Ranking Arizona's loaded non-conference schedule from easiest to toughest
In this story:
Arizona head coach Tommy Lloyd has never been one to schedule a bunch of cupcakes in the non-conference slate in order to bolster the NET rankings heading into Big 12 play. While many of his colleagues do exactly that, Lloyd borrowed from his old boss, Mark Few at Gonzaga, consistently demonstrating a willingness to play anyone, anytime, and anywhere.
That's why it is no surprise to see Arizona with one of - if not the - toughest non-conference schedules in all of college basketball. With multiple trips across the country and high-profile programs coming to Tucson, there will be no shortage of excellent basketball for Arizona fans to consume this season - starting right out of the gate against UCLA on opening night.
Below is a look at the 12 known non-conference opponents for Arizona this upcoming season, ranked in descending order of easiest to toughest:
12. Incarnate Word Cardinals (Dec. 28, 2026)
The Cardinals will take on Arizona a few days after Christmas, in what should be a nice tuneup game before Big 12 play gets underway.
Incarnate Word added Ismail Habib from Southern Indiana and Godswill Erheriene from Seton Hall, which should help them improve on last year's 12-19 record, but there's little reason to think this team will take massive strides in the Southland in 2026-27.
11. Northern Arizona Lumberjacks (Nov. 10, 2026)
Arizona's friends up north in Flagstaff managed to retain a ton of players from last year's squad, including star guard Ryan Abelman and freshmen Chris Komin and Brennan Peterson.
The problem? NAU went 10-22 last year and 4-14 in the Big Sky, and didn't make any meaningful roster additions in what could be another tough year for the Lumberjacks.
10. Northern Illinois Huskies (Dec. 21, 2026)
The Huskies were quite bad last year, going 9-21 overall in what was Rashan Burno's final year on the sideline. Now Matt Majkrzak takes over from the Division II ranks, and talented players like Tolu Samuels from Florida Atlantic and David Douglas Jr. from Fresno State could help this program turn things around in 2026-27.
9. Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles (Dec. 12, 2026)
Tobin Anderson takes over as head coach for Tennessee Tech, which went 13-18 overall last year and finished eighth in the Ohio Valley.
Now the Golden Eagles have a successful head coach and a roster that added quality transfers in De'Ante Green (South Florida), Trent Mosquera (Le Moyne), and Davante Hackett (Stonehill).
8. New Orleans Privateers (Dec. 1, 2026)
Arizona begins December hosting New Orleans out of the Southland, a team that went 15-18 last year but secured two very solid transfers in Nick Jones (Wagner) and Kahlil Singleton (Canisius) to shore up the backcourt.
7. Cal Poly Mustangs (Nov. 5, 2026)
After flirting with the defending champion Michigan Wolverines, superstar forward Hamad Mousa (20.4 PPG last year) opted to return to SLO to play for Cal Poly, a massive win for coach Mike DeGeorge.
The Mustangs also get back Cayden Ward, Guzman Vasilic, and Jake Davis, their second, fourth and fifth leading scorers from last year, and this kind of continuity makes this a dangerous early-season buy game for the Wildcats.
6. Colorado State Rams (Nov. 23, 2026)
The first game of the Maui Invitational is against a Rams team that returned four key starters from last season in Carey Booth, Kyle Jorgensen, Jase Butler, and Josh Pascarelli, and is looking to make a name for itself in the new-look Pac-12 under head coach Ali Farokhmanesh.
Colorado State is definitely a bit of a trap game for the Wildcats thanks to their experience and continuity, so Arizona will have to be careful down on the island.
Arizona will either play Providence or VCU in the second game in Maui, and then one of BYU, Washington, Clemson, or Ole Miss in a third game on Nov. 25.
5. Auburn Tigers (Nov. 13, 2026)
Arizona's only official road game of the non-conference comes Nov. 13 when they travel to Auburn to take on the Tigers, a nice early season test for Lloyd's club.
Coach Steven Pearl has a talented frontcourt that includes Creighton transfer Owen Freeman, Troy transfer Thomas Dowd, and Santa Clara big man Bukky Oboye, a rare group that could give Krivas, Kharchenkov, and Godfrey issues - especially on the road.
Add in returning guards Kevin Overton and Tahaad Pettiford, and you have a team that should be much better in Pearl's second season.
4. UCLA Bruins (Nov. 2, 2026)
Arizona and UCLA have kept up their rivalry in the post-Pac-12 era, and now will take each other on to open up the 2026-27 season in Las Vegas on Monday, Nov. 2. The game is part of a double-header that starts with Gonzaga vs. Purdue, making this a must-watch set of games at T-Mobile Arena.
UCLA will once again look to slow down Arizona with their physical brand of basketball, and all eyes will be on star 17-year-old Serbian Nikola Kusturica for the Bruins in what will be another great battle between these two iconic programs.
3. Arkansas Razorbacks (Dec. 19, 2026)
John Calipari and the Hogs will be in Phoenix on Dec. 19 as part of the Hall of Fame series, which also includes Gonzaga vs. Michigan State in Palm Springs.
Arkansas once again has an incredible freshman class, led by Jordan Smith Jr., JJ Andrews, and Miikka Muurinen, while returner Billy Richmond is set for a big year alongside Georgia transfer Jeremiah Wilkinson.
Arizona is a tough team to beat when they are playing in their home state, but the Hogs certainly have the talent to pull off a big win here.
2. St. John's Red Storm (Dec. 5, 2026)
While this technically won't go down as a road game, few teams are as 'home' as St. John's is at Madison Square Garden.
Lloyd and the Wildcats will have their hands full with Rick Pitino's club that features star wing Tounde Yessoufou, guard Ian Jackson, and potentially European point guard Quinn Ellis, who is awaiting clearance by the NCAA.
The Johnnies are a talented bunch led by a Hall of Fame coach, but limited depth in the frontcourt is an area the Wildcats can - and must - exploit in this early December showdown.
1. UConn Huskies (Nov. 18, 2026)
Even at home, college basketball matchups don't get much tougher than the UConn Huskies, who have made the national championship three of the last four seasons, winning twice, under coach Dan Hurley.
This is the return of a game Arizona won last year, 71-67, at Gampel Pavilion, and you can bet the Huskies are out for blood in Tucson. Led by returning guards Silas Demary and Braylon Mullins, not to mention stud freshman Colben Landrew and transfers Nik Khamenia (Duke), and Najai Hines (Seton Hall) this will be a massive mid-November game for both teams - and one of the best non-conference games of the season.
Add us as a preferred source on Google