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Potential showcase matchups for the Arizona Wildcats against either Pittsburgh or San Diego State in the Maui Invitational became more of an iffy proposition with the brackets announced this morning.
The Wildcats open against Missouri on Nov. 24 with Kansas State and Purdue in the opposite bracket in the eight-team field. If Arizona defeats Missouri and either Kansas State or Purdue, the Wildcats may face Pitt or San Diego State in the title game Nov. 26. Chaminade and BYU are on the same half of the bracket as Pitt and San Diego State.
A matchup with Pitt is ideal because Arizona coach Sean Miller, who hails from the Pittsburgh area, played for the Panthers from 1987-1992. A potential showdown with San Diego State would continue the intense rivalry between the Wildcats and Aztecs, which has evolved between the two West Coast powers over the last few years since Miller was hired at Arizona in 2009.
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Arizona eliminated San Diego State from the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16 round last season. The Wildcats also topped the Aztecs in the championship game of the Diamond Head Classic championship on Christmas night of 2012.
Miller is 3-2 against San Diego State as Arizona’s coach.
Missouri, of the SEC, is a team in transition with a new head coach. Kim Anderson, a Missouri alumnus, replaced Frank Haith after last season. Anderson had two stints as a Missouri assistant before coaching Central Missouri the last 11 years.
Arizona’s last matchup with Missouri was an Elite Eight game in the 1994 NCAA tournament won by the Wildcats 92-72 at Los Angeles. Anderson was an assistant to former Missouri coach Norm Stewart in that game.
One of the Tigers’ top players is sophomore forward Torren Jones, who attended Chandler Basha High School before transferring to La Lumiere (Ind.) Prep School as a senior in 2012-13.
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ARIZONA’S 2014-15 HOOPS SCHEDULE
Nov. 9 CAL POLY POMONA (exhibition)
Nov. 14 MOUNT ST. MARY’S
Nov. 16 CAL STATE NORTHRIDGE (Maui Invitational opening game)
Nov. 19 UC IRVINE
Nov. 24 at Maui Invitational vs. Missouri
Nov. 25-26 at Maui Invitational, Lahaina, Hawaii (fixed bracket TBA, three games, participating teams: Arizona, BYU, Chaminade, Kansas State, Missouri, Pittsburgh, Purdue and San Diego State)
Dec. 2 GARDNER-WEBB
Dec. 6 GONZAGA
Dec. 9 UTAH VALLEY
Dec. 13 MICHIGAN
Dec. 16 OAKLAND
Dec. 19 at UTEP
Dec. 23 at UNLV
Dec. 29-Jan. 4 ASU
Jan. 5-11 at Oregon, at Oregon State
Jan. 12-18 COLORADO, UTAH
Jan. 19-25 at California, at Stanford
Jan. 26-Feb. 1 OSU, OREGON
Feb. 2-8 at ASU
Feb. 9-15 at Washington, at WSU
Feb. 16-22 USC, UCLA
Feb. 23-Mar. 1 at Utah, at Colorado
Mar. 2-9 STANFORD, CALIFORNIA
ALLSPORTSTUCSON.com publisher, writer and editor Javier Morales is a former Arizona Press Club award winner. He also writes articles for Bleacher Report and Lindy’s College Sports.
