The last time a freshman led Arizona in scoring was the 2014-15 season, when Stanley Johnson averaged 13.8 points per game, until freshman Brayden Burries came along. Burries broke the decade-long dry spell of a non-freshman leading the team in scoring when he averaged 16.1 points per game this past season.
It took 10 years for the program to find a superstar freshman, and now they might have two in back-to-back seasons. The Wildcats have seen massive roster turnover, with three starters entering the draft and their best bench player declaring for it as well.
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So the unpredictability of what the team will look like is definitely there. 52 points per game are gone, so now the question is who is going to step up and lead the Wildcats back to the NCAA Tournament.
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Let’s predict the top three leading scorers for the Wildcats next season.
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1. Caleb Holt- 17 PPG
Caleb Holt will succeed Burries. Holt will be the second freshman in a row to lead the team in scoring. Holt is ranked as a top-three prospect in the 2026 recruiting class and the best shooting guard in the country coming out of high school.
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The 6-foot-5 guard can do it all. Holt is terrific at attacking the rim downhill thanks to his strength and athleticism. He has also shown he can knock down the three-point shot.
Derek Dixon’s transfer will be a big reason Holt will succeed next season. Dixon is a pass-first point guard from the North Carolina Tar Heels men’s basketball team and will look to feed Holt every chance he gets.
Motiejus Krivas made an official announcement a few weeks ago that he is returning to the team for his senior season. There were talks that the big man would enter the NBA Draft, but he ultimately decided to return to Tucson and run it back with head coach Tommy Lloyd.
Krivas’ return to the Wildcats is huge news, especially after losing Koa Peat. The 7-foot-2 center was the leader of the Wildcats defense last season. Krivas averaged 10.4 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks per game.
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Krivas will get a lot of touches now that Peat and Burries have declared for the draft. Krivas shot the ball six times per game last season, so expect his field-goal attempts to rise to the eight-to-nine range. Krivas will play a major role in the Wildcats’ journey back to the Final Four.
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3. Ivan Kharchenkov- 12 PPG
Another returner will be Ivan Kharchenkov, heading into his sophomore season. Kharchenkov was the Swiss Army knife for Lloyd and the Wildcats last season. He is the ultimate team player and will play a larger role next season.
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Kharchenkov averaged 10.4 points per game last season. That is pretty good for how stacked the Wildcats were last year. He got eight shots per game, which will more than likely remain the same.
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The biggest knock on Kharchenkov was his lack of three-point shooting, as he shot 31% from deep last season. If the 6-foot-7 forward improves on his outside shooting, then he will be in store for a fantastic sophomore season.
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Dixon deserves a shoutout, but his pass-first mentality will prevent him from finishing as a top-three scorer. With that said, Dixon will absolutely help out scoring the ball, as he was a fantastic three-point shooter last season for the Tar Heels.
Dixon averaged 6.5 points per game last season but did not get promoted to a starter until halfway through the season. Dixon will most likely be the fourth-highest scorer on the team next season.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/arizona as Predicting Arizona’s Top 3 Scorers Next Season.
