The Pac-12 has set a start date for the 2020-21 basketball season. Now, the real work begins.
Adia Barnes must find opponents for the Wildcatsβ nonconference schedule, a task that was tough even before the pandemic. Few teams wanted to play a program on the upswing. Now, the Wildcats must try to find willing opponents that also have similar testing protocols as the Pac-12.
Barnes said sheβs happy with the Pac-12βs decision to start the season Nov. 25, even if she doesnβt have all the answers.
βIβm just so excited that weβre actually going to be able to play β we have a date,β she said. βWe know weβre playing β not just like, βOh, we think weβre going to play.β I think mentally for the players itβs important. I mean, weβre motivated, weβre working hard in practice. β¦ Theyβre excited, motivated. But the problem is (that) right now, we just donβt have a lot of answers.β
Questions remain, starting with the length of the Pac-12 schedule. Last year, the Wildcats played 18 conference games. Now, that number could jump to 20 or even 22.
The Pac-12βs womenβs basketball coaches took part in a conference call Friday morning, and should have some options by Tuesday. Once the conference slate is set, Barnes can start planning her nonconference slate. The UA typically pays teams between $25,000-$30,000 to travel to Tucson. Itβs unclear what a fan-less schedule means for game contracts.
Lots of other factors go into her strategy for this yearβs schedule.
βFrom a personal standpoint, for my team, Iβm going to try to do as many home games as I can, but then, you know, we have a disadvantage (playing) on the West Coast,β Barnes said. βWe donβt have 10 teams within two hours. Itβs a huge disadvantage of Pac-12.
βAnd we were all talking about that. And then do we want to go to 22 (conference) games? Thatβs a gauntlet. Thatβs tough for our conference. I think all those things, we donβt know.
βIβm probably more for the 20 games β¦ trying to mirror the men, play on the same weekend β¦ then weβre chartering β itβs just all those things. Itβs just the safest situation for the players.β
Then thereβs the question of which leagues will hold themselves to the same standards as the Pac-12. Barnes said she wonβt play nonconference teams that donβt have the same testing capabilities.
βI canβt even do anything until I know those things next week,β Barnes said. βBut Iβm still very interested in (playing) Gonzaga. Iβm still very interested in Texas. Our game was in November, so I donβt know if Texas is going to come here. Or I donβt know if Arkansas is going to travel to California. But Iβm still interested in some of those things. But Iβm not going to take our team to la tournament that doesnβt have a bubble-like thing and risk getting sick. β¦
βThe main thing is, weβre playing β¦ This is a better problem to have than nothing at all. But it is a challenge for all of us.β
Pandemic-era perks
A 20-game Pac-12 schedule would come with advantages. Among them: the possibility of joining the UA men on charter flights and potential doubleheaders played in mini-βbubblesβ during Pac-12 play.
Traveling with the men would be βsafer, because thereβs going to be a whole different set of issues traveling commercial,β Barnes said. βAnd itβs not the flights. Itβs the whole process of security, sitting in the airport.β
A strange season could lead to more national exposure for the UA, too. The Pac-12βs shortened football season β teams will play seven games instead of the usual 12 β will create more open time slots for the leagueβs television partners to fill. As a result, the UAβs nonconference games in November and December could end up airing on the Pac-12 Networks or ESPN.
Playing at the same site as the men, if that happens, could also lead to more games for the UA on national networks. ESPN typically shows games featuring the Pac-12βs best teams, and Arizona should fit the bill this season. The Wildcats are likely to be a constant on the Pac-12βs Networksβ βnationalβ channel, too β not just the regional ones.
A Pac-12 spokesperson said the league βis working with all of its TV partners to coordinate broadcast logistics and coverage for all sports now allowed to compete in November and beyond.β