Photo by: Mike Christy / Arizona Athletics
Complete 2026-27 Arizona Men's Basketball Schedule Released
09/17/2026 | Men's Basketball
TUCSON, Ariz. (Sept. 17, 2026) - The Big 12 Conference announced Arizona's 2026-27 men's basketball schedule Thursday—an 18-game conference slate that brings national powerhouses to McKale Center at ALKEME Arena while setting up critical Big 12 matchups as the Wildcats pursue a return to the Final Four.
Head coach Tommy Lloyd enters his sixth season off the back of a historic 36-3 campaign that included Arizona's first Final Four appearance since 2001. After winning both the Big 12 regular season and tournament titles—with Jaden Bradley earning Player of the Year honors—the Wildcats aim to build on that championship momentum.
Season tickets are available now at ArizonaWildcats.com/MBK and single-game tickets are expected to go on sale in early October.
EXHIBITION SLATE SETS THE STAGE
Arizona will open the season with three home exhibition games starting Oct. 13 against San Francisco, followed by San Diego State (Oct. 16) and Eastern Washington (Oct. 23).
REGULAR SEASON OPENS IN LAS VEGAS
The regular season tips off Nov. 2 in Las Vegas against UCLA in the TNT Sports Hall of Fame Series at T-Mobile Arena—a familiar setting for Arizona fans that's known for tournament success.
The Wildcats return home for contests against Cal Poly (Nov. 5) and Northern Arizona (Nov. 10) before traveling to Auburn, Ala., for the return game of a home-and-home series with the Tigers on Nov. 13.
MARQUEE NON-CONFERENCE MATCHUPS
Arizona welcomes national runner-up UConn to McKale Center at ALKEME Arena on Nov. 18 before heading to the Southwest Maui Invitational (Nov. 23-25). The Wildcats face Colorado State in their opening tournament game, with subsequent games against either Providence or VCU, and a potential third game against Ole Miss, Clemson, Washington, or BYU.
Upon returning to the mainland, Arizona hosts LSU (Dec. 1) before traveling to New York City to play St. John's at Madison Square Garden in the Hall of Fame Series on Dec. 5.
A home contest against Tennessee Tech (Dec. 12) precedes a neutral site matchup with Arkansas at Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix on Dec. 19—a rematch of the teams' thrilling Sweet 16 battle last March. The non-conference schedule concludes at home with Northern Illinois (Dec. 21) and University of Incarnate Word (Dec. 28).
BIG 12 CONFERENCE PLAY BEGINS
When the calendar turns to 2027, that signals the start of Big 12 conference play. Arizona opens league competition with a road trip to Ames, Iowa, to face Iowa State on Jan. 2, followed by a home game against UCF on Jan. 6.
After a road contest at Kansas State (Jan. 9), the Wildcats return to McKale Center at ALKEME Arena for two critical home games against BYU (Jan. 12) and in-state rival Arizona State (Jan. 16). A rare Friday night game sends Arizona on the road to Lubbock, Texas, to face Texas Tech (Jan. 22) before a home game with Utah on Jan. 26.
Arizona closes out January with a two-game road trip at West Virginia (Jan. 30) and Cincinnati (Feb. 2), followed by home games against Houston (Feb. 6) and TCU (Feb. 8).
RIVALRY GAMES AND THE FINAL STRETCH
The second matchup against Arizona State takes place in Tempe on Feb. 13, followed by a road contest at Oklahoma State on Feb. 16 as the regular season homestretch comes into view.
A date fans will have circled is Feb. 20, when Kansas returns to Tucson after the two teams split regular season meetings last year. It's a quick turnaround to a Big Monday tilt on ESPN at BYU on Feb. 22, followed by a home game against Baylor on Feb. 27.
The final week of the regular season brings Colorado to McKale Center for Senior Day on March 3 and sends Arizona on the road to face Houston on March 6.
POSTSEASON OUTLOOK
The Big 12 Tournament returns to Kansas City (March 9-13) at T-Mobile Center, with Selection Sunday on March 14 followed by NCAA Tournament Opening Round games March 16-17 in Dayton, Ohio, and Wichita, Kansas.
The First and Second Rounds take place March 18-21 at eight sites: Pittsburgh, Pa.; Omaha, Neb.; Fort Worth, Texas; Spokane, Wash.; Charlotte, N.C.; Minneapolis, Minn.; Louisville, Ky.; and Sacramento, Calif.
Regional Semifinals and Finals will be played March 25-28 at one of four locations: San Antonio, Texas; Los Angeles, Calif.; Kansas City, Mo.; and New York, N.Y., before the Final Four in Detroit on April 3 and 5.
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