Pac-12 considering 'hybrid' 20-game basketball schedule to maximize marquee matchups

SCOTTSDALE — Among the more interesting proposals Pac-12 basketball coaches are considering in a potential 20-game schedule is a “hybrid” model that is designed to ensure high-profile matchups are played twice during the regular season.

Currently, all Pac-12 teams play their “geographic” rival twice, then play rotating slate of six teams twice and four teams once, to equal 18 games. Last season, Arizona didn’t travel to face UCLA or USC and didn’t host the Washington schools.

Under the hybrid model, Pac-12 teams could play six teams round-robin as they do now, but the extra two games would be ensured to create round-robins of similarly rated teams who would otherwise play just once.

In other words, it would likely have forced Arizona to match up at least with USC last season in Los Angeles as well playing the Trojans at McKale Center. USC finished second in the Pac-12 but did not make the NCAA Tournament.

“I think it hurt USC this year not having the Arizonas on their homecourt,” Utah coach Larry Krystkowiak said.

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The drawback, of course, is that Washington State wouldn’t get a second crack at Arizona while USC would. But under a system that prioritizes the best teams against the best, Krystkowiak said, the lesser team wouldn’t need the game because it wouldn’t be vying for an NCAA Tournament spot anyway.

There’s still no telling if the conference will move to a 20-game schedule at all, however. A vote won’t be held this week and a change wouldn’t come before 2019-20 at the earliest.

Arizona AD Dave Heeke said a number of models are going to be examined before a vote can be held and UA coach Sean Miller declined comment.

Washington coach Mike Hopkins and Colorado coach Tad Boyle said they were undecided but open to the idea of playing 20 games and even WSU coach Ernie Kent — the league’s dean of coaches, if you count his time at Oregon — was open to the idea of playing more than the historic 18-game set.

“We’re in a day and time where all of us have to think outside the box because it’s just different now,” Kent said. “It’s so much more competitive across the landscape. So whatever it takes to get teams in we have to look at and consider.”