11/01/2026 | General
Dear Wildcats,
The calendar has flipped to November, which is one of the busiest months on the college sports calendar. Ten of our programs are in action this week, highlighted by our men's and women's basketball programs tipping off their seasons today in Las Vegas and our football team hosting a nationally televised contest Friday night as part of our university's annual Sandstorm week.
Opening Day
Both our men's and women's basketball teams open regular season action today against former Pac-12 foes at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas as part of the TNT Sports Hall of Fame Series. Coach Burke's squad tips the day off at 11:30 a.m. against Stanford on CBS Sports Network, and Coach Lloyd's fifth-ranked Wildcats play UCLA tonight at 8 p.m. on TNT. Tune in!
You will notice both teams wearing a new jersey patch on their uniforms. This past Friday we announced a landmark partnership with Carvana, which designates them as the exclusive auto partner of Arizona Athletics, the official jersey patch partner for Wildcats men's and women's basketball, and an official University of Arizona partner.
Carvana has deep Arizona roots and shares our commitment to innovation, competitive excellence, and community engagement. The depth of this partnership showcases the power of the Wildcats brand and creates impactful NIL opportunities for our men's and women's basketball student-athletes. We appreciate everyone who worked together to bring this to life, particularly Arizona Sports Enterprises, which brokered the deal.
Our men's squad returns to Tucson for its home opener on Thursday against Cal Poly at 8:30 p.m. Our women welcome Iona for their home opener on Sunday at 1 p.m. We hope to see you at McKale Center at ALKEME Arena all season long! Click here or call 520-621-CATS to secure your tickets!
Football Update
Coach Brennan's Wildcats fell at Texas Tech 34-26 Saturday in a tense Big 12 battle of ranked teams. Noah Fifita threw for a season-high 417 yards, including a 94-yard touchdown to Isaiah Mizell, which was our longest pass play since 2015. The loss broke a five-game winning streak, but we are still ranked No. 24 in the country and in the thick of the conference race with four games remaining.
Three of those four games are at home, starting on Friday when we host TCU at Casino Del Sol Stadium for an 8:15 p.m. kickoff on ESPN. Wear white! It's our annual Sandstorm game, which highlights the university's connection to the Sonoran Desert, from studying extreme environments to developing solutions for water, heat, and sustainability. It's an honor for our football program to serve as a platform for promoting some of the groundbreaking research being done across our campus.
In addition to the TCU game, we host third-ranked Utah on November 14 and Arizona State on November 28 for the 100th edition of the Territorial Cup. Let's pack Casino Del Sol Stadium for the stretch run! Click here or call 520-621-CATS to secure your tickets!
TUSD Takeover Day
Tucson Unified School District has a half day this coming Friday and nearly 2,000 high school seniors will be visiting our campus to experience student life and learn about applying to -- and potentially attending -- the University of Arizona.
Our football program has been working in partnership with TUSD for many years and Friday's Sandstorm game against TCU gives us the opportunity to showcase Wildcats football as a window to higher education.
TUSD students will experience a pep rally-style event at Rita Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium and hear from our enrollment staff before heading to the Cole and Jeannie Davis Sports Center to explore several events including a campus resource fair, a pizza lunch with our student-athletes, and more. The students will have the opportunity to attend our volleyball match against Utah at noon for free and purchase discounted tickets to the football game that evening.
Thank you to both our football and enrollment management staffs for putting together what promises to be a memorable experience for these high school seniors. We are truly powered by our Tucson community, and we can't wait to display our beautiful campus and amazing gameday experience to future Wildcats!
ZONA+
Last week we launched ZONA+, our new fan engagement platform built to strengthen the connection between Wildcat fans and all 22 Arizona sports programs.
ZONA+ takes Wildcats fans behind the scenes of Arizona Athletics, featuring student-athlete focused videos, photos and stories in addition to historical content and access to branded merchandise, exclusive events and VIP experiences.
ZONA+ gives us an innovative means to engage with our fans like never before by producing compelling content, creating memorable experiences, and connecting our student-athletes with meaningful NIL opportunities.
We are currently offering a free, two-month trial subscription to all users, while Wildcat Club members and season ticket holders can activate a free membership that runs through June 30, 2027. Click here for membership details and join today!
Olympic Sports Roundup
Our triathlon team heads up I-10 this coming weekend seeking its third consecutive Women's Collegiate Triathlon National Championship. The race starts at 10:30 a.m. Sunday at Tempe Town Lake North Park. We have seven qualifiers, led by Kelly Wetteland, who finished first at the NCAA West Regional. The other six qualifiers are Margareta Vrablova, Ruth Pardy, Ellison Wolfe, Amit Ben Adiva, Regina Michel Camacho and Molly Lakustiak. Good luck to Coach Wes Johnson and the Wildcats!
Our cross country team competed at the Big 12 Championships in Stillwater over the weekend, where the men placed fifth in the team standings and the women finished seventh. Evans Tanui (sixth) and Mercy Chepkemoi (ninth) both notched Top 10 individual finishes. Congratulations to Evans and Mercy!
Three of our swimmers earned Big 12 honors last week after our season-opening meet against SMU. Tomas Lukminas was selected Big 12 Men's Swimmer of the Week, while Minkyu Noh and Kailey Kennedy were named Big 12 Men's and Women's Newcomer of the Week, respectively. Congratulations to all on a great start to the season!
Our soccer team wraps up its regular season Thursday at TCU at 5 p.m. Both our men's and women's tennis team compete in their ITA Sectional Championships this weekend with NCAA Tournament individual qualification on the line.
Wildcat Collectibles
Last month we launched a new online destination – CollectUofA.com -- where Wildcat fans can buy authenticated memorabilia including signs and artwork pulled directly from Casino Del Sol Stadium, McKale Center at ALKEME Arena and other athletics facilities.
Each item is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity. New drops will continue on a rolling basis, and a portion of proceeds from every sale benefit Arizona Athletics. Click here to check out the collection!
Hall of Fame Celebration
Arizona Athletics is commemorating a historic milestone this month with the 50th anniversary of the University of Arizona Sports Hall of Fame, celebrating five decades of Wildcats excellence, tradition and achievement.
The 50th Anniversary will serve as a comprehensive tribute to the 386 individuals and 66 teams inducted into the Hall since its inception. All members will be invited back to campus to celebrate the excellence and championship tradition that define Arizona Athletics. We are honored to recognize inductees from the past 50 years because their achievements reflect the proud tradition of the Wildcat community and inspire future generations of Arizona student-athletes.
In addition, our 2025 triathlon team will be inducted for their national championship, and the event will also recognize significant heritage and tradition elements that have shaped the shared experience of all Wildcats and Wildcat supporters.
University of Arizona Sports Hall of Fame Weekend will kick off with an evening event at Casino Del Sol's Grand Ballroom on Friday, November 13, with celebrations continuing during our home football game against Utah on Saturday, November 14. Tickets for Friday's event are available for purchase at $75 per individual or $750 for a table of 10. Click here for ticket information and we hope to see you there!
Cats Corner
- Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark announced this past Friday that he will be stepping down from his role on January 31, 2027. In helping our conference navigate massive changes in the college sports landscape, Brett has been ambitious, aggressive and creative in positioning the conference for what's next. I have always appreciated his candor and his willingness to listen and talk through big ideas. We all wish him the best of luck in his next journey.
- Before their exhibition game on October 23, our softball team held a moving tribute to Coach Larry Ray, who passed away earlier this year. Larry was our assistant softball coach for two stints from 1986-2012 and part of five Arizona national championships. He was also Florida's first ever head softball coach. Thank you to his family for attending.
- Arizona alum and former Macy's CEO Terry Lundgren spoke to our Arizona Athletics Leadership Academy last month, sharing not only his business experience but his personal journey from Tucson to heading up one of the nation's leading retailers. His candor, humor and practical leadership perspective gave us a great deal to think about. Thank you, Terry!
- More than 100 of our student-athletes have volunteered with the Humane Society of Southern Arizona this semester with our soccer team being the latest to take part this past week. In addition to assisting with tasks on site, they take photos with adoptable dogs to raise awareness and help find owners. It's a great opportunity to support a worthy case. Thank you to all the Wildcats who have participated!
Arizona Athletics is making an impact on and off the field of play and that momentum is due in large part to your support. Thank you for your belief in what we're building for now and for the future of Wildcat Nation.
Bear Down and Go Cats!
