Bryce James gets early Arizona starts as Lloyd tests his guard rotation

Bryce James has started Arizona's first two exhibitions, giving Tommy Lloyd an early look at how the sophomore guard fits alongside the Wildcats' established frontcourt and new backcourt.

James opened the scoring in Arizona's 93-69 win over San Francisco on October 13 with a corner three-pointer. Bleacher Report's October 15 clip also shows him pursuing a loose ball and going to the floor, the kind of possession that gives a coach something to evaluate beyond the scoring total.

James finished that game with three points on 1-for-3 shooting, one steal and 14 minutes, according to local reporting from All Sports Tucson. Motiejus Krivas led Arizona with 20 points, Ivan Kharchenkov scored 18 and Caleb Holt added 17.

James started again against San Diego State on October 16 and went 0-for-1 from the field in ten minutes, All Sports Tucson reported. Arizona won 82-67 behind Krivas' 17 points and 15 rebounds.

Lloyd said after the San Diego State game that he was still learning which combinations worked best. He discussed using Derek Dixon and JJ Mandaquit together as two guards capable of running the offense, while explaining that fouls and rest had also influenced his substitutions.

Those comments leave James' regular-season role open even after the early starts. Arizona has another exhibition against Eastern Washington on October 23 before opening its regular season against UCLA in Las Vegas on November 2.