Arizona Basketball: Wildcats 2018-19 non-conference schedule released
By David Rosen
The 2018-19 Arizona Wildcats basketball season is four months away, and fans got a preview of what to expect with the non-conference schedule being released.
Good things come to those who wait. Arizona Wildcat basketball fans have had to endure four months of waiting before finding out who the Wildcats will be competing with during non-conference play.
Now that the non-conference schedule has been released, fans now have to wait another four months before the regular season begins. That’s more than enough time to think about all the possible line-ups, rotations and more to expect this upcoming season.
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Overall, the non-conference schedule is not bad. Many may say at first that it’s a weak one, but if last season’s is any indication, no team should be overlooked. One of those teams the Wildcats played was UMBC, out of the America East Conference and easily won 103-78. That same UMBC team though went on to become the first team No.16 seed ever in NCAA March Madness history to upset a No.1 seed, beating Virginia 74-54.
There may not be another UMBC type of team this season, but you never know. The Wildcats will need to remain focus from the beginning to the end of non-conference play because opponents bring their best when they face the Cats. Expect this team to handle early season play well as expectations will be low, and they will have nothing to lose and a lot to gain.
https://twitter.com/APlayersProgram/status/1020084417937661952
The Wildcats will, of course, being opening up their non-conference schedule with the McDonald’s Red-Blue Game. I was lucky enough to get pretty close to the action for last season’s game, and it was incredible! It had it all. Player intro, dunk contests and full court red versus blue gameplay, can’t pass that up!
After a couple of exhibition games and non-conference home games against Cal Poly and UTEP, the Wildcats will travel to Hawaii for the 2018 Maui Invitational. This year’s lineup of teams is loaded and will include Auburn, Duke, Gonzaga, Georgetown, Michigan, San Diego State and Xavier. This will be the Wildcat’s toughest test of non-conference play and a strong indicator of how this team will handle themselves against highly skilled and coached teams come post season.
The last time the Wildcats left the mainland, it didn’t go according to plan, but this time around Coach Sean Miller will make sure his team is well prepared. Once they are done in Hawaii, the Cats will travel back to play one game in Tucson to play Texas Southern, before heading back out on the road to face UConn. Last season these two teams met in Tucson and went on to win73-58 with Rawle Alkins leading the way with 20 points and four rebounds.
The Wildcats will head back to Tucson to face Utah Valley next, before heading back out on the road again (I love that song) to play Alabama. The Wildcats did fare well against them last season as they won a close one 88-82, led by Deandre Ayton who had a MONSTER of a game with 29 points and 18 rebounds.
To wrap up non-conference, the Wildcats will head back home and play against Baylor, Montana and UC Davis before heading into Pac-12 conference play.
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At Zona Zealots, we can’t for the 2018-19 season to get underway. This season will be one not to be missed. It will have its highs and lows. It will have its dunk and three-point shots. It will have it’s ESPN Top 10 plays. It will have it all. Zona Zealots will be here to provide you with all the fan coverage you need for your Cats. Bear Down!