Caleb Holt steals the show in Arizona's exhibition win over Eastern Washington

Tommy Lloyd and the Arizona Wildcats wrapped up a perfect exhibition season on Friday night, picking up a comfortable 85-54 win over the Eastern Washington Eagles at the McKale Center in Tucson.

The Wildcats now turn their attention to the season-opener against UCLA, coming up on Nov. 2 in Las Vegas.

Arizona put together its most complete exhibition game on Friday against the Eagles, dominating on both sides of the ball in the final tuneup before the games start counting in the standings.

Below is a look at three key takeaways from Arizona's 31-point victory:

1. Caleb Holt looks ready for a major role at Arizona

Caleb Holt showed flashes of his tremendous upside during Arizona's first two exhibition games, but Friday was unquestionably his most complete performance - coming nine days before the season opener against UCLA.

The 6'5 freshman was all over the floor against Eastern Washington, drilling open threes, wreaking havoc in transition, and even showing off improved playmaking - although turnovers were a bit of an issue for the young guard.

Ultimately Holt finished with a game-high 21 points, shooting 5-7 on twos and 3-4 from three while adding five rebounds, two assists, and three steals in 24 minutes played.

Mo Krivas and Ivan Kharchenkov may be Arizona's preseason All-Big-12 representatives, but Holt sure looked like a player ready to put his name in that conversation on Friday night.

2. JJ Mandaquit is settling into Arizona's backcourt

JJ Mandaquit had a fine, but by no means elite, freshman season at Washington - so some questioned why Arizona brought him in to presumably play a big role as a sophomore.

Board to bucket 🎯 pic.twitter.com/VKjLJZE0I0
— Arizona Basketball (@ArizonaMBB) October 24, 2026

However, it's become clear why that decision was made, as Mandaquit fits perfectly into the style of play Lloyd runs at Arizona. Mandaquit pushed the tempo, made quick reads in the half court offense, and hit open shots in an all-around excellent performance on Friday.

The 6'1 guard finished with 11 points on 4-8 shooting, including 2-4 from three, along with a team-high five assists and two rebounds. He is set to split point guard duties with Dixon this season, but Lloyd made it clear in the three exhibition games he has no qualms playing the guards together - and Mandaquit already looks quite comfortable in that role.

3. Arizona's 20 turnovers are a concern ahead of UCLA

Arizona Wildcats guard Derek Dixon (7). | Photo courtesy of Arizona University Athletics

There wasn't a lot that went poorly for Arizona on Friday night, but coach Lloyd certainly won't be thrilled with the number of turnovers. The Wildcats had two in the first 53 seconds against Eastern Washington, and finished the first half with 9 giveaways - four which came from Holt.

The second half wasn't any better for Arizona, as the Wildcats recorded an uncharacteristically high 20 turnovers on the night - something that must be cleaned up before the season officially gets underway.

Mick Cronin and UCLA will punish any team that gives possessions away, so Lloyd and the Wildcats have just over one week to right the ship before they tip off against the Bruins on Monday, Nov. 2 at 7:00 PM MST.

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