It was more than a month ago when Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd said Mo stood for “momentum” when it came to Mo Krivas’ first name.
Well, if the name fits it must be legit – because it’s sure hitting right now.
Krivas is trending up – and that says a lot for Arizona’s 7-foot-2 man in the middle.
Every game, every moment, every basket has better than the last. His performance against visiting Norfolk State was no different, given he had 20 points and nine rebounds in 26 minutes in UA’s 98-61 win at McKale Center. AZ is now 7-0.
He would have been the first Wildcat player since Oumar Ballo had 22 points and 13 rebounds against California on Feb. 1, 2024 to reach 20 rebounds and double-digit rebounds.
He just missed, but he did set a new career high in points.
Still, Krivas said he felt “great” on Saturday. He looked the same against undersized Norfolk State in Arizona’s concentrated effort to go inside then outside with its offense. It worked to near perfection, given Arizona won by its big margin and Krivas went 7 for 8 from the floor. He had an assist and a steal to complete his stats, including a 3-point attempt (that missed).
Lloyd said he’s fine with his big man taking that shot. In fact, he said “tighten it up.”
“He doesn’t get a lot of opportunities but that doesn’t mean he can’t shoot one,” Lloyd said. “When you’ve worked on something like he has like his shooting, he has to double down on it right now and work in practice.
“Maybe it hasn’t shown up in games yet, but when it is game ready.”
It’ll add to his versatility. Saturday, Norfolk had to answer for his strength and accuracy.
“Mo is getting better,” Lloyd said. “I think he’s really impacted some of our bigger games (so far). I’m really happy with where he’s at defensively, and on the glass. Those are two areas we really wanted to establish with him, and he’s always been a good offensive player, so I’ve never really been panicked there.
“It’s just a matter of him getting some opportunities, and him finishing shots, making free throws. It’s our sixth guy already this season to have 20 points, so that’s a good sign.”
Again, it’s about Mo’s momentum – in practice and in games. Remember, Krivas played in just a handful of games before he sat out the rest of the season with a foot injury.
He’s back and more mobile.
“It just took me a couple games to be comfortable,” he said.
And that’s on both ends of the court.
Entering Saturday’s game, Krivas led the team with 10 blocked shots. He added two Saturday. How has he gotten better on defense?
“I’d say in drop coverage. I used to do it but now I’m getting better,” Krivas said. “We worked on some details in the offseason and this season, just the footwork and the feeling.”
So far so good. But it’s apparent – especially against the smaller teams – he’s keeping them away from the basket.
“When you’re the center on the defense, you can be like an anchor to the defense,” Lloyd said. “You have so much size at the rim and kind of impact the game in the paint and on the glass and, and it’s just understanding how important that is. It allows us to kind of tilt some coverages to his size, maybe you can get more aggressive in certain areas, understanding you have a big guy kind of waiting behind things.”
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