Wildcats' Krivas Moving Forward in Recovery

It has been quite some time since center Motiejus Krivas saw action on the court, in fact it has been since December 7 of last year.

The 7-foot-2 big man last played in a 102-66 win over Southern Utah at McKale Center. In that game, he played 16 minutes, scored 10 points and grabbed two rebounds.

The 260-pound Lithuanian was shut down after that game due to a lower leg/ankle injury that required surgery, effectively ending his sophomore campaign for the rest of the season.

Before the injury, Krivas averaged 7.9 points, 4.5 rebounds, 15.9 minutes played, and 55 percent field goal shooting.

In his freshman year with Arizona, Krivas averaged 5.4 points, 4.2 rebounds, 55.4 percent shooting and 12.1 minutes played in 36 games.

Krivas was initially supposed to play a big role on the roster, but Henri Veesaar got his chance to emerge as a solid big man instead due to the circumstances. Veesaar chose to hit the transfer portal and is now playing for the North Carolina Tar Heels.

It was announced back in April that Krivas would return for his junior year to play for Arizona, making him the fourth Wildcat to do so. Other players to announce their return include forward Tobe Awaka and guards Jaden Bradley and Anthony Dell'Orso.

In a summer press conference, head coach Tommy Lloyd said, "Mo's (Motiejus Krivas) good. Mo's pretty much involved in everything. I think he's been fully cleared. It's still early June so we're probably taking our time and ramping him up slowly. We obviously won't play a game for a few months, so we want him for the long haul, he's an important player."

"We got the right training staff, we got great doctors and they were able to get Mo with one of the best surgeons in the world...This would be a case where these guys are a lot smarter than I am with how to handle Mo and his recovery."

Now that Krivas has chosen to stay one more year in Tucson, he will now be featured in what may be one of the more talented front courts in the Big 12, possibly the NCAA.

The front court will consist of Krivas, Awaka, Koa Peat and Sidi Gueye. Krivas is once again expected to play a big role in the line up, similar to what was expected of him in 2024.

There has been no word on whether or not he will be splitting minutes with anybody yet, but if he does, it will most likely be between him and Awaka sharing time at the 5-spot.

Forwards Ivan Kharchenkhov, Dwayne Aristrode, Peat and Gueye will be fighting for minutes at their respective positions.

What expectations do you have for Krivas this season? Let us know on our social media page. Just click the link and be sure to follow us.