Tommy Lloyd has never been one to shy away from a non-conference gauntlet. After taking on five ranked teams before Big 12 play last season, the Wildcats are shaping up to have another collection of high-profile teams on the slate next fall. Per a report from CBS college basketball insider Jon Rothstein, Arizona will face St. John’s at Madison Square Garden in New York City on December 5, 2026.
The game will be part of the Hall of Fame Series, a collection of games the UA has been a frequent participant of in recent years. The Wildcats and Red Storm have met twice in program history, splitting the matchups. St. John’s beat Arizona 70-67 in San Francisco during the 2019-20 season, while the UA took a 81-72 victory in 2011-12 in the 2K SPORTS COACHES vs CANCER CLASSIC.
While the game will technically be a neutral site game, St. John’s plays a number of its high-profile and marquee matchups at The Mecca, which is also the home of the Big East Conference Tournament.
The Red Storm are coming off their first Sweet 16 appearance since 1999 after knocking of Arizona’s Big 12 rival Kansas in San Diego, the same court where the Wildcats took down Long Island and Utah State in the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament. St. John’s is led by iconic head coach Rick Pitino, the active Division I wins leaders with over 900 victories to his name.
With the addition of St. John’s to the schedule, Arizona now has seven non-conference games on the books for the 2026-27 season. The Wildcats will open the season on November 2 in Las Vegas against UCLA as part of a four-game event that also features Arizona Women’s Basketball against Stanford. The UA will also play three games in the Maui Invitational during Thanksgiving week and also closes out its home-and-home series hosting UConn at the McKale Center and on the road at Auburn.
Most of the remaining non-conference games are likely to be buy-games, but Arizona is also expected to play a game in Phoenix for the fourth straight season, with some reports indicating it could be Michigan State. Per Rothstein, the Wildcats will face St. John’s in Phoenix during the 2027-28 season.
Interesting matchup. I wonder how the game atmosphere will be in New York.