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Arizona Basketball: Ranking Wildcats 2019-20 non-conference opponents

By Tristan Freeman

LAHAINA, HI - NOVEMBER 20: Ira Lee and Dylan Smith #3 of the Arizona Wildcats block out Rui Hachimura #21 of the Gonzaga Bulldogs during a free throw attempt during the first half of the game at the Lahaina Civic Center on November 20, 2018 in Lahaina, Hawaii. (Photo by Darryl Oumi/Getty Images)
LAHAINA, HI - NOVEMBER 20: Ira Lee and Dylan Smith #3 of the Arizona Wildcats block out Rui Hachimura #21 of the Gonzaga Bulldogs during a free throw attempt during the first half of the game at the Lahaina Civic Center on November 20, 2018 in Lahaina, Hawaii. (Photo by Darryl Oumi/Getty Images) /
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NEW YORK, NY – MARCH 24: (L-R) Johnathan Motley #5, Al Freeman #25 and Ishmail Wainright #24 of the Baylor Bears react on court against the South Carolina Gamecocks during the 2017 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament East Regional at Madison Square Garden on March 24, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY – MARCH 24: (L-R) Johnathan Motley #5, Al Freeman #25 and Ishmail Wainright #24 of the Baylor Bears react on court against the South Carolina Gamecocks during the 2017 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament East Regional at Madison Square Garden on March 24, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /

3. Illinois Illini (Nov 10)

2018-19 record: 12-21 (7-13)

It’s a nice early matchup between two programs looking to get back to the NCAA Tournament. Illinois returns the team’s top four scorers from last season, including projected first-round NBA Draft pick Ayo Dosunmu. The Illini also brings in top-40 center Kofi Cockburn to shore up the frontcourt. Nico Mannion and Dosunmu will be a fun matchup at the point guard position, with the winner getting an early quality win for their resume.

2. (A) Baylor Bears (Dec 7)

2018-19 record: 20-14 (10-8)

Leading scorer Makai Mason and veteran guard King McClure are gone but Baylor returns several key players, including rising sophomore Jared Butler and wing Mario Kegler. Transfers Macio Teague and Davion Mitchell will provide needed perimeter depth while the return of both Tristan Clark and Jake Lindsey from injury makes the Bears even more dangerous than a year ago. This is a smaller team but is loaded with scorers that’ll give them an advantage in the Big 12. This is the lone true road game for Arizona so a win here would be massive for their resume.

1. Gonzaga Bulldogs (Dec 14)

2018-19 record: 33-4 (16-0)

Despite losing three players to the NBA Draft along with four-year point guard starter Josh Perkins, Gonzaga has reloaded in a big way. Grad transfers Admon Gilder and Ryan Wooldridge make up the backcourt, while Killian Tillie and Filip Petrusev creates a versatile frontcourt offensively. The Bulldogs also bring in a top-15 recruiting class that includes top-50 prospects Anton Watson and Drew Timme. These are arguably the two best programs in the west coast and the Wildcats are looking for revenge from last year’s Maui defeat. With the game in Tucson, Arizona looks to even up the score.

Biggest winners/losers of 2019 recruiting classes. dark. Next

This is a very manageable schedule for a young team looking to get back to top-tier status without doing too much with such a young core of players. The top goals include defending homecourt and getting out of the Wooden Legacy Tournament without a bad loss. If that can happen, Arizona will be in great shape heading into Pac-12 play.

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