outrebounded on average by 0.4 boards per game.
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