Arizona is nearing completion of a home-and-home series with Alabama that would complete the Wildcats’ 2017-18 schedule, with the first game tentatively set for next Dec. 9 at McKale.Β 

The return game will be played at Tuscaloosa, Alabama in 2018-19.

Arizona will not comment on series that do not have signed contracts in place, but the series is believed to have a very good chance of being finalized. The Tuscaloosa News' Cecil Hurt first tweeted about the possibility Wednesday, while Alabama coach Avery Johnson told USA Today’s Dan Wolken it will happen.

Arizona had been hoping to fill its Dec. 9-10 window with a home-and-home opponent, and it always had the chance to add a one-time guarantee game if not. It's likely that Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne, the former boss at Arizona, had something to do with the series happening. Byrne, who remains close with UA coach Sean Miller, left for the Southeastern Conference school in mid-January.Β 

Alabama was 19-15 last season and 10-8 in the SEC. The Tide finished with an RPI of 82.

The Wildcats are 0-2 against Alabama but have not played the Crimson Tide since 1990, when Arizona was beaten 77-55 in the NCAA Tournament at Long Beach, California.

Arizona has finalized nearly everything else about its 2017-18 schedule, including a Nov. 5 exhibition game with Chico State. The Wildcats will play two exhibitions instead of holding a closed scrimmage, and the other exhibition game will likely be against Eastern New Mexico on Nov. 1.

Arizona has yet to finalize the Red-Blue Game but it will likely be on Fri., Oct. 20.

Here's how the entire nonconference schedule appears as of now. It should be 100 percent final in early June, and Pac-12 weekend pairs should also be announced in June, with firm dates set later in the summer.

ARIZONA'S 2017-18 SCHEDULE

Aug. 11-19 Spain (exhibition). One game in Valencia, two in Barcelona, dates TBA.

Oct. 20 Red-Blue Game (TENTATIVE)

Nov. 1 Eastern New Mexico (exhibition) (TENTATIVE)

Nov. 5 Chico State (exhibition)

Nov. 10 NAU

Nov. 12 UMBC (Battle 4 Atlantis add-on game)

Nov. 16 Cal State Bakersfield

Nov. 22-24 Battle 4 Atlantis (Bracket TBA. Possible opponents: Villanova, Purdue, N.C. State, Tennessee, SMU, Western Kentucky, Northern Iowa)

Nov. 29 Long Beach State

Dec. 2 at UNLV

Dec. 5 Texas A&M (at Phoenix)

Dec. 9 Alabama (TENTATIVE)

Dec. 16 at New Mexico

Dec 18 North Dakota State

Dec 21 Connecticut

Pac-12 play will start weekend of Dec. 27-31

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