Intentional or not, Arizona men’s basketball coach Tommy Lloyd is on a mission to schedule non-conference opponents who have recently been to a Final Four.
The latest addition to Arizona’s 2025-26 calendar is a date with San Diego State in Phoenix on Dec. 20. Jon Rothstein reports that Arizona will play San Diego State at PHX Arena, formerly known as Footprint Center. Former Pac-12 foes Stanford and Colorado will also face off as part of a doubleheader.
This will be the third season in a row Arizona has played a December non-conference game in Phoenix. The UA beat Alabama in 2023 and lost to UCLA in 2024.
San Diego State has remained one of the west coast’s most consistent programs under Brian Dutcher. The Aztecs have made the NCAA Tournament in five straight seasons, most notably reaching the national championship game of the 2023 Final Four, where they lost to UConn.
San Diego State becomes the sixth non-conference opponent on Arizona’s schedule to have made a Final Four since 2021.
In addition to San Diego State, Arizona has games scheduled with 2025 champion Florida, 2025 semifinalist Auburn, 2023-2024 champion UConn, 2024 semifinalist Alabama and 2021 semifinalist UCLA.
Arizona is 25-7 all-time against San Diego State and has won the last five meetings. The two programs most recently met in the 2022 Maui Invitational, where the Wildcats pulled away with an 87-70 victory.
Arizona is 3-0 vs. the Aztecs on a neutral court.