Arizona has its non-conference slate set, and it starts with a busy October inside McKale.
The Wildcats will play three exhibition games at home before the regular season even gets rolling, opening against San Francisco on October 13. San Diego State comes next on October 16, and Eastern Washington rounds out that stretch on October 23.
The first real test arrives right away in Las Vegas, where Arizona opens the regular season against UCLA on November 2. That game closes out a three-game series that saw UCLA win in Phoenix in 2024 and Arizona take the last meeting in Los Angeles in November.
From there, the Wildcats return home for their first regular-season game at McKale on November 5 against Cal Poly. NAU visits on November 10, then Auburn comes to town on November 13 as the home-and-home series that started last season continues.
Arizona’s November schedule stays loaded after that. The Wildcats meet UConn on November 18, then head into the Maui Classic on November 23. Arizona opens that event against Colorado State, with the winner moving on to face the winner of Providence and VCU.
December brings another stretch of high-profile and scattered matchups. Arizona is back home on December 1 to play New Orleans, then travels to New York four days later for St.
John’s. A week after that, the Wildcats take on Tennessee Tech on December 12, then meet Arkansas in Phoenix one week later.
The non-conference schedule wraps up with home games against Northern Illinois and Incarnate Word.
In Other News...
Arizona Fans Will Hate Where This NCAA Double Standard Leads
Alabama State has accepted the NCAA Committee on Infractions ruling tied to a football records case that drew the kind of attention no program wants, taking three years of probation, a $30,000 fine and an added financial penalty equal to 1% of the football budget. The schools response was notable not just for the punishment itself, but for how openly it pushed back on the NCAAs handling of the matter, arguing that the governing body has not applied its standards consistently.
For Arizona fans, the frustration comes from where this trail leads. The same player at the center of the Alabama State case later became part of the Wildcats roster conversation, and the eligibility questions surrounding him helped turn a records issue into a much broader debate about how the NCAA weighs responsibility from one school to the next. Alabama States acceptance closes one chapter, but it also leaves Arizona supporters staring at a double standard they are unlikely to forget anytime soon. [Read more 🡒]
Arizona Just Unveiled A Brutal Nonconference Path For Another Deep Run
Arizonas path to another deep run is already taking shape, and it looks every bit as demanding as youd expect from a program trying to stay on the national stage. The Wildcats have unveiled a 17-game nonconference schedule loaded with marquee stops and plenty of chances to be tested early, from a trip to the Maui Invitational to neutral-site games against UCLA in Las Vegas, St. Johns at Madison Square Garden and Arkansas in Phoenix. There are also 10 home dates at McKale Center, plus a regular-season opener against Cal Poly before Big 12 play arrives in early January.
The real value of a slate like this is that it gives Arizona very little room to coast before league play begins. The Maui field alone can shape the early tone of the season, and the Wildcats will also get three exhibition games against Division I opponents, a wrinkle made possible by a recent NCAA rule change. For a team with postseason expectations, the schedule is less about easing in and more about finding out quickly whether it has the depth and toughness to handle another long winter. [Read more 🡒]