Arizona is adding San Diego State to what could be the most difficult 2025-26 non-conference schedule, as reported by Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports and Fansided. Arizona will play San Diego State in Phoenix in a doubleheader with Colorado and Stanford playing in the other game.
Alabama, Auburn, Connecticut, Florida and UCLA are also on the 2025-26 Arizona non-conference schedule. Arizona will open the season versus Florida on November 3 in Las Vegas, play UCLA at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California, on November 14 and at UConn on November 9.
Arizona continues its gauntlet non-conference schedule on December 6 versus Auburn, plays Alabama in Birmingham on December 13 and then San Diego State on December 20. The challenging non-conference is in lieu of Arizona playing in an in-season exempt tournament.
A remade Arizona roster will have to build chemistry immediately during the 2025-26 season. Forward Tobe Awaka and guards Jaden Bradley and Anthony Dell'Orso return for Arizona as starters in 2025-26. The rest of the roster will look very different in 2025-26.
Arizona's 2025-26 non-conference schedule:
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) May 14, 2025
Florida (11/3, Las Vegas)
UCLA (11/14, Intuit Dome, Los Angeles)
At UConn (11/19)
Auburn (12/6)
Alabama (12/13, Birmingham)
San Diego State (12/20, Phoenix) https://t.co/OhKic5X33y
Five-star freshmen, forward Koa Peat and guard Brayden Burries, will be counted on to be significant contributors as freshmen. Arizona added Harvard transfer guard Evan Nelson to provide more depth in the backcourt in 2025-26. Center Motiejus Krivas also returns after missing all but eight games in 2024-25.
Arizona leads the all-time series with San Diego State 25-7. The Wildcats have won the last five games and 12 of the last 14 versus the Aztecs. This season will be the fourth straight game and fifth in the last six between Arizona and San Diego State on a neutral court.
San Diego State finished 21–10 in 2024-25 and lost 95-68 in the NCAA Tournament First Four to North Carolina. The Aztecs are projected to be one of the best teams in the Mountain West in 2025-26 after finishing fourth and fifth in the conference in the last two seasons. Magoon Gwath is one of the best interior defenders nationally.