Arizona will face UCLA, Auburn, UConn, St. John’s and Arkansas as part of an unforgiving nonconference schedule that should reveal plenty about the Wildcats before league play begins.
Arizona basketball will not need to wait long to learn where it stands nationally. The Wildcats released their complete nonconference schedule, and it includes enough heavyweight matchups to resemble an NCAA Tournament bracket. Arizona will face UCLA, Auburn, UConn, St. John’s and Arkansas while also participating in the Maui Classic.
That is a daunting collection of opponents for a program carrying its usual championship expectations.
Arizona opens with a familiar rival
Arizona begins the regular season against UCLA in Las Vegas on Nov. 2, according to Jason Scheer of 247Sports. It will be the final installment of a three-game series in which the teams have split the first two meetings.
UCLA won the 2024 matchup in Phoenix before Arizona answered with a victory in Los Angeles last November. Moving the deciding game to Las Vegas gives the former Pac-12 rivalry an appropriately large stage.
The Wildcats then return to McKale Center for games against Cal Poly on Nov. 5 and Northern Arizona on Nov. 10. Those contests should offer Arizona a chance to make adjustments before the difficulty rises sharply.
Auburn visits Tucson on Nov. 13 to complete a home-and-home series that began last season. Five days later, Arizona will meet UConn in another game with significant national appeal.
Maui begins another difficult stretch
Arizona opens the Maui Classic against Colorado State on Nov. 23. A victory would produce a second-round matchup against either Providence or VCU, with another game awaiting the Wildcats afterward.
The schedule remains challenging once Arizona returns from Hawaii.
After hosting New Orleans on Dec. 1, the Wildcats travel to New York to face St. John’s on Dec. 5. Playing Rick Pitino’s program away from Tucson should provide Arizona with another valuable early-season test in a difficult environment.
Tennessee Tech visits McKale Center on Dec. 12 before Arizona meets Arkansas in Phoenix one week later. The Wildcats close nonconference play with home games against Northern Illinois and Incarnate Word.
Arizona will also play three October exhibitions against San Francisco, San Diego State and Eastern Washington. Although those games will not count in the standings, they should help the Wildcats prepare for an opener carrying considerably more weight than the typical early-November tuneup.
This schedule comes with risk, but it also gives Arizona repeated opportunities to build a strong NCAA Tournament résumé. By the time conference play arrives, there should be little mystery about whether the Wildcats belong among the nation’s elite.
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