Arizona basketball’s Paulius Murauskas will enter NCAA transfer portal
Apr 1, 2024, 10:29 AM | Updated: 10:35 am
Head coach Tommy Lloyd of the Arizona Wildcats reacts during the second half against the Dayton Flyers in the second round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Delta Center on March 23, 2024 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Arizona’s Paulius Murauskas will enter the NCAA transfer portal, ESPN’s Jonathan Givony reported on Monday. He’ll have three years of eligibility left.
The 6-foot-8 forward from Lithuania averaged 5 minutes, 2.7 points and 1.2 rebounds per game during his freshman season for Tommy Lloyd’s squad.
To highlight his brief Arizona career, Murauskas dropped 12 points in only six minutes of work against Arizona State on Feb. 17.
NEWS: Arizona’s Paulius Murauskas will enter the NCAA transfer portal, a source told ESPN. Should be a long line of suitors for the 6’8 Lithuanian power forward who led the 2022 U18 European Championship in scoring. Has three years of eligibility remaining. pic.twitter.com/WXwtYF2olP
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) April 1, 2024
Murauskas played two minutes in the Wildcats’ 85-65 win over Long Beach State in the first round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament. He didn’t play in Arizona’s 77-72 loss to Clemson in the Sweet 16 last Thursday.
247 Sports ranked Murauskas as a four-star recruit and the No. 1 player out of Lithuania in the 2023 recruiting class. He joined Motiejus Krivas, the No. 2 player from Lithuania, in Lloyd’s recruiting class.
Krivas had slightly better success as a freshman, averaging 5.4 points and 4.2 rebounds a game on 12.1 minutes.
Before his recruitment to Arizona, Murauskas led the 2022 FIBA U18 European Championship in points per game with 20.7.
He competed in 61 games at the pro level in the EuroCup and Lithuanian first division in 2023, averaging six points and three rebounds in 15 minutes per game.
Arizona is projected to lose four starters this offseason. Caleb Love, Pelle Larsson and Oumar Ballo are all expected not to return, while Keshad Johnson has exhausted all of his eligibility.
Filip Borovicanin, a sophomore forward from Serbia, is projected to return for next season. Last season, he averaged 2.3 points and 1.6 rebounds per game for the Wildcats.
The 2024 recruiting class also includes two wing players: four-stars Carter Bryant and Joson Sanon.
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