The 25 Non-Conference Pac-12 Games to Watch
Posted by Andrew Murawa on November 13th, 2014Hey look! Basketball! Well, maybe don’t look all that quickly because, frankly, unless you’re a die-hard, there isn’t a game that a Pac-12 team plays this weekend that is worth a whole heck of a lot. Oh, we’ll still be watching, of course, because, well, we’ve been waiting to see these teams for months now. But, if you’re a busy person and a discriminating basketball fan, don’t burn your precious basketball-watching minutes right away this season. Instead, put these 25 non-conference games on your calendar and you’ll get a chance to check out every team in this league from the comfort of your own couch. Is 25 games not enough for you? Don’t worry, I’m not even including the games in one of the many early-season exempt tournaments (11 of the 12 conference teams compete in such a tournament this season) in this list; more on those later. Here’s your list of the best games involving Pac-12 teams over the next couple of months.
- 11/18 Utah @ San Diego State (ESPN) – Part of the behemoth in Bristol’s 24 hours of hoops kickoff, this is on the very short list of best Pac-12 non-conference games of the year. We’ll get an early look at the Utes going on the road to face a Top 25-caliber team with a chance to breathlessly overreact to whatever happens there on Tuesday afternoon.
The Show – And The Aztecs – Will Test Utah Early
- 11/22 Colorado @ Wyoming (ESPN3) – The only game on this list that you won’t see on national television, this will not only represent a chance to check out the status of the Buffaloes’ point guard situation, but a look at Wyoming’s Larry Nance on his way back from a torn ACL.
- 11/26 California @ Fresno State (CBSSN) – It’s not the sexiest looking game, but an early road game against an improving intrastate foe is a game the Golden Bears could lose if they aren’t locked in early for Cuonzo Martin.
- 11/30 USC @ New Mexico (CBSSN) – The Trojans visiting one of the toughest places to play in the sport on Thanksgiving Sunday; sounds fun to me. The Lobos will be breaking in new players almost everywhere, though, so Andy Enfield’s young bunch has at least a puncher’s chance.
- 12/3 UNLV @ Arizona State (Pac-12 Networks) – The Rebels earn honorary Pac-12 conference membership this season (which is the closest they’ll ever get to actual membership in this conference, by the way) with three scheduled games against conference teams, and a fourth possible game against Stanford in the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic.
- 12/3 Wichita State @ Utah (ESPN2) – Another Utah game among the very best non-conference games in the league, and you’ll see one other good one involving the Utes further down the list. For my money, this matches up two of the 10 most interesting teams in the country this year — how good can the Utes be? and how do the Shockers look in the post-Cleanthony Early era?
Fred VanVleet And The Shockers Will Be A Tough Test For The Utes (Scott Kane-USA TODAY Sports)
- 12/6 Gonzaga @ Arizona (ESPN) – The Zags are another name you’re going to see on this list a few times, and this one has me already ridiculously excited. McConnell vs. Pangos. Ashley vs. Wiltjer. Tarczewski vs. Karnowski. Hollis-Jefferson vs. Wesley. A look at Domantas Sabonis. Stanley Johnson on a national stage. Yes, yes, yes. Please.
- 12/7 San Diego State @ Washington (Pac-12 Networks) – We expect that the Aztecs are going to be a better team than the Huskies, but this is the type of game that could give SDSU some trouble. Not only is it a road game but it is against a team that could be potent enough offensively to give an offensively-challenged Aztecs team a run.
- 12/10 Washington State @ Gonzaga (ESPNU) – Okay. I’ll admit, that team name before the at sign may turn you off a little bit, but you’re going to want to watch every team in the conference play at least once, right? And, besides, the Cougs have a history of giving their best effort of the year against the Bulldogs.
- 12/10 Colorado State @ Colorado (Pac-12 Networks) – The Rams’ head coach Larry Eustachy thinks a lot of his team this year and versatile seniors J.J. Avila and Daniel Bejarano will certainly test the Buffaloes’ defensive mettle.
- 12/13 Utah @ Kansas (ESPN) – Here it is, the third whopper on the Utah non-conference schedule. This game is technically a neutral-site game in Kansas City, but let’s face it, this is a road game for Utah. And what a road game it is. We think the Utes are mighty talented this year, but against a Bill Self team loaded down with four- and five-star recruits, they’ll have a lot to prove.
- 12/13 Oregon @ Illinois (Big Ten Network) – Outside of an appearance in a loaded Legends Classic in Brooklyn, the Ducks have scheduled softly this year, which may be a good idea for an inexperienced bunch. But this game against a middle-of-the-pack Big Ten squad gives both conferences a chance to test each other same-for-same.
- 12/13 Michigan at Arizona (ESPN) – The Wolverines and the Wildcats gave fans a great battle in Ann Arbor last year. While John Beilein is missing a lot of talent from that team, you can bet that the Wolverines have Arizona’s full attention when they roll into the McKale Center.
- 12/13 Gonzaga @ UCLA (ESPN2) – You’ll have a chance to get your fill of the Bruins on Thanksgiving week in the Battle 4 Atlantis, but this Pauley Pavilion tilt against the talented Zags will let you catch up with the progress freshmen Kevon Looney and Isaac Hamilton are making.
- 12/13 Mississippi State @ Oregon State (Pac-12) – Considering the other four big-time Pac-12 games I’ve got scheduled for you on the same day, you can be excused from watching this one if you want. But if you want to see just how bad these Beavers are, a match-up against an SEC team slated for the cellar in their own conference should put things in perspective. Ugly, ugly perspective.
- 12/16 Arizona State @ Marquette (Fox Sports 1) – Honestly, I love this type of game: an inter-sectional game against two relatively unknown and under-the-radar teams probably with about the same level of talent. Plus, we get to check out a guy like Marquette sophomore Deonte Burton.
- 12/20 Oklahoma vs. Washington in Las Vegas (ESPNU) – A true neutral-site game in front of a handful of people on the Saturday before Christmas in Sin City: What could go wrong? Still, the Sooners have three guards that are fun to watch and if the Huskies’ aversion to defense continues, this could be a wild game.
- 12/20 UCLA vs. Kentucky in Chicago (CBS) – Oh, the future pros in this game. If Kentucky is clicking by this time, they may just have too much for UCLA. But with Bruins like Looney, Hamilton and Norman Powell carrying NBA dreams of their own, maybe they take this national stage as a chance to strut their stuff.
John Calipari Chuckles At The Handful Of Future Pros On UCLA’s Roster (AP)
- 12/20 Utah @ UNLV (ESPN2) – This game may not be quite up to the level of the Utes’ previous non-conference games on this list, but this is a fitting capper to a tough November and December. Not only do they get to reignite a rivalry with their old Mountain West rival, but they get a road crack at a team that may be a bit more their speed than San Diego State or Kansas.
- 12/20 Stanford @ BYU (ESPNU) – Last year the Cardinal and Cougars played an 89-possession ballgame in regulation almost completely lacking any semblance of defensive fundamentals. But it was fun. More than a month into the season and with both teams beginning to ramp into conference play, you can bet defense will be more of a priority in this one. With offensive talents like Chasson Randle, Anthony Brown and Tyler Haws on the floor, it may not matter.
- 12/22 Wisconsin @ Cal (ESPN2) – If this game was at Wisconsin, I’m not sure I would even put it on this list. But the Badgers traveling across the country off a long break for finals, pre-Christmas? Hmmm, maybe if everything goes just exactly right for the Golden Bears, they can spring the upset here. But man, that Wisconsin front line looks like too much to handle for an undersized Cal team.
- 12/23 Arizona @ UNLV (CBSSN) – The Rebels are young and inexperienced, but Dave Rice is certainly no slouch on the recruiting trail. At the very least, they have the bodies, if not the depth or the polish, to belong on the same court as the Wildcats.
- 12/23 Stanford @ Texas (ESPN2) – The Stanford pre-Christmas mini-gauntlet ends deep in the heart of Longhorn-land. Texas is loaded with exciting players and will challenge the Cardinal both inside and out.
- 12/28 Harvard @ Arizona State (Pac-12) – This is the kind of game that the Pac-12 really needs to win. The Sun Devils have more athletes than the Crimson and they’re playing at home. And for Herb Sendek, the fact that his team is heading right into a road trip to the McKale Center after this one should serve as plenty of inspiration to make sure the Sun Devils are dialed in.
- 12/28 UCLA @ Alabama (ESPNU) – A few months ago, the only UCLA/Bama game that Bruins fans wanted to think about around the New Year’s holiday was a college football playoff national semifinal. That pipe dream has run aground, so this hardwood match-up will have to suffice.
- 1/17 Connecticut @ Stanford (ESPN) – Last but not least, as the college basketball world is tied up in conference play, the defending champion Huskies want to remind a national audience that they haven’t fallen off of the face of the earth just because they play in the, well, what conference do they play in again? This game will mean more for UConn than Stanford, but the Cardinal do have a one-game winning streak over the Huskies.
Andrew Murawa Likes Basketball.
