With sweat falling, Arizona Wildcats forward Ira Lee (11) spins around Illinois Fighting Illini center Kofi Cockburn (21) during the first half of the Arizona Wildcats vs Illinois Fighting Illini at McKale Center on November 10th, 2019.

Arizona drew another afternoon game for next season, when Illinois announced Tuesday its Dec. 11 game with the Wildcats will start at 4 p.m. CT and 3 p.m. Arizona time.

The game, which is a return of Illinois' appearance at McKale Center early in the 2019-20 season,  will be carried on Fox. It was scheduled to be played in Champaign last season but both sides agreed to move it to 2021-22 because of COVID issues.

Arizona received 62 total points from then-freshmen Nico Mannion (23), Josh Green (20) and Zeke Nnaji (19) in its 90-69 win over the Illini on Nov. 11, 2019, which turned out to be one of the Wildcats' biggest wins that season.

Illinois junior 7-footer Kofi Cockburn, now a contender for player of the year, had nine points and seven rebounds in that game as a freshman.

Overall this season, the Wildcats will play 10 games that start at 4 p.m. or earlier,  though at least seven of the Wildcats' games will tip off at 8 p.m. or later, including three at 9 p.m.

Here's the entire schedule to date. Home games in ALL CAPS:

Oct. 2: RED-BLUE GAME, 3 p.m. (Pac-12 Arizona)

Oct. 23: Saint Mary's, at Phoenix (closed scrimmage)

Nov. 1: EASTERN NEW MEXICO (exhibition), 7 p.m., Pac-12 Networks

Nov. 9: NAU, 8:30 p.m. (Pac-12 Arizona)

Nov 12: UTRGV, 7 p.m. (Pac-12 Arizona)

Nov. 16: NORTH DAKOTA STATE (MGM Main Event), 7 p.m. (Pac-12 Arizona)

Nov. 19: Wichita State (MGM Main Event), 8 p.m. (ESPNU)

Nov. 21: Michigan or UNLV (MGM Main Event), 7:30 p.m or 10 p.m. (ESPN or ESPN2)

Nov. 27: SACRAMENTO STATE, 5:30 p.m. (Pac-12 Arizona)

Dec. 2: WASHINGTON, 6:30 p.m. (Pac-12 Arizona)

Dec. 5: at Oregon State, 2 p.m. (ESPNU)

Dec. 8: WYOMING, 8 p.m. (Pac-12 Networks)

Dec. 11: at Illinois, 3 p.m. (Fox)

Dec. 15: NORTHERN COLORADO, 7 p.m. (Pac-12 Arizona)

Dec. 18: CAL BAPTIST, 4 p.m. (Pac-12 Arizona) 

Dec. 22: at Tennessee, 5 p.m. (ESPN2)

Dec. 30: at UCLA, 7 p.m. (ESPN2)

Jan. 2: at USC, 3 p.m. (ESPN or ESPN2)

Jan. 8: at ASU, 12 p.m. or 2 p.m. (Fox Sports 1)

Jan. 13: COLORADO, 9 p.m. (Fox Sports 1)

Jan. 20: at Stanford, 9 p.m. (ESPNU)

Jan. 23: at Cal, 1 p.m. (Pac-12 Arizona)

Jan. 29: ASU, 12:30 p.m. (Ch. 13)

Feb. 3: UCLA, 6 p.m. or 7 p.m. (ESPN)

Feb. 5: USC, 3 p.m (Ch. 11)

Feb. 10: at Washington State, 7 p.m. (Fox Sports 1)

Feb. 12: at Washington, 4 p.m. (Pac-12 Arizona)

Feb. 17: OREGON STATE, 5:30 p.m. (Pac-12 Arizona)

Feb. 19: OREGON, 8 p.m. (ESPN or ESPN2)

Feb. 24: at Utah, 9 p.m. (Fox Sports 1)

Feb. 26: at Colorado, 6 p.m. or 8 p.m. (ESPN2 or ESPNU)

March 3: STANFORD, 7 p.m. (ESPN2 or ESPNU)

March 5: CAL, 3 p.m. (Pac-12 Arizona)

March 9-12: Pac-12 Tournament, Las Vegas (Pac-12 Networks, Fox Sports 1 and Ch. 11)


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