Arizona and Alabama have signed contracts cementing their two-year home-and-home series, according to UA basketball operations director Ryan Reynolds, completing the Wildcats' 2017-18 nonconference schedule.
UA wound up with half of its nonconference games (other than those in the competitive Battle 4 Atlantis field) against teams who posted RPIs between 59-121 last season, though its highest-rated opponent isΒ Cal State Bakersfield in a "guarantee" game.Β
The Roadrunners were also invited to McKale last season, playing the shorthanded Wildcats within 12 points. Guarantee opponents such as Bakersfield are paid flat fees, usually between $85,000-$95,000, instead of getting the Wildcats to return the game at their home.
Alabama will likely be the biggest name opponent Arizona will play at McKale. The two-year home-and-home series the Tide signed with the Wildcats was mostly negotiated between UA coach Sean Miller and Alabama AD Greg Byrne, though Reynolds said Alabama coach Avery Johnson was also interested.
If UNLV (239) and Long Beach State (213) are better next season, only NAU (335) could seriously drag the Wildcats down, though that game is played for obvious noncompetitive reasons that include the fact that Lumberjacks coach Jack Murphy is a former UA staffer.
Nonconference game times and the Pac-12 games won't be announced until late summer, though the Pac-12 is expected to announce the weekend schedule pairs this month.
Arizona has yet to finalize the Red-Blue Game but it will likely be on Fri., Oct. 20.
ARIZONA'S 2017-18 SCHEDULE (with 2017-18 RPI in parentheses)
Aug. 13 Exhibition game TBA, Valencia, Spain (tentative date)
Aug. 16 Exhibition game TBA, Barcelona, Spain (tentative date)
Aug. 18 Exhibition game TBA, Barcelona, Spain (tentative date)
Oct. 20 Red-Blue Game intrasquad scrimmage (tentative date)
Nov. 1 Eastern New Mexico (exhibition)Β
Nov. 5 Chico State (exhibition)
Nov. 10 NAU (335)
Nov. 12 UMBC (157) (Battle 4 Atlantis add-on game)Β
Nov. 16 Cal State Bakersfield (59)
Nov. 22-24 Battle 4 Atlantis (Bracket TBA. Possible opponents: Villanova (3), Purdue (18), N.C. State (138), Tennessee (80), SMU (16), Western Kentucky (225), Northern Iowa (158)
Nov. 29 Long Beach State (213)
Dec. 2 at UNLV (239)
Dec. 5 Texas A&M (93) (at Phoenix)
Dec. 9 Alabama (82)
Dec. 16 at New Mexico (87)
Dec 18 North Dakota State (110)
Dec 21 Connecticut (121)
Pac-12 play will start weekend of Dec. 27-31. Weekend pairs TBA later this month, dates TBA in August or September.
The one-time "guarantee" games are against NAU, UMBC (technically part of the Atlantis event), Bakersfield, LBSU, and North Dakota State.
Of the multiple year series games:
-- UNLV is the final installment of a four-year series that started between Sean Miller and then-UNLV coach Dave Rice.
-- Texas A&M is the final game in a semi-neutral series that put the teams in Houston last season.
-- Alabama will host a second game with UA on Dec. 9, 2018.
-- New Mexico is the final game of a two-year series that began at McKale last season.
-- UConn is the first game in a two-year series that will continue next season at Storrs, Conn.
Also in 2018-19, Arizona will open a home-and-home series with Baylor at McKale Center.
The Wildcats will also play in the Maui Invitational, as part of a loaded field that includes Duke, Xavier, Gonzaga, San Diego State, Auburn, Illinois and Iowa State.
