In their mad scramble to find a replacement game this weekend that would prevent another long layoff, the Arizona Wildcats watched a Top 25 matchup with Colorado State slip out of their hands.
They could still wind up with another big showdown.
Seventh-ranked USC, which pulled out of a scheduled Jan. 2 game against Arizona in Los Angeles because of its COVID-19 issues, postponed Saturdayβs scheduled game against Stanford when the Cardinalβs own pause headed into a third week.
That leaves the Trojans open to play the Wildcats over the weekend, but a makeup game would have to be played without fans if it is held in Los Angeles. USC announced Tuesday it wonβt allow fans for indoor events until Jan.14. Coincidentally, the UA womenβs basketball team will play a makeup game at USC on Sunday; the teams announced their plans on Wednesday afternoon.
Earlier Wednesday, Arizona had all but nailed down a Saturday game at McKale Center against undefeated and 20th-ranked Colorado State, which had the date open because their scheduled opponent Friday, Boise State, went on a COVID-19 pause.
The Wildcats needed a legislative relief waiver from the NCAA to add another nonconference game, in case it pushed them over the scheduling maximum. By late Wednesday afternoon, however, the Mountain West Conference pulled Colorado State off the board.
The Mountain West adjusted its schedule to have Colorado State play San Diego State instead. The Aztecs announced earlier Wednesday that their scheduled opponent, Nevada, had backed out because of a COVID-19 pause.
Arizona will continue to look for a replacement for ASU, which announced Monday night that its game with the Wildcats set for Saturday had been postponed because of the Sun Devilsβ health and safety issues.
Before they hosted Washington on Monday at McKale Center, the Wildcats were already off for 12 days after facing Tennessee on Dec. 21 because COVID-19 issues forced UCLA and USC to pull out of games against UA and ASU over New Yearβs weekend.
Arizona and UCLA could have made up their game in the middle of this week, but doing so would have required travel and scouting on short notice for the Wildcats, whose coaches had planned to go out recruiting on Tuesday.
When asked Tuesday if he could have played Arizona, UCLA coach Mick Cronin said he had already contacted the conference to air concerns about needing games, and that the Pac-12 controlled the conference rescheduling. The Bruins announced later Tuesday they would instead host Long Beach State on Thursday.
The conference issued a statement to the Star on Wednesday saying it had βfinal authorityβ to reschedule games, but gives consideration to all parties involved β including media partners.
The Pac-12 is βalways working in conjunction with our campuses to understand their preferences and constraints, being mindful of student-athlete health and safety, as well as consideration and availability of broadcast/media, facilities and staffing,β it said.
That statement was consistent with how UA coach Tommy Lloyd described the process Sunday, when asked about the rescheduling of the two Los Angeles games.
βItβs definitely a collaboration between both teams and the conference office,β Lloyd said. βObviously the conference office has the final call, but I think they try to work with the schools and listen to their concerns on certain game dates.β
Playing USC in Los Angeles this weekend would require the Wildcats to scrape together travel plans on short notice, but the Wildcats have expressed a willingness to do so in order to get the game in. But the conference had not issued a decision at the end of the work day on Wednesday.
Three schools bar fans
At a time when COVID-19 concerns may have helped keep the McKale Center crowd to well below 10,000 on Monday when UA hosted Washington, three California Pac-12 schools will not be giving fans a choice to attend for the near future. Only playersβ families will be allowed for upcoming games held at Stanford, UCLA and USC.
UCLA said only that fans wonβt be allowed to watch the Long Beach State game in person and USC said it wonβt allow fans to indoor events through Jan. 14, while Stanford said fans will be allowed to return to indoor games βas soon as appropriate.β
Stanfordβs policy is expected to still be in effect if the Cardinal hosts Arizona on Jan. 20 as scheduled, taking away what is often a strong and vocal UA crowd at Maples Pavilion.
Mathurin named to Wooden Award list
Arizona sophomore wing Bennedict Mathurin on Wednesday jumped onto the midseason watch list for the Wooden Award, one of college basketballβs major player of the year awards.
Mathurin was not named to the Wooden Awardβs 50-player preseason watch list, which included three UCLA players (Tyger Campbell, Johnny Juzang and Jaime Jaquez) plus USCβs Isaiah Mobley and Oregonβs Will Richardson. But his explosive play in the early season moved him ahead of many players on the list who were dropped at midseason.
Averaging 18.9 points and 6.5 rebounds over 13 games so far this season, Mathurin has been on a roll in big games lately. Between the Wildcatsβ two Pac-12 games and nonconference games at Illinois and Tennessee, Mathurin is averaging 28.5 points while shooting 60.9% from the field.
The Pac-12 now has four Pac-12 players on the midseason watch list, with Mathurin joining Jaquez and Mobley.
