SAN JOSE — In Kaunas, Lithuania, nearly 6,000 miles away from McKale Center, Motiejus Krivas was already playing a unique brand of basketball long before American scouts learned his name.
The 7-foot-2, 260-pound junior showed plenty of raw talent when Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd first recruited him. But now the lengthy Lithuanian has blossomed into an elite rim protector and has played a pivotal part in Arizona’s run to the Sweet 16.
“He’s just finally getting experience, and I’m really proud of him (and) how he’s impacting the game defensively,” Lloyd said after winning the Big 12 regular-season title.
“When I first recruited him, I thought he was going to be a dominant offensive center, so I really talked to him this offseason about, ‘The offense is going to come, but can you make yourself into a consistent defensive force and a defensive guy on the glass,’ and he’s done that this year.”
Krivas was originally poised for a breakout sophomore campaign a season ago. As a freshman backing up Oumar Ballo, he averaged only 12.1 minutes per game but made those minutes count, posting 10 points and 6.3 rebounds in games where he played at least 15 minutes.
When Ballo transferred to Indiana, the starting center role opened. However, a lingering foot injury limited Krivas to just eight games before he was shut down for the season after undergoing surgery.
Arizona’s Motiejus Krivas says the foot injury that ended his season last year changed him for the better, mentally and physically. pic.twitter.com/4As5mfeCtq
— Arizona Sports (@AZSports) March 26, 2026
“To be honest, I think the injury didn’t do damage on me,” Krivas told Arizona Sports. “Of course it’s bad that it happened, but I think it helped me mentally and physically.
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“Mentally, I think I understand better what it takes to perform at this level and to be present in the moment, and physically, I think my body got way better and it’s more resilient with this type of injury.”
Krivas posted his first career double-double against No. 12 Alabama on Dec. 13 (14 points and 14 rebounds) and since then he has recorded seven more this season on the way to being named first-team All-Big 12 and to the Big 12 All-Defensive Team.
“I mean he’s made a huge jump,” Lloyd said. “This is his second year of college, really, I mean he had the injury last year, and the injury started in the summer and we tried to get through it, so he didn’t really get a summer two years ago, and then we were nursing it during the season and then obviously his season ended.”
Krivas aptly earns “Mount Krivas” nickname
Now fully healthy, Krivas has made his biggest strides on the defensive end, where he has emerged as a projected first-round pick in this summer’s NBA draft.
“Just, I would say, the workouts in the summer,” Krivas said on how he has been able to develop defensively. “Just coming back from injury (and) … doing rehab. Making my body stronger and then just listening to coaches (and) what they can tell (me) and using those advices.”
Motiejus Krivas has been THE fulcrum to Arizona’s defensive success, anchoring one of the best defensive units in the nation.
Only allowing 9 FGs (!) around the rim this season, Krivas brings a unique blend of rim protection (7.5% BLK), touch (80% FT) & physical tools (7’5 W/S). t.co/7kFizskc1s pic.twitter.com/Z2QRwX1oYH
— Mohamed (@mcfNBA) March 2, 2026
Through his first 44 career games, Krivas totaled just 25 blocks. This season he has a total of 69 blocks, recording multiple blocks in 20 games, and is tied for the 20th-most in the country and the seventh-most in a season in program history.
Defensively, Arizona is holding opponents to 43.7% shooting on 2-point field goals this season, the second-best percentage in the country, and in large part, it’s because of Krivas’ presence as a rim protector.
“He’s been huge, especially on the defensive end,” Arizona forward Koa Peat said about Motiejus Krivas.
Defensively, Arizona is holding opponents to 43.7% shooting on 2-point field goals this season, the second-best percentage in the country. pic.twitter.com/EoRg0ftXDI
— Arizona Sports (@AZSports) March 26, 2026
“He’s been huge, especially on the defensive end,” Arizona forward Koa Peat told Arizona Sports. “Both sides of the ball, he plays as a two-way player. He scores a lot and really helps us in the paint on defense, so he’s been a huge impact for us. Super thankful for Mo, for sure.”
In Arizona’s first-round NCAA Tournament win over LIU, Krivas recorded four blocks while the Sharks shot just 7 of 38 (18.4%) from the field when he was on the court. He added nine points, seven rebounds and two assists in 21 minutes.
He followed that performance with 11 points, 14 rebounds, three blocks and two assists in a second-round win over Utah State, becoming the first Arizona player since A.J. Bramlett in 1997 to post that stat line in an NCAA Tournament game.
“It’s massive. He’s been a game-changer for us defensively,” Lloyd said of Krivas. “I know a lot of the analytic gurus out there have studied it probably more than I have. I just know I feel good when he’s on the court. He’s got great instincts. M-O stands for mobility at 7’2”. And he does a great job contesting shots up high.
“And he does a great job getting those short little rebounds that come around the basket. Those are really hard to get when you’re up vertical contesting and contesting a shot, to be able to have good enough hands to get those rebounds.”
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