Start times, TV info announced for 2024-25 Arizona men’s basketball schedule

Posted by Admin October 9, 2024 Basketball

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Gone are the days of hoping your cable or satellite provider included the Pac-12 Network in order to watch Arizona games. But everything comes at a price, and for Wildcat Nation that will mean needing access to multiple streaming services to catch the entire 2024-25 schedule.

Start times and TV info have been released for the upcoming season, the UA’s first in the Big 12 Conference. And it will include 12 games (including exhibitions) streamed on either ESPN+ or Peacock, with the rest on linear networks.

Arizona will have 19 of its 31 regular-season contests on either ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNU as part of the Big 12’s TV contract with the Worldwide Leader, while another nine (as well as both exhibitions) will stream on ESPN+. The Wildcats have one game each on CBS, CBS Sports Network and NBC’s streaming service, Peacock, which will air the UA’s Nov. 15 visit to Wisconsin as part of its Big Ten TV package.

In 2023-24, the final year of its 46-year run in the Pac-10/12, Arizona had 13 regular season games and both Pac-12 Tournament contests on the Pac-12 Network, which was not available on all cable/satellite plans.

The move to the Big 12 means there is much more variety in when games will start, particularly in league play, due to the conference having teams in three time zones. Arizona will have four games tip off at 9 p.m. Tucson time, same as in 2023-24, with another six or seven starting at 8 or 8:30 p.m. after having only five last season, but also will start a Tuesday night game at West Virginia at 5 p.m.

There are nine games that start prior to 3 p.m. in Tucson including eight of 13 Saturday contests.

The most high-profile nonconference game on the schedule, the Nov. 22 visit by Duke to McKale Center, will be at 8:30 p.m. and air on ESPN2. A week earlier the Wildcats’ visit to Wisconsin, on Peacock, will tip at 7 p.m. and thus finish after then Arizona-Houston football game kicks off at 8:15 p.m.

All regular season and postseason games will be after Daylight Saving Time ends on Nov. 3, putting Tucson in the Mountain Time Zone, but the exhibitions Oct. 21 vs. Eastern New Mexico and Oct. 28 vs. Point Loma are at 7 p.m. PT and will air on ESPN+.

The regular-season opener against Canisius is set for 8 p.m. MST on Nov. 4 on ESPN+. Four hours earlier the UA women’s basketball team is hosting UT-Arlington, also on ESPN+.