The first time the Arizona Wildcats put on game uniforms this season, during an August exhibition in Tel Aviv, Paulius Murauskas and Filip Borovicanin were standouts.
Four days after the Wildcats put their uniforms away for the season, both were gone.
Borovicanin, the Wildcatsβ sophomore wing from Serbia, announced via Instagram on Monday that he would enter the transfer portal, while ESPN reported Murauskas, a freshman forward from Lithuania, would do the same.
Neither move was a surprise, considering they were the first two players outside the UAβs eight-player rotation this season. The Wildcats also had no rotation players miss a single game all season, limiting the reserves' opportunities.
"Nothing in life is easy, neither is my basketball journey," Borovicanin posted. "When I came to Arizona, I thought it was a stepping stone to some of my biggest dreams, but not everything is always as you imagine.
"I am grateful for this experience and the wonderful two years in Arizona where I made many friends and came out stronger from it all. I open the transfer portal and promise that one day I will get what I came to America for."
Borovicanin became a close friend of UA point guard Kylan Boswell, whose future at Arizona also appears uncertain, while spending two seasons outside the Wildcatsβ rotation.
Now Borovicanin will try to follow the same path as former UA wing Adama Bal of France, who played only sparingly for Arizona as a freshman and sophomore, then transferred to Santa Clara and became a standout for the Broncos this season.
As Bal did toward the end of his freshman season with the Wildcats, Borovicanin looked in August like he could turn into a sophomore who made the playing rotation. While starting for Arizona against Israel Select in Tel Aviv, Borovicanin had 13 points, eight rebounds and six assists in 23 minutes to lead UA to 124-77 exhibition win.
βFilipβs a really good player and heβs starting to come into his own a little bit,β UA coach Tommy Lloyd said after that game. βHis confidence is starting to grow and I think this will be a great first step for him.β
Murauskas followed a similar pattern: He had 17 points while making 5 of 7 3-pointers against Israel Select, then had three regular-season games of double-digit minutes in November before playing only spot minutes the rest of the way.
Lloyd, however, said earlier this season that Murauskas was not only dealing with an adjustment to the college game but also in having to play power forward instead of small forward.
βI think heβs figuring out the Arizona style of basketball,β Lloyd said in Tel Aviv. βHeβs figuring out playing in the U.S., the changes that come with that. β¦ But the longer we practice, the more heβs trended up.
βSo I think heβs an impact-type guy. What he did (against Israel Select) really didnβt surprise me.β
Murauskas entered Arizona as an older freshman, having turned 20 in February, while having brought wife and child with him to Arizona (he said his wife was taking online classes while he studied at UA).
On the court, he picked up high-level experience before arriving in Arizona. Playing for Lithuania's Lietkabelis club last season, Murauskas averaged 6.6 points while shooting 38.4% from 3-point range. He also played 18 high-level EuroCup games, averaging 4.4 points while shooting 23.3% from 3-point range.
At Arizona this season, Murauskas was Arizonaβs top 3-point percentage shooter (51.9) but took only 27 3s while averaging just 5.0 minutes in the games he played. Murauskas appeared in just 23 of UAβs 36 games, with only a sprinkle of minutes since December when the game was on the line.
Asked during the Pac-12 Tournament about his season, Murauskas said college basketball was totally different than European professional ball but expressed no doubt in his abilities.
βIβm really confident in myself,β Murauskas said. βI think my time will come and weβll see.β
Borovicanin wound up getting in just 20 games this season, four more than as a freshman in 2022-23, while averaging 5.5 minutes in them. He rarely played when a game was in question, though Lloyd played both Borovicanin and Murauskas briefly when the Wildcats appeared lackluster in a 78-76 loss at USC on March 9.
Still, before the NCAA Tournament began, Borovicanin said he was staying ready in case the opportunity arose.
βYou don't know what's gonna happen in the game,β Borovicanin said. βPlayers is going to get fifth foul or whatever. Anything can happen in the game, so you need to be ready always to jump in and do your best to help the team win the game.β
Lloyd last played Borovicanin significantly in UAβs 100-81 win at Cal on Dec. 29, while playing Murauskas six minutes two days later at Stanford, when Murausakas poured in eight points during the Wildcatsβ 100-82 loss.
βI want to play them all, and theyβve all earned an opportunity,β Lloyd said at Cal. βBut I donβt want to disrupt our teamβs rhythm totally. β¦ Also, this is high-level basketball and things have got to be earned.β
