The Arizona men's basketball team is heading to Lithuania later this month for a series of international exhibition games against European national teams.
The Wildcats will travel Aug. 14-23 as part of the USA College Lithuania Tour, organized by Complete Sports Management. Arizona will play three exhibition games against the Lithuanian B Team, Ukraine's Senior National Team and Lithuania's Senior National Team.
For two Wildcats on the roster, the trip carries personal significance. Forward Motiejus Krivas and transfer Ognis Jarucevis both have ties to Lithuania and spoke about what the visit means to them.
"Most of the people in Lithuania say that basketball is like second religion to Lithuania, especially when the national team plays," Krivas said.
Krivas added that the competition will be a valuable test for the team.
"It will be a good opportunity to play against pros that played for like 10 to 20 years. The teams tries to trick you a lot at a slower pace, look for mismatches," Krivas said.
Lloyd echoed that sentiment, saying he wants his players to embrace the challenge.
"They compete at the highest level of Europe. Guys that play in the NBA. I don't want to get on a plane and go to Europe and go win a basketball game by 50 points. I want to go over there and I want our guys to appreciate the experience for one, but two, appreciate the level of competition and see what we can get out of it," Lloyd said.
Jarucevis described the atmosphere players can expect.
"Elitas is pretty small. It's my hometown. It doesn't have a lot of people. It's a super small city. Kona is like the heart of Lithuania, so it's definitely a basketball atmosphere in there," Jarucevis said.
The game against Lithuania's Senior National Team will mark the first time that team has ever competed against a college program. Both Lithuania and Ukraine are also using the games as preparation for qualifying toward the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup in Qatar.
