Arizona's Nov. 16 nonconference game with LMU won't be played at all

Arizona’s scheduled Nov. 16 game with Loyola Marymount is officially off the books.

LMU athletic director Craig Pintens confirmed to the Star that the Lions will not play the Wildcats this season, although they may pursue a new agreement to play them in the future.

“It was a game that coach (Stan) Johnson really wanted to play because we wanted to have that team in our environment,” Pintens said. "At the time when we signed the game contract, we were hoping that fans would be there.”

A “COVID-19” clause added to UA's game contracts last spring says both sides are to make good faith efforts to reschedule if the game cannot be played because of NCAA, conference or governmental ruling, and that neither party will be held liable if it cannot be rescheduled. The contract was signed on May 8, after the pandemic hit and after Johnson took over at LMU after being the associate head coach at Marquette.

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Because the NCAA moved the start date of the college basketball season from Nov. 10 to Nov. 25, the game would have had to have been pushed back or cancelled, and both teams need to reduce their games to a temporary maximum of 27 this season.

Arizona’s Nov. 20 game with Wyoming also has similar contract language and is likely to be moved to a future season, while the Wildcats' Nov. 10 game against NAU and a Nov. 16 game against Northern Colorado may be moved to a different date this season.

Loyola Marymount has not faced UA since Dec. 2, 2008, when the Wildcats beat the Lions 84-57 at McKale Center.