Arizona played its first exhibition game of the 2026-27 college basketball season on Tuesday, marking the first time projected top-three pick in the 2027 NBA Draft Caleb Holt faced college competition. Holt was in Arizona's starting lineup next to Motiejus Krvias, Ivan Kharchenkov, North Carolina transfer Derek Dixon and Bryce James, the youngest son of current Philadelphia 76ers star and NBA superstar LeBron James. James, who redshirted during his freshman season, appeared in two exhibition games during the 2025-26 season, but Arizona's 93-69 win over San Francisco marked his first start.
James started the game by knocking down a corner 3-pointer and finished the game with three points and a steal in 14 minutes of action. Clemson transfer RJ Godfrey, who is seeking a fifth year of eligibility, didn't play in Arizona's exhibition game. His status remains unclear with the season less than three weeks away.
If Godfrey is cleared, he projects as Arizona's starting power forward. After the game, Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd was asked directly why he started James instead of going with a smaller lineup. "I didn't want to overthink it," Lloyd said.
"Bryce has had a good fall for us and continues to grow as a player. I think starting Bryce kinda puts the rotation in the right way and maybe have some good impactful guys coming off the bench. I kinda wanted to see how that looked and felt today.
I don't know what I'm going to do Friday (against San Diego State). ... Again, I'm not going to overthink that one. It's the first few minutes of a 40-minute game." JJ Mandaquit, Cameron Holmes and Maksim Brnovic played more minutes off the bench than James against San Francisco.
However, James started two of Arizona's three games during the program's Lithuanian tour earlier this summer and is set to earn a rotation role with the projected Big 12 favorite. James was part of Arizona's loaded 2025 recruiting class that helped the Wildcats reach the Final Four for the first time since 2001. James committed to Arizona on New Year's Day in 2025, just a few months before Koa Peat and Brayden Burries — two players drafted in the first round of the 2026 NBA Draft — pledged to play for the Wildcats.
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