The Arizona Wildcats men’s basketball team will open their first Big 12 conference season at home against the TCU Horned Frogs, part of a 20-game league schedule that ends in early March with a trip to one of basketball’s most hallowed arenas.
The Wildcats wrap up the season with a March 8 trip to Kansas to face the Jayhawks.
In between, Arizona will face every team in the Big 12 at least once, a league that sent eight teams to the NCAA Tournament a season ago, along with three teams to the men’s postseason NIT. The Big 12 has finished the season with the nation’s best average NET ranking for four consecutive seasons, cementing its status as the top league in the sport.
Arizona reached last year’s Sweet 16 in its third season under coach Tommy Lloyd.
Opponents were selected based on a combination of geography, historical results and a poll of the coaches to best balance the schedule in terms of travel and competitiveness. This is the first time the league has adopted a 20-game conference schedule.
Along with the Big 12 slate, the non-conference schedule is also complete and features huge game at Wisconsin on Nov. 15, at home against Duke on Nov. 22 and in Phoenix against UCLA on Dec. 15.
Arizona will also play in the Battle 4 Atlantis in the Bahamas starting on Nov. 27 against Davidson. Other potential opponents could be Providence or Oklahoma in the second round and Indiana, Louisville, West Virginia or Gonzaga in the last round.
If the Wildcats ended up with WVU, it would be a preview of their Jan. 7 showdown in Morgantown.
(all times local)
Oct. 4 Red-Blue Showcase (Tucson), 6:30 p.m.
Oct. 11 Red-Blue Showcase (Glendale), 6:30 p.m.
Oct. 21 vs. Eastern New Mexico (exhibition), TBA
Oct. 28 vs. Point Loma (exhibition), TBA
Nov. 4 vs. Canisius, TBA
Nov. 9 vs. Old Dominion, TBA
Nov. 15 at Wisconsin, TBA
Nov. 22 vs. Duke, TBA
Nov. 27 vs. Davidson@, 5:30 p.m.
Nov. 28 vs. Providence or Oklahoma@, TBA 3 or 5:30 p.m.
Nov. 29 vs. Indiana/Louisville/West Virginia/Gonzaga@, TBA
Dec. 7 vs. Southern Utah, TBA
Dec. 15 vs. UCLA#, TBA
Dec. 18 vs. Samford, TBA
Dec. 21 vs. Central Michigan, TBA
Dec. 30 vs. TCU*, TBA
Jan. 4 at Cincinnati*, TBA
Jan. 7 at West Virginia*, TBA
Jan. 11 vs. UCF*, TBA
Jan. 14 vs. Baylor*, TBA
Jan. 18 at Texas Tech*, TBA
Jan. 21 at Oklahoma State*, TBA
Jan. 25 vs. Colorado*, TBA
Jan. 27 vs. Iowa State*, TBA
Feb. 1 at Arizona State*, TBA
Feb. 4 at BYU*, TBA
Feb. 8 vs. Texas Tech*, TBA
Feb. 11 at Kansas State*, TBA
Feb. 15 vs. Houston*, TBA
Feb. 17 at Baylor*, TBA
Feb. 22 vs. BYU*, TBA
Feb. 26 vs. Utah*, TBA
March 1 at Iowa State*, TBA
March 4 vs. Arizona State*, TBA
March 8 at Kansas*, TBA
March 11-15: Big 12 Tournament, Kansas City, Mo.
All home games in bold and at McKale Memorial Center, Tucson, Ariz.; *-Big 12 Conference games; @-Battle 4 Atlantis, Nassau, The Bahamas; #-at Footprint Center, Phoenix, Ariz.; Big 12 Tournament is at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Mo.
