Big XII missed an opportunity with Arizona Basketball and Kansas not doing a Home-and-Away

The Big XII released its conference slate of games for 2024-25, and direly missing is a home-and-away between Arizona Basketball and Kansas Basketball.

Arizona Basketball and Kansas Basketball are two of the more storied programs in college basketball history. Both programs have a rich tradition of success, national championships, and a long list of NBA Alumni. However, despite their storied histories, the two teams have only met on the court a handful of times, with their last meeting dating back to 2010 when they met in Vegas.

Now conference foes, it only seemed logical that in Arizona's inaugural season in the Big XII, the Conference would align a home-and-away matchup for the 2024-25 season, after all, a home-and-away series between the two teams would be a dream matchup for fans and players alike.

Unfortunately, that is not the case! Instead, Arizona will travel to Lawrence this year where they will take on an extremely talented Kansas team.

And here is what the Big XII Conference missed by not scheduling a home-and-away series with Arizona Basketball and Kansas.

Expanded Viewership and Exposure to the Conference

A home-and-away series between Arizona and Kansas would not only provide fans with entertaining and competitive basketball, but it would also be a great opportunity for both programs to showcase their talent on a national stage. And with both programs being consistently ranked among the top in the country, a matchup between the Wildcats and Jayhawks would draw a lot of attention and hype.

Just imagine a Saturday afternoon game on CBS or ABC between Arizona and Kansas not once but twice this year. The amount of viewers tuning in would equate to more exposure and money for the conference, but alas, we will have to wait a bit longer for that to happen!

Two opportunities to have highly competitive Basketball games

From a competitive standpoint, a home-and-away series between Arizona and Kansas would be a true test of skill and determination for both programs. With talented rosters and top-tier coaching staffs, each game would likely prove to be a battle until the end, and I feel like this could turn into a UCLA-Arizona-esque rivalry. 

Not capitalizing by having these two programs face each other twice this year is borderline criminal. 

Missed Recruiting Opportunity / Financial Benefits

In addition to the competitive aspects, a home-and-away series between Arizona and Kansas would have provided additional financial and recruiting benefits for both programs. These marquee matchups would draw a large television audience, attract significant media attention, and provide a financial boost through increased ticket sales, merchandise revenue, etc.

Additionally, playing against top competition like Kansas would be a valuable experience for Arizona’s recruiting efforts, as it would showcase the program’s ability to compete at the highest level and with a top-flight program like Kansas.

Ultimately, a home-and-away series between Arizona and Kansas would have been a win-win for both programs, but that pipedream will have to wait a bit longer. Hopefully, the basketball gods will align to make this dream matchup a reality in the near future!

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