Arizona center Motiejus Krivas is expected to miss the rest of the season with a foot injury according to Arizona head coach Tommy Lloyd in the post-game on Monday night versus TCU via Bruce Pascoe of Tucson.Com. Krivas has not played since December 7 versus Utah.
Krivas is averaging 7.9 points per game, 4.5 rebounds, 1.1 assists and shooting 55.3 percent from the floor in eight games with one start. Tobe Awaka who is undersized, but tough at 6'8 and 250 pounds has been the starting center for Arizona in the other 11 games this season.
Krivas averaged 5.4 PPG, 4.2 RPG and shot 55.4 percent from the floor, averaging 12.1 minutes in 36 games as a freshman in 2023-24. With Oumar Ballo transferring to Indiana, a lot was expected from Krivas this season. Some mock drafts had Krivas as at least a second-round pick earlier this season.
Krivas was the 135th-ranked prospect and 21st center in the 2023 class. ESPN ranked Krivas as the 74th player nationally entering the 2024-25 season. Jeff Borzello and Myron Medcalf of ESPN expected Krivas to be the latest elite big man nationally in their top 100 player rankings.
Lloyd's comment on Motiejus Krivas (leg) out for the season during the postgame show on 1290-AM:
— Javier Morales (@JavierJMorales) December 31, 2024
"We were really depending on Mo Krivas this year to be the center of this team and play through him. He was a guy who was going to demand double-teams. He's a really good player. He…
Henri Veesar should see an increase in playing time the most with Krivas out for the season. The 7'3 Veesar gives Arizona more athleticism than Krivas. Veesar missed all of the 2023-24 season after playing in 29 games as a freshman during the 2022-23 season.
Veesar had the best game of his collegiate career with 15 points on six of seven from the floor, made one of his two three-point attempts and two of three free throws with six rebounds, four assists and one block off the bench to help Arizona beat TCU 90-81 in the Wildcats inaugural Big XII game on Monday night.