Arizona will face St. John’s at San Francisco’s new Chase Center on Dec. 21 next season, according to a game contract obtained by the Star in response to a public-records request.
The game isn't expected to be formally announced until next month by the Basketball Hall of Fame, which is organizing the event.
Arizona will receive $100,000 plus 250 premium-section tickets for the St. John's game, which will be played in the Golden State Warriors’ new home. It was also expected to be a homecoming of sorts for former Warriors star Chris Mullin, but Mullin resigned from St. John’s last month.
A change of opponent is allowed under the contract terms, if UA and the Hall of Fame agree on another one, but it is not expected.
MORE: Arizona sets date with St. John's to round out 2019 nonconference schedule
The Wildcats' nonconference schedule is now finalized but its Pac-12 portion remains uncertain except for schedule skips of the Utah/Colorado road trip and the Cal/Stanford home weekend.
UA’s marquee nonconference events next season also include previously disclosed games at home against Gonzaga and New Mexico State, plus a road game at Baylor and participation in the Wooden Legacy event in Anaheim, Calif., over Thanksgiving weekend.
At McKale, UA also will host South Dakota State, NAU, Nebraska-Omaha, San Jose State and Long Beach State.
The Wildcats’ game with Long Beach State will effectively serve as an unbracketed fourth game of the Wooden Legacy event, giving the Wildcats and 49ers a chance to play four games that will only be counted as three toward the NCAA schedule maximum.
The Wooden Legacy bracket is also not yet announced but UA and Long Beach State will likely be placed on opposite sides of the bracket since they are playing each other beforehand. (Arizona had the same arrangement with Boise State in the 2015 Wooden Legacy but still wound up playing the Broncos after doing so at McKale.)
The Pac-12 schedule is expected to begin the weekend of Jan. 1-5, 2020. Weekend schedule pairs will likely be announced in July and exact dates and times in September.
Arizona's 2019-20 nonconference schedule (Home games in CAPS):
Nov. 6 NAU
Nov. 10 ILLINOIS
Nov. 14 SAN JOSE STATE
Nov. 17 NEW MEXICO STATE
Nov. 21 SOUTH DAKOTA STATE
Nov. 24 LONG BEACH STATE (Wooden Legacy add-on game)
Nov. 28, 29 and Dec. 1 Wooden Legacy, at Anaheim (Calif.) Convention Center
Bracket TBA. Participating teams: UCF, Charleston, Long Beach State, Penn, Pepperdine, Providence, Wake Forest
Dec. 7 at Baylor
Dec. 11 NEBRASKA-OMAHA
Dec. 14 GONZAGA
Dec. 21 St. John’s (in San Francisco, Basketball Hall of Fame event)
Jan. 1-5 Pac-12 season begins. Dates and times TBA.
UA signees Terry Armstrong and Zeke Nnaji are expected to play in the Iverson Classic Friday at 3:30 p.m. on Sling. Nico Mannion was listed on the initial roster but is not expected to play.
