Ranking Arizona’s loaded non-conference schedule from easiest to toughest

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.

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Below is a look at the 12 known non-conference opponents for Arizona this upcoming season, ranked in descending order of easiest to toughest:

Southern Indiana Screaming Eagles guard Ismail Habib (21) during the second half of an NCAA basketball game against the Butler Bulldogs, Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025, at Hinkle Fieldhouse. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

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)

Nov 11, 2025; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats guard Dwayne Aristode (2) hits the ball out of the hand of Northern Arizona Lumberjacks guard Ryan Abelman (11) | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

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.

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The problem? NAU went 10-22 last year and 4-14 in the Big Sky, and didn’t make any…

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Publish date : 2026-09-22 20:55:00

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