For the first time this season, Bryce James — the son of NBA star and current 76ers forward LeBron James — wasn't in Arizona's rotation after starting the first three games of the 2026-27 season against Northern Arizona, Cal Poly and UCLA. James didn't play during the Wildcats 80-69 win over Auburn on Friday.
After the game, Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd said he had a "great conversation" with Bryce and that the program will continue to find ways to "give him opportunities" to play.
"Bryce and I had a great conversation," Lloyd said. "I wish I would have got him in the game. It just kind of got tight there and we got the lead. ... I went with the guys who had been out there and were able to get us that lead, and hoping they could do it again. But Bryce has really shown me a lot the last couple weeks and we'll continue to try to find ways to give him opportunities for sure."
James had been a fixture in Arizona's rotation during the program's Lithuanian tour earlier this summer and in the first three games of the season before logging his first DNP-CD of the season. Lloyd opted for a three-guard starting lineup against Auburn, with JJ Mandaquit getting the start over James.
Arizona played just eight players during its win over Auburn, with Maksim Brnovic (six minutes), Evan Otten (eight) and Cameron Holmes (14) the only players who logged minutes off the bench. The Wildcats' rotation has been in flux to start the season due to the pending eligibility of Clemson transfer RJ Godfrey, who is currently ineligible to play.
"We felt like this was a really important game for our season," Lloyd said. "... But we knew coming here, I'm expecting it to be a Quad 1 win. This team's trying to establish its identity and kind of build our confidence. I I tightened the lineup today, changed the starting lineup because I wanted to put a little bit more ball handling out on the court, and that lineup has been our best lineup.
James was part of Arizona's loaded 2025 recruiting class that helped the Wildcats reach the Final Four for the first time since 2001 and was expected to be a key part of the rotation during the 2026-27 campaign off the bench after redshirting during his freshman season.
Arizona has a huge matchup coming up next against No. 4 UConn on Wednesday.
