Photo by: Marison Bilagody / Arizona Athletics
10/30/2026 | Men's Basketball
TUCSON, Ariz. – The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame announced the preseason Top 20 watch list for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award and it included Arizona senior Motiejus Krivas.
The award is handed out at the end of the season to the top center in college basketball as voted on by coaches, media and administrators across the country.
Krivas is a preseason all-American and the Big 12 Preseason Player of the Year after helping the Wildcats to the Final Four in 2026. He averaged 10.4 points, 8.2 rebounds and 1.9 blocked shots last year while shooting a career-best 56% from the floor and 78% from the free throw line.
When Krivas was on the floor last year, opponents shot just 37%, the best opponent field goal percentage of any player in the country. He was also one of two players in the country and the first Big 12 player since Kansas' Cole Aldrich in 2008-09 to have 300 rebounds, 70 blocked shots and shoot 75% from the free throw line.
Arizona is ranked No. 5 in the Associated Press preseason poll and will open the 2026-27 season against No. 22 UCLA in the TNT Sports Hall of Fame Series Las Vegas on Monday, Nov. 2. The game will tip-off at 8:00 p.m. MST on TNT, Tru TV and HBO Max.
2026 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award Preseason Watch List
The award is handed out at the end of the season to the top center in college basketball as voted on by coaches, media and administrators across the country.
Krivas is a preseason all-American and the Big 12 Preseason Player of the Year after helping the Wildcats to the Final Four in 2026. He averaged 10.4 points, 8.2 rebounds and 1.9 blocked shots last year while shooting a career-best 56% from the floor and 78% from the free throw line.
When Krivas was on the floor last year, opponents shot just 37%, the best opponent field goal percentage of any player in the country. He was also one of two players in the country and the first Big 12 player since Kansas' Cole Aldrich in 2008-09 to have 300 rebounds, 70 blocked shots and shoot 75% from the free throw line.
Arizona is ranked No. 5 in the Associated Press preseason poll and will open the 2026-27 season against No. 22 UCLA in the TNT Sports Hall of Fame Series Las Vegas on Monday, Nov. 2. The game will tip-off at 8:00 p.m. MST on TNT, Tru TV and HBO Max.
2026 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award Preseason Watch List
| NAME | SCHOOL |
| Motiejus Krivas | Arizona |
| Oswin Erhunmwunse | Creighton |
| Patrick Ngongba II | Duke |
| Rueben Chinyelu | Florida |
| Marcis Ponder | FSU |
| Massamba Diop | Gonzaga |
| Tomislav Ivišic | Illinois |
| Andrew McKeever | Iowa |
| Malachi Moreno | Kentucky |
| Flory Bidunga | Louisville |
| Sananda Fru | Marquette |
| Pharrel Payne | Maryland |
| Somo Cyril | Miami |
| Moustapha Thiam | Michigan |
| Daniel Jacobsen | Purdue |
| Jaden Toombs | SMU |
| Matas Vokietaitis | Texas |
| Luigi Suigo | Villanova |
| Johann Grünloh | Virginia |
| Nolan Winter | Wisoncsin |
Players Mentioned
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