The Pac-12 has handed the Arizona Wildcats a few parting gifts for their final go-round in the conference.
While announcing exact dates, times and television for the 2023-24 schedule Thursday, the Pac-12 put 11 of Arizona’s 20 conference games on ESPN, Fox or CBS platforms while setting only three of them for 8:30 p.m. or later.
UA will have to finish conference play in Los Angeles at UCLA and USC, two teams expected to compete with UA for the league title, but the Wildcats will benefit in several other ways.
Among them:
They’ll start conference play with a road trip that begins comfortably after their Christmas break but also well before spring classes begin, playing at California on Dec. 29 and then at Stanford on Dec. 31.
In addition, the game against the Cardinal has been set for 2 p.m. Arizona time, allowing the Wildcats plenty of time to celebrate New Year’s Eve at home after their post-game charter flight.
The Wildcats will not only avoid the tricky two-game swing across Washington — the game at Washington will be skipped because of the Pac-12’s unbalanced schedule — but they will also have an entire week to practice, attend classes and make the long trip to Washington State in time for a Saturday afternoon game in the Palouse. UA has no other games scheduled that week.
A final UCLA-Arizona Pac-12 showdown at McKale Center was preserved, even though the conference’s initial schedule plan was to skip the game, and set for its traditional Saturday slot, on Jan. 20. The game time has not been announced but the game will be carried on ESPN or ESPN2.
The Wildcats’ second two-game road trip, to Oregon State and Oregon, will end with a 3:30 p.m. game against the Ducks, allowing players to arrive home before midnight via charter from the Eugene airport. Coaches have often cited long return trips home over weekends for hampering their week of preparation ahead.
Arizona can rest up after a potentially difficult trip to Utah and Colorado from Feb. 8-10 because the Wildcats will only face ASU at home on the Saturday of the the following week, on Feb. 17.
While all Pac-12 teams this year have to split one week up with a home and road game, the Wildcats will do so in the least disruptive way possible: They’ll play at ASU on Wednesday, Feb., 28, then return home for two full days of prep before hosting Oregon on March 2 (2024 is a leap year).
In what will be Arizona’s home season finale, the Wildcats’ game against the Ducks has been set for noon, allowing plenty of time for ceremonies and preparation for a potentially critical week ahead in Los Angeles.
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Arizona Basketball Press Conference - Tommy Lloyd (Sept. 29, 2023). (Arizona Athletics YouTube)
