Tommy Lloyd took a risk a year ago letting Henri Veesaar leave for the transfer portal while putting his trust in Motiejus Krivas, who was recovering from a season-ending foot injury. Fast forward a year, and Lloyd’s decision paid off as he and Krivas celebrated the program’s first Final Four in 25 years. And so while the decision to bring the Lithuanian big man back a year ago was program-altering, the decision by Motiejus Krivas to double down and return to Arizona for the 2026-27 season could have an even greater impact.
“I think kind of the second half of the year, he’s really grown,” said Tommy Lloyd during the NCAA Tournament. “He’s done a great job, and I’m really proud of Mo. He’s really grown as a player this season and the exciting thing for me is I think there’s still room to grow, I think there’s still a lot of growth to be had there.”
If there was a national comeback player of the year award, Krivas would have been the clear frontrunner this past season. After appearing in just eight games during the 2024-25 season, he bounced back in a massive way. He started all 39 games for the Wildcats this season, emerging as one of the nation’s best defensive players, while also growing into a solid offensive option for Lloyd and the UA too. Krivas averaged a near-double-double with 10.4 points, 8.2 rebounds per game, and 1.9 blocks per game, while shooting an efficient 56.9 percent from the field. The First-Team All Big 12 and Big 12 All-Defensive Team selection recorded 73 blocks on the season, good for 17th in the nation, and held opponents to a 36.7% field goal percentage, the lowest opponent FG% in the country, per CBBAnalytics.
So while the stats and accolades are an impressive notch on his resume, Big Mo’s decision to return to Tucson speaks volumes about the culture and development opportunities under Tommy Lloyd, while providing the staff with a cornerstone piece to rebuild around as they chase back-to-back Final Four appearances.
“Before the game, I didn’t realize how much this game means, but now as we won, it feels crazy, like super happy,” said Krivas following Arizona’s Elite 8 victory over Purdue to punch their ticket to Indianapolis, highlighting the connection he has with Lloyd, Arizona Basketball, and the City of Tucson.
Lloyd is no stranger to transforming post players into dominant forces on the hardwood. Take Christian Koloko for example, who arrived in Tucson as a sub-200 pound skinny kid. By the time his career ended, the 7-footer had grown into a man, adding over 30 pounds of muscle and developing into the Pac-12 Most Improved and Defensive Player of the Year.
Krivas has undergone a similar transformation. The difference is now this will be his team. Jaden Bradley, Brayden Burries, and Koa Peat are all off to the NBA, while Tobe Awaka and Anthony Dell’Orso are out of eligibility. With Krivas back, the offense, alongside Caleb Holt, and most certainly the defense will run through him.
And while Holt has as high, if not higher, expectations than Burries and Peat, he’s still a young player. So are incoming guards Derek Dixon and JJ Mandaquit, who have each only played a season of collegiate basketball. Krivas will be Arizona’s calm and collected presence next season that keeps the Wildcats grounded in close games and inevitably comes up with the clutch bucket, free throw, or block when the UA needs it most.
If he can help lead Arizona on another run like he did this past season, he not only will be in the conversation for national player of the year, but will vault himself into a bonafide lottery pick in next year’s NBA Draft.