Arizona’s starting five
Beginning his first season as a head coach, Lloyd will find two things very familiar to him when he looks at his roster, a distinct international flavor and lots of length, especially in the frontcourt. Some of that international flavor should be the starting point guard, sophomore Kerr Kriisa from Estonia. The 6-3 second-year guard saw minimal action as a freshman after not being cleared by the NCAA until February. With such little action, it is unclear if Kriisa will be able to handle such an increased role.
The 2-guard spot should come down to sophomore Dalen Terry and Justin Kier, a senior transfer from Georgia. Terry is a blossoming 6-7 guard looking to build off a respectable freshman campaign. Kier played a prominent role for the Bulldogs last season, averaging 9.5 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 2.4 assists. Given the relative youth of the Arizona roster, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Kier get the starting nod.
In the frontcourt is where things get interesting for the Wildcats. I expect them to go 6-7, 6-11, and 7-1, led by a couple of emerging sophomores. Benedict Mauthrin is a long wing who is ready to burst onto the national scene after putting up just under 11 points per game to go along with 4.8 rebounds.
At 6-11, Azuolas Tubelis is a prototypical stretch 4 who can serve as the pivot point of the Arizona offense in the half-court, given his ability to knock down perimeter jumpers. Even though Christian Koloko likes to spend his time outside the paint, at 7-1 he can grab his share of boards and be a nuisance on the defensive end given his size.