Caleb Holt did not disappoint in his homecoming, leading Arizona to victory against Auburn, 80-69, at Neville Arena in Alabama.
Holt, who grew up in Huntsville, had season-highs of 24 points, nine rebounds, and five steals. He shot 8-of-19, including 4-of-6 from rainbow territory. The No. 12 Wildcats won their third straight game after dropping their first assignment against UCLA.
Arizona stymied Auburn's late rally, with JJ Mandaquit, Motiejus Krivas, and Ivan Kharchenkov delivering down the stretch.
Flanked by his teammates, Holt was fired up in the postgame interview, saying winning in his home state “means everything.”
“I got all these guys behind me. They knew I was coming to my home state, and they had my back. I just came out and played free. I just went out and hooped,” said Holt.
“Just not putting too much pressure on myself, and just going out playing the game I can play.”
Alabama native Caleb Holt reacts to Arizona's first SEC road win since 2016 after defeating Auburn 🙌 pic.twitter.com/JozAgcktf6
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) November 14, 2026
The 18-year-old freshman said he tries to stay focused on the little things, adding that he is not only bent on scoring.
Article Continues Below“I bring everything. I feel like I'm a free safety on the defensive side. I played football growing up, so I just think, ‘What would I do if I was on offense?' I use that with my defensive ability. I just try to read the floor and try to be on the offensive guy's mind. I watch a lot of guys in the NBA on the defensive side so I can try to translate that onto the court,” added Holt.
The fleet-footed guard is averaging 17.2 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 2.5 steals.
Arizona will face an acid test against Connecticut on Wednesday.