Arizona adds center Ugnius Jarusevicius

Arizona basketball added a center on May 11, and this one is less about splash than structural repair. Ugnius Jarusevicius — the 6-foot-11 big man who spent last season at Nebraska — signed with Tommy Lloyd’s program after entering the portal in late April. That matters because Arizona’s frontcourt needed size, age, and someone who can play a real interior role right away. Jarusevicius gives them that, even if his last season barely happened. (on3.com) ### Who is Arizona getting? Jarusevicius is a Lithuanian post player who has now been through three different college stops before landing in Tucson. He began at Cal State Bakersfield, broke out at Central Michigan, then transferred to Nebraska for 2025-26. Arizona is betting more on the Central Michigan version than the Nebraska one — the big, productive interior scorer who looked like a legitimate high-major rotation piece before injuries got in the way. (on3.com) ### Why does the Nebraska year look so strange? Because it basically vanished. Jarusevicius appeared in one game for Nebraska, scored 7 points with 2 rebounds and 2 blocks in 11 minutes against New Hampshire, and then never played again. The issue was a lingering back injury that bothered him in preseason, delayed his debut, and eventually shut him down for the year. So Arizona is not adding a player with a normal recent sample — it is adding a player coming off a lost season. (on3.com) ### So why take that bet? Because the last full season is still interesting. At Central Michigan in 2024-25, ESPN’s career stats page shows Jarusevicius averaged 16.2 points and 7.3 rebounds over 26 games. That is not empty size. That is real usage, real production, and the kind of older-portal frontcourt résumé coaches chase when they need competence more than upside. Arizona does not need him to become a star. Arizona needs him to hold down the paint, finish plays, and let the rest of the roster make sense. (espn.com) ### What does he fix for Arizona? The simple answer is body type and experience. Jarusevicius is listed around 6-foot-10 or 6-foot-11 and roughly 220 to 245 pounds, depending on the source, and Arizona’s portal activity suggests the staff wanted another true frontcourt option, not just another combo forward. This is the portal’s less glamorous phase — not headline hunting, but plugging the exact hole that can wreck a season if you ignore it. (on3.com) ### Is this a sure thing? No — the back is the whole story. Big men with back issues always come with extra uncertainty, and Arizona is clearly projecting forward here. The upside case is easy to see: if Jarusevicius looks like he did at Central Michigan, he is a useful, experienced rotation big in the Big 12. The risk case is just as obvious: if the health does not fully cooperate, then Arizona has added a name without really solving the minutes problem. That is the catch. (on3.com) ### Why does this fit Tommy Lloyd specifically? Lloyd’s teams usually work best when the frontcourt gives the guards clean structure — screens, rim pressure, rebounding, basic interior stability. Jarusevicius looks like a fit move in that sense. He is not arriving as the face of the roster. He is arriving as a piece that can keep Arizona from playing too small or too improvised for too long. (247sports.com) ### What’s the real read here? This is a practical portal addition. Arizona signed Jarusevicius on May 11 because proven big bodies are hard to find late, and a healthy version of him fills a real need. If he stays available, this could end up being one of those quiet moves that matters more in January than it did in May. (on3.com)