Arizona Basketball did not ease into its preseason. It went straight into a proper argument with a Division I opponent, and that is exactly how these exhibitions should be treated. Tuesday night at ALKEME Arena at McKale Center was the first of up to three preseason games against Division I teams, and there is nothing soft about that setup. In a sport where teams can spend weeks learning very little by beating up on the wrong opposition, Arizona has chosen something better: pressure, pace and a genuine early read on where it stands.
That matters because this is not just a tune-up for the sake of appearances. The season begins in three weeks, Arizona’s opener is in November, and the Wildcats have already used two different starting lineups during their August trip to Lithuania. So this is a group still settling itself, still sorting through combinations, still trying to turn talent into something more coherent. Exhibitions can be window dressing. This one was not. This was a test.
A tougher schedule, by design
San Francisco arrived with a roster described as almost completely new, but that only makes the challenge more interesting, not less. Last season the Dons went 17-16 and finished in the middle of the West Coast Conference, and Jack Murphy made it clear Arizona was not getting an easy night just because the opponent is in preseason mode too. “These are tough, competitive games,” he said. He also pointed out that if the NCAA Tournament were at 76 teams in recent years, San Francisco probably would have been in it.
That is the whole logic of this scheduling choice. Arizona gets a real opponent, not a controlled scrimmage disguised as one. Murphy said San Diego State is a perennial NCAA Tournament team and Eastern Washington is among the more talented teams in the Big Sky, and he called the run of exhibitions “a great challenge” and “exciting.” More importantly, he framed it correctly: this is preparation for November, not a victory lap in October.
There is a competitive edge to this setup that should suit Arizona. The Wildcats have 11 freshmen and four transfers, which means there is no shortcut around discomfort. They need game speed, not theory. They need to discover who handles the ball under pressure, who defends without fouling, and who looks ready when the season starts counting. A preseason built around Division I opposition is demanding. Good. Arizona should welcome that, not hide from it.
The real value is information
The obvious risk in these exhibitions is that people overreact to everything. One good stretch does not make a breakout. One poor possession does not make a crisis. But the broader point still stands: if Arizona wants to be serious in November, it has to act serious in late October. That means facing teams that can punish sloppiness, expose hesitation and make the rotations matter.
Friday brings San Diego State, then Eastern Washington on Oct. 23. That is a proper preseason stress test, not a parade. And for a team trying to define itself before the season begins, that is exactly the right kind of inconvenience.
